I’m sure we can all relate to a time when we, a colleague, or family member have been away from the workplace for a while. Whatever the circumstances, life events that pull us away from the workplace can mean there’s change to navigate; they also offer us important learning opportunities. It can feel daunting, exciting (depending on the circumstance), and uncertain all at once.
I’ve recently returned from maternity leave; before my leave, I remember asking myself at the beginning: What can I cover before I go (being as realistic as I could be!)? What does success look like for the team covering my work? What knowledge, information and insight can I share before I leave, and how? These were all questions I could explore, communicate and act on before my leave. Then the question … how will I manage the transition back to work? How can I bring ‘my best’ back?
I soon realised it was unhelpful for me to think about returning to work and what this might look like – I was about to embark on a life-changing event, and I needed to go on that journey of learning to be able to explore the question in my mind. For me, it was about being present in the moment and not focusing too much on what the future holds. And I did just that.
Fast forward 11 months and I returned to the question ‘how will I manage my return to work and be the best I can be?’; it got me thinking about what this might feel like for someone going through the process, and what might help. Here are some personal reflections:
- A self-awareness of your boundaries: What boundaries do you need to set to support your return, or when you’re going through a period of change? Tawwab describes boundaries as, “rules, expectations, needs, and desires that help you feel safe and comfortable in life and in your relationships” (Nedra Glover, 2021). Boundaries can be physical, mental and emotional. Setting healthy boundaries - such as how you’ll manage your time, or relationships–puts you in a position to support yourself, move you toward your values and show up at your best, and avoid overwhelm.
- Build in a habit of being kind to yourself (self-compassion). We talk about ‘bringing your best’ to work, and the challenges this can bring, particularly when the boundaries you’ve set might be blurred or broken. If this happens it might lead to self-judgement. With all the focus on bringing your best to work, and your best to home, what’s sometimes missing is a reflection on your own needs in the middle- what am I doing to be kinder to myself as I manage this? One example is practising positive self-talk by forgiving yourself if something didn’t go to plan.
- Setting realistic expectations: re-integrating back into the workplace, your team and what’s required in your role after time away can feel exciting and challenging. As well as being kind to ourselves, we also need to be mindful of setting realistic expectations. For some people, this might mean slowing down the pace, recognising what skills you might want to develop, or giving time to the things that can be missed or hidden such as building relationships.
- Remembering the journey you’re on: building in time to take stock and reflect on what you’re learning, any challenges and the wins (those that are important to you and represent how you’re doing) helps to build confidence and is an important contributor to your development journey.
If these reflections are helpful, please see below:
- If you feel you could benefit from coaching to support you to navigate change, build your self-awareness and explore boundaries, submit a request here: The University of Bath coaching service for staff
- To help guide your reflections to make sense of situations and experiences, there are some useful reflective tools available, see the Development Toolkit: Gibbs' Reflective Cycle - Helping People Learn From Experience
Lizzie Little, Workforce Development
References
Tawwab, Nedra Glover (2021), Set Boundaries, Find Peace, New York.
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