Bounty feature

Going Back to Work

• Going back to work
• Part-time possibility
• Work or stay home

Making the decision
One major factor in everyone’s decision about work is money. Can we afford not to go back to work, or can we afford the childcare we need? But other factors have a bearing, too:

• local choices – you may find the decision is easier if you have a workplace crèche, or a local nursery or childminder with a good reputation
• values and beliefs – you may have strong views about whether to stay at home or return to work, perhaps because of the way you were brought up
• family friendly employer – the pressures of being a working parent are eased if your company has a helpful approach towards employees who are also parents
• your job – if your career is important to you, you may not want to disappear from sight and risk getting overlooked for promotion.

You will probably need to spend plenty of time thinking, talking, doing sums and deciding on what is best for you and your family.

If you’re going to be your baby’s main carer, see ‘Staying at home’ for great suggestions on ways that you and your baby can make the most of your time together.

If you’re going back to work, read on for how to get off on the right foot, and check out your childcare options in ‘Minding the baby’.

Going back to work
Whatever your situation, here’s what you need to know about returning to work.

You

• do not need to give any notice of your return date if you are going back to work at the end of your ordinary maternity leave
• have the right to return to your original job after ordinary maternity leave
• can resign by giving your employer the notice required by your contract if you change your mind about returning to work; your entitlement to Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) will not be affected if you resign, but you should check your contract of employment if you are receiving any pay in addition to SMP, to find out whether you would have to repay that
• must give 28 days’ notice if you want to return to work before the end of your ordinary or additional maternity leave
• must tell your employer in writing if you are breastfeeding or have given birth in the last six months if you want to exercise your health and safety rights.

Your employer must

• consider any application you make to return to work on part-time or flexible hours
• arrange for a risk assessment if you feel that your job is damaging your health or that of your baby
• allow you to return to your old job after ordinary maternity leave
• offer you the same or a very similar job when you return after additional maternity leave
• take steps to protect the health and safety of breastfeeding mums by providing adequate rest and refreshment breaks.

Part-time possibility?
You may want to go back to work, but not to do as many hours as you did before your baby arrived.

Whilst you don’t have a legal right to work parttime hours, you can ask your employer to consider letting you return to work on reduced or flexible hours, and your employer does have to consider it. You might find that your boss is open to the idea, especially if you think about it beforehand and weigh up what would be reasonable to make it work for both of you.

Further information
For further information on employment rights and benefits, log onto the government public services website www.direct.gov.uk

Work or stay home?
No matter what you decide, it’s almost guaranteed that you will feel torn. Do our children really benefit if we stay home with them? Is it true that it’s quality time not quantity of time that’s important? Remember the decision you make now is not permanent. As your circumstances change you can make a new decision about staying home, working part time, or full-time work.

Breastfeeding and work
There is no reason why you shouldn’t continue breastfeeding when you go back to work, and it’s nice to keep that close contact with your baby at a time when many other things are changing.

If you want to express your milk, practise the technique now and start to freeze your milk. See ‘Feeding factfile’ in Bounty’s You and your newborn book.

If you prefer, your baby can have a combination of breastmilk when you’re there and formula when he is with his carer. If you are doing this, reduce the number of feeds that you are giving gradually over a week or ten days.

Don’t forget, too, that your baby might need to practise feeding from a bottle or cup before you go back to work!

For the next You and your growing baby guide Chapter, You and your partner, Click here