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Returning to work after maternity leave is a major transition that often goes unspoken despite its significant challenges. While the UK offers relatively generous maternity and paternity leave policies compared to countries like the US, there is still much room for improvement in supporting parents during this critical period.
To explore this topic, we’ve talked with Holly Chapman, the Head of Brand at Papier, about her personal experience and insights. Holly's candid reflections offer a glimpse into the emotional and practical aspects of navigating work and motherhood. From the initial hurdles of re-entering the workforce to the invaluable support provided by her organisation, Holly shares her story and provides valuable advice for other mothers preparing to return to their professional roles.
Can you share your journey of returning to work after maternity leave?
It’s still early days on returning to work. I’ve been back from maternity leave for almost three months, and my son is around ten months old. I’m incredibly grateful that my husband was on paternity leave for nine weeks when I first returned, so the transition was a little easier, and I was able to adjust to working without also focusing on settling our baby into nursery, which has been more emotionally difficult and had a bigger impact on our routine particularly on office days in the week. We’re still trying to learn what feels right, what is good for us as a family, and what we might need to adapt or change.
2. What were some of the initial challenges you faced when re-entering the workplace after your leave?
The decision to re-enter the workforce was the first hurdle, and there’s not a lot of dialogue on how difficult this can be. For me, I felt a mix of feelings, including a burning ambition for a meaningful career and an identity outside of being a Mum, combined with the knowledge that the baby is only going to be a baby for such a short amount of time, and so I should make the most of it. It was much harder because I didn’t expect to love being a Mum as much as I do. When the time came to consider returning to work, the decision felt agonising!
Once I had decided to return to work, the most significant initial challenge was childcare arrangements. Despite being on several wait lists for nurseries and childminders in our area, we struggled to get a place. We managed to squeeze in at the last minute, and I’m grateful that we found such a lovely little local nursery for him!
The next challenge was establishing new routines. After months of being on the baby’s schedule, we needed to put structures in place to make the daily juggle less stressful. One thing I did was curate my wardrobe and have outfits on rotation, so I didn’t need to think about getting dressed in the morning. I’ve always had a certain look and style, and luckily, post-baby, my baggy shirt look still works!
I was promoted on maternity leave, so initially, there were some unknowns about stepping into a bigger role, but I was excited by that challenge and keen to make an impact. I have appreciated how busy I am in many ways, so I’m not constantly thinking about home. It feels empowering to progress in my career while raising a family, but it is also a juggle to do both simultaneously.
It feels empowering to progress in my career while raising a family, but it is also a juggle to do both simultaneously.
Finally, if anyone has found it, please pass on the secret. I’m yet to discover how to manage or avoid the Mum guilt you naturally feel when you’re working instead of being with your baby. I try to focus on the fact that I’m doing my best, and this feels right for right now, but on difficult days, dropping your child off, even in the sweetest nursery, can be mentally tough.
3. How did your organisation support your transition back to work?
I’m so grateful to work with the Papier team in such a supportive and kind environment. Before officially going back, I used all of my KIT days, and I found this to be super valuable. Using all 10 in 7 months meant that not only was I seeing the team quite regularly, but I also didn’t feel particularly out of the loop.
Papier offers a phased return to work, meaning that I worked a four-day week for four weeks—but I was paid as if I were back full-time. A phased return allowed me to settle in with shorter weeks and gave me extra time with my family on Fridays. It also allowed me to test whether working a four-day week might be something I’d like to request. There have been recent changes to the flexible working policy, so I recommend that anyone returning to work or who has returned take a look. You can read more about this on the government website here.
A phased return allowed me to settle in with shorter weeks and gave me extra time with my family on Fridays.
Papier also works with Self Space and offers three additional sessions with therapists specialising in family relationships and parenting for anyone who needs extra support in their parenthood journey or who is struggling with returning to work.
Finally, in the office, we have created a space for breastfeeding mothers by offering a private room and flexibility on breaks to help them continue breastfeeding while returning to work. I’m also part of an employee group at Papier called “Working Parents,” which has allowed me to find a group of incredibly kind, supportive, and wonderful people.
4. In what ways do you think the professional environment for new mothers has changed over the years? What further changes do you think are necessary?
There’s been some great work to support mothers in the workplace, but not everyone has the most positive of experiences, and it’s incredibly varied. Many companies, including Papier, have implemented “core hours”, and this element of flexibility is the only way I’m juggling working back in the office again and collecting my son from nursery.
Working a more flexible schedule as long as you’re available for meetings (at Papier, our core hours are 10-4 p.m.) makes it easier to fit in when doing drop-offs or pick-ups. This is a great development for parents.
However, it’s a shame that many businesses issue return-to-work mandates or set office days. The more office days required, the fewer working mothers we will see in the workforce because commute times eat into the time you get with your child and often means you have to organise alternative nursery pick up. However, I think the biggest area in the workplace that requires further change is the most difficult: shifting the mindset towards working mothers. These changes are essential for creating a truly inclusive and supportive environment. Including changing the persistent stereotype that mothers are less committed to their careers.
Secondly, I’d love to see more encouragement of shared parenting. Promoting the idea that parenting is a shared responsibility and normalising paternity leave and flexible work for fathers is important to reduce the burden on mothers and create a more balanced approach to raising a family.
Promoting the idea that parenting is a shared responsibility and normalising paternity leave and flexible work for fathers is important to reduce the burden on mothers and create a more balanced approach to raising a family.
I’d also love the skills and experiences gained through parenting, such as multitasking, empathy, and time management, to be valued and recognised as assets in the workplace. There's a narrative that time off with a baby negatively impacts your career, and if you return in a year or more, you’re less qualified to re-enter the workforce and have to start at a lower level. We need to recognise the importance of raising a family on CVs.
We need to recognise the importance of raising a family on CVs.
Finally, increasing the representation of mothers in leadership roles helps shift perceptions and provides role models for other women. Seeing successful mothers in senior positions is inspiring. One of my previous bosses was a successful working Mother, and she was a huge inspiration, showing me that you can do both.
5. Could you discuss strategies that helped you balance work responsibilities and your role as a new mother?
I don’t think I’ve really got the balance quite right yet - I’m not sure I’ll ever feel like I do. A couple of things I do, though, I think help me make it work:
Set boundaries: Learning to switch off and be fully present is so important. I discovered early on that trying to do two things at once, such as being on Slack while playing with the baby, just doesn’t feel good or effective. And when I’m at work, I apply the same strategy!
Communicate & Delegate: Honest and clear conversations with my team and at home have been crucial to setting realistic expectations for everyone. My team understands that on some weeks, I am in early and leave early to collect from nursery, and on other weeks, I’m in late because I have to drop off. Being able to delegate tasks and, in some cases, allow my team to step up and be empowered to go to a meeting on our teams' behalf - I think my team see it as an excellent opportunity to take more responsibility and ownership of projects and it allows me to focus on bigger pressing projects & strategy.
Think Kind Thoughts: Balancing career ambitions and being a parent is delicate. Try to calm your inner dialogue and speak to yourself kindly. You’re doing your best!
Share The Load: I couldn’t do this without my supportive husband. He has always been my biggest support, even moving to New York with me as I pursued my career ambitions. He’s wonderful as a co-parent. He will take my son to doctor's appointments, knows our baby’s clothes size and favourite foods, and shares the load of nursery admin, meaning I don’t always have to be the default parent. We are equals, and I am so appreciative of him.
6. What advice would you give to other women planning their return to work after maternity leave?
It’s a hard transition, so be kind to yourself, do what works for you now, and don’t let your mind run away thinking too far ahead—everything is reversible. Nothing is forever. If you don’t like the setup you end up in or work isn’t working for you, then that’s okay, it can be changed. Try not to let it consume you and the last few weeks with your baby.
Use your KIT days if you can. Before officially going back, I used all of my KIT days, and I found this to be so valuable. Using all ten days in seven months meant that not only was I seeing the team quite regularly, but I also didn’t feel particularly out of the loop. This might not be for everyone, though some prefer to switch it off entirely!
If you’re really worried, I’d advise women planning their return to speak to their employer—either the HR teams or their manager directly—and share their concerns. They might be able to offer you a bit more flexibility.
Speak to other Mums and find out how they are doing it. I asked so many people for advice. It’s interesting to hear how many different parents make work work for them. Maybe it’s time to explore a freelance set-up, or maybe it is a full-time role—be creative!
Finally, I took a tonne of comfort in the resources created by the Spring Back Guide. This is an excellent coaching option for women who are struggling, wondering what’s next after a career break, or looking to regain their confidence.
7. How can companies better enable a smooth return for mothers returning from maternity leave?
Companies need to be more open-minded and reasonable about expectations for returning mums. Ultimately, the goal is to retain the amazing women on their team, so think about how they can be supportive beyond the statutory minimum. Whether it’s training, offering a phased return, supported therapy, health insurance (some women might still be in pain from birth, etc.), core hours to fit around nursery drop off, more opportunities to work from home, but most importantly, cultivate a culture that comes from a place of kindness and compassion.
8. Looking forward, what changes do you hope to see in how businesses handle
post-maternity transitions?
I’m a huge advocate of going beyond companies and businesses and looking into top-down policy change to drive further impact. These would include things like:
Increased Flexible Work Options: Offering flexible work options such as remote work, flexible hours, part-time schedules or condensed hours to help new mothers ease back into work while balancing childcare responsibilities would be very helpful. Even if temporary for the first few years of a child's life - as they do in Sweden - I’d love to see businesses embrace allowing parents (and realistically, it’s beyond parents but everyone) to maintain a healthy work-life balance whilst still having the opportunity to grow professionally without feeling sidelined by caregiving responsibilities.
Extended Paid Parental Leave at Full Pay: It is essential to allow mothers time with their new babies and not have to rush back to work due to financial commitments. Statutory maternity leave is just not enough, and it’s not good enough. I see friends taking out loans to cover this period of not working and needing to return to work sooner than they would like.
Reduced Childcare Bills: Offering free or less expensive childcare would enable more mothers to stay working (if they would like to) and create more gender equality in the workplace.
Training For New Mums: I’d love to see more companies embrace training for returning mothers to the workforce. Ensuring new mothers have access to career development opportunities, such as training programs, promotions, and advancement opportunities, can help them continue to grow professionally after returning from maternity leave.
Tighter Laws on Redundancy During Maternity Leave: I’ve seen how devastating this can be for women who are in the early months of caring for a newborn and then unexpectedly lose their jobs.
A massive thank you to Holly for putting together some incredible insights into this incredibly important. Make sure you follow Holly on LinkedIn!
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