Feeling undervalued after returning to work following maternity leave

[Newworkingmum]

I’ve been at my company over 5 years and have seen it go from start up to medium-sized. I started my department as someone with 4ish years experience and it has since grown around me, my areas of responsibility have reduced over time as they’ve hired people above me and other team members, but I’ve received more pay and improvements to benefits (including good maternity pay), so I haven’t done much about it. However I’ve come back from maternity leave to find part of my job (which honestly didn’t fill my time enough to begin with) has been given away to a colleague. I’ve found a team planning doc with everyone’s responsibilities and my list looks way smaller than everyone else’s.

The question is - what would you do? I wasn’t planning to move until I have a second child as I have good maternity leave where I am. However, I want to feel valued and don't want to live in fear of redundancy.

Just flag to your manager you have capacity for more work and if you get it - great- if you don’t - relax!

How long have you been back? I felt a bit like this when I first went back after DD1 and DD2 but that was more thoughtfulness on behalf of my manager to not overload me as soon as I got back. After a few weeks of settling in, getting back up to speed etc, other work, projects, and activities started coming up and I was proactive about volunteering to take them on. Before long, I was back to having a full and varied workload and it felt like I had never been away 🫠

I’d make sure I’d got legal cover on my home insurance (which covers workplace disputes) just in case I needed it. Then I’d say about having capacity.

Omg surely this is no problem / same pay for less work and responsibilities? As long as it doesn’t put you at risk of redundancy or stop you applying for promotions it sounds so ideal

The laws changed last year around protection from redundancy after maternity leave so you’re very protected in that sense and your company won’t want to be at risk of discrimination, so they’ll know they can’t exactly just let you go but it sounds as though your role was absorbed elsewhere while you were on leave or the structure is changing either way, you need to speak to your manager, they may be cautious of over loading you now you’re back, but have an open and honest conversation I’m sure you’ll feel much more in the picture if you do! Good luck x

Was there a fixed term person brought in to cover your mat leave...? If not and the rest of the team picked up the work, then they might just be rejigging things amongst the team. Or they might have realised they have more people than they need. Can you be pro active in your role/creative and find things that need doing that interest you and are valuable to the business? Are there new projects/new clients/big changes coming that might create workload? Is anyone on a fixed term contract or due to retire that might mean they're deliberately over headcount in order to succession plan?
I would sit on this all for a little while, coming back from mat leave is hard, you've a new routine to fit in, children sometimes need you at home, you're more tired etc. So a low workload is to your advantage for a short while. See how it pans out, if things start to come your way, if you raise projects you want to do and get given them/asked to go ahead with your ideas, if your workload becomes more fair then great.
If it stays this way, I'd wait a while until you're ready but then you've a few choices-
Leave it, for example if there's a chance you might have another pregnancy/need mat leave, if they're not discussing redundancy or cost cutting and if the low workload works for your personal circumstances you could ride the gravy train for a while
Find another role elsewhere, just cut your losses and find something else without raising it - this would be low stress and easy if your industry has lots of options
Discuss with your manager and ask for more work, explain your worries, flesh out why you're being overlooked and see what happens - this might go your way, it also might involve some hard truths or things you don't want to hear
Ask for redundancy (check the policy first) and find another role later - they can say no, but equally it might suit you and them to come to an agreement for you to go with a lump sum and it saves them worrying about redundancy processes, putting others at risk of redundancy, HR and management time and any risk around discrimination they might have
Good luck

I had this when I returned to work after DD. It really knocked my confidence and made me feel crap about returning to work (which I’d actually been excited to go back to during may leave). I really had to speak up and take back some responsibility. Honestly I think they were trying to be nice and give me an easier transition to returning to work after a baby, but once I vocalised I wanted some of my previous responsibilities back they did listen

I think often people think that they are really important to an organisation. I had a colleague who was fab snd we all joked sbout the place falling down without her when she went on maternity. Reality is was her tasks got shunted around and everyone got on with it. I think she was almost disappointed when she came back. I’d give it a few weeks to settle in then say you have more capacity. Use the time to do training, enhance your C.V. I think after a few months all of her tasks drifted back

At my work it’s policy to slightly reduce workload the year after maternity leave. It’s a supportive rather than punitive measure.

Ask your manager for a meeting to discuss taking back your tasks you had before you went on maternity leave now your back.

I returned to work last August and felt the same. Then winter hit along with all the nursery bugs. We worked out my little one missed 25% nursery, just over a day a week at home. I was grateful for the lighter workload to help manage this.

I then found out I was pregnant again and the lighter workload has allowed me to focus on the pregnancy.

I am the primary carer in our household but I’ve come to terms that being a mum to young children is a season of my life so I may not be able to excel in my professional life at this moment in time. Having a lighter workload has allowed me to stay in a career I worked hard for.

I do worry about redundancy but I have numerous years at the company and the protections around maternity. If I was made redundant I’d be compensated.

How long have you had off ?
If you've only had 26 weeks you have the right to return to your job. You could politely mention that youre ready to do this.

@XStitcher87 this seems like the most sensible way to look at it. We didn’t have the easiest time conceiving, without family planning taken into consideration I probably would have left the company 3 years ago to progress, but I was thinking similarly to you during that time… I wanted to stay for the flexibility, maternity pay and security. However, by the time we have another child I’ll almost have had 7 years where I’ve largely felt stagnant!

@GabriellaMontez 34 weeks!

@Unexpectedlysinglemum yes, when you put it like that 😂the issue is there are no promotion opportunities and hasn’t been for about 4 years, and also obviously worrying about redundancy

Just want to add a thought regarding that list you found. How exactly was it generated?
In our team, we all have to write up our own sections in documents like that. If someone was away and didn't have a chance to input, their section might well end up looking a bit sparse compared to others.

Hope this doesn't sound too harsh, but I don't understand how there weren't any promotion opportunities in what sounds like a lot of growth for the company? Did you have discussions with your manager pre-pregnancy about development opportunities?

This isn't meant to put you down in any way, I'm sure you're great at your job - but I think there is a difference between possibly being sidelined post-mat leave, and this being a continuation of 4+ years of being pigeon-holed at your current level.

@Starrystarrysky I had started these conversations before I was pregnant, and at the time my manager put me on a plan and mentioned she was hoping for a promotion and there would be a succession opportunity. However, it now seems less likely she will get a promotion as they’ve hired an extra role above her while I’ve been off! Which I don’t think she’s thrilled about… So there’s basically nowhere to be promoted to as they’re hiring people at the top rather than promoting

have you reduced your hours?
have you made public your intention to go again on maternity leave?

If the question is what I would do - I would give it three months-ish to get over the worst of the nursery sniffles and then try to move. I would want to have got myself embedded in a company with development opportunities before TTC DC2, when you are effectively then stuck for a few years at that company.

But what @xstitcher87 suggested is an equally valid way to look at it. Puff up your responsibilities with whatever tasks you can, and know that for a few years you're taking a paycheck to concentrate on your family.

Whichever move you make, I'm assuming that coming back to your manager's non-promotion has crystallised that this job is a dead end. So for your own sanity, have a defined exit plan.