What Your Maternity Policy doesn't tell You

I speak to so many people who go on maternity leave with a policy document which covers the statutory stuff: the dates, the pay, the notice periods, and the information is usually correct, but then that’s it, you’re off to have a baby.

It won't tell you what to do when your manager goes quiet during your leave, or how to think about returning to a role that feels like it belongs to someone else now. It probably won't say that it's completely normal to feel uncertain about going back even when you were sure you wanted to, and it won’t tell you how you and your life changes and that you’ll most likely return to work as a different person.

Maternity leave is one of the biggest career transitions there is. It's not just a period of absence and going back to work is not just a couple of weeks of getting adjusted either. It's a completely new way of working alongside a whole new way of living.

The Klar Maternity Guide is free to download for the next couple of months. It covers the practical stuff too, written to sound less like a policy and with more focus on the person than the process.

I cannot tell you how many people I speak to who say it was all fine until they got the flowers when the baby was born, and then felt unsupported and underprepared for how things would actually be. I am always here if you or someone you know is going through something similar. Start with downloading the guide, or if you want to talk through your situation, book a session here.