Back to Work After Kids: 5 Myths Every Parent Should Stop Believing

Returning to work as a parent is rarely simple. Whether you’ve adjusted your hours for the school holidays or taken a longer career break to support your family, it’s natural to feel a mix of excitement, stress and anxiety about stepping back into work.  

Childcare arrangements, new committing times, and juggling family schedules can feel overwhelming enough, before even thinking about how to approach the job market after time away.  

In this blog, we’ll look at some of the most common myths parents face when returning to work and how to break them down with practical advice.  

Myth 1: "Employers will be put off hiring someone who has kids." 

Reality: You will actually find most employers are going to understand the challenges that working parents face and are going to be understanding of these situations. It's much more common than you think. 

Some of the best hires are working parents and it is because they tend to demonstrate a better ability to cope with stress and spend less time on issues out of their control. 

Myth 2: "No one will hire me with having not worked for some time" 

Reality: Today, employers both understand and value a person who has worked on a career break for their family. 

Increasingly, employers are looking for the skillset and learning that parenting involves such as time management, multitasking and problem solving. Some organisations offer a particular return to work strategy to bring individuals back into work involving planning childcare, phased back with flexible or phased hours and realistic expectations to reintroduce new routines. 

Employers can  offer flexibility, guidance and encouragement with the necessary equipment that empowers parents to balance family duties and career growth. 

Myth 3: "It's costly to return to work" 

Reality: While childcare and commuting are expenses which can appear to be overall expensive, there is long-term money in work, career progression, pension building and entitlements that can pay for more than short-term expenses. 

Staying connected to the workforce also preserves skills, contacts and future earning potential that can be very valuable. Some organisations can give work benefits that also assist your costs and provide you with some balance with your return to work. 

Myth 4: "Will I lose who I am if I start working again? Will I still be a parent?" 

Reality: Your identity will develop with or without you at work regardless, so finding the right career and pathway can help you become the best version of yourself. 

Coming back to work can expose you to new opportunities to benefit from and explore other sides of who you are, likely helping to give you a healthier work-life balance too as well as still being a parent. 

 Myth 5: "It's difficult balancing work and parenting”  

 Reality: It's just adjusting for the future. 

All sorts of parents can balance working and parenting in a way that's appropriate for them, you just need to find an appropriate one for yourself. 

If at all feasible, implement flexibility into your work hours in order toto fit the day around school schedule. A lot of families create systems and routines to follow so that things remain in perspective and not overwhelming the situation. 

It is all a matter of creating the kind of balance that works for you and your needs in caring for your children and the routine that works for you. 

Going back to work after having children isn’t always straightforward, but it also doesn’t need to be defined by myths or fears. If you’re choosing to return, see it as the start of a new chapter; one where your professional identity and your role as a parent can work side by side. By letting go of these myths, you can easily step back into the working life with more clarity, confidence and more ease that with resources in place, being a parent and returning to work is possible. 

At Meridian, we support parents at every stage of their transition back to work, making you feel ready and capable, you don’t have to do it alone.  

If you’re ready to take that step back in, our teams are here to help.