Returning mothers often feel they are facing an uphill battle. How many days a week should she stay home with her child? Can she trust and afford her childcare provider? Should she be going back to work at all?

It sometimes seems as if whatever you do, it’s wrong. Modern society sometimes criticises the role of the childbearing woman – should she be trying to “have it all?” Are stay-at-home mothers letting the sisterhood down as their peers try to make strides in the workplace? The biggest problem facing working mums will of course be getting the work/life balance right. The temptation – and, sometimes, pressure – to cram the equivalent of five day’s work into three is always there. Childcare will sometimes fall through, and it’s not just her own sick days she has to worry about, her child can be sick, so can her childminder, trebling the risk. Returning to work is an exhausting and emotional time.

She may have been out of the work loop for a while. But mum hasn’t been “off,” not for one moment. A child is a far more complex organisation than most firms. Relationships need to be formed and maintained, risks need to assessed and removed, daily breakfast, lunch and dinner meetings cannot be missed and there are highly sensitive and urgent deposits being made hourly. Working mums are supermums.

Loyal assets

The work/motherhood split needs to be looked at differently – the two aren’t separate, they are intertwined. Motherhood is simply another facet to a woman’s identity. A National Childbirth Trust (NCT) study found that only 3% of mothers felt that balancing the two identities of worker and mother was a concern when returning to her job.

Additionally, 61% stated that they would return to work, even if they did not need to financially. The priorities may have changed, but working mothers still want to and can give 100% when it comes to work. They simply wouldn’t do it otherwise. Mums need job satisfaction and passionately believe in what they are doing – work is time away from their child and, as such, it’s got to be rewarding.

Loyalty is therefore a key asset a working mother has, and I pity any organisation that overlooks the benefit this will bring to them. If working mothers feel they are not valued or engaged in return, they will leave. 11% of new mums move jobs within the first year. That is why Keeping In Touch days are vital: some mothers may have been out of work for up to a year. An awful lot can change in that time. After months of being in the constant demand of a very different kind of boss, it is de-motivating to come back to nothing but a series of reintroduction meetings. Mums need to be kept up to date on their role, department and company so upon their return they can hit the ground running.

Look after your working mum, and she will look after you. She is super, after all.

Rebecca Kearley returns as Supermum in a fortnight