What should you agree before your first day?

Ask for a return meeting and bring a short proposal. Include your expected start date, working hours, first responsibilities and a review date. Treat unresolved points as questions requiring an answer.

Separate availability from workload

A phased return means gradually increasing hours or responsibilities under an agreed arrangement. If you propose one, discuss pay, duties, duration and how the arrangement will be reviewed. Check whether local law or your employment terms provide any relevant entitlement.

• Confirm your role and reporting manager.
• Write down agreed hours and availability.
• Name the work you will take back immediately.
• Name the work that will stay with someone else temporarily.
• Agree who covers urgent requests during breaks.
• Schedule a conversation to review the arrangement.

A message you can adapt

Hello [name], I am preparing to return on [date]. Could we meet to confirm my hours, responsibilities and priorities for the first month? I would also like to discuss feeding breaks, changes while I have been away and the handover from my cover.

After the meeting, send a short summary and request confirmation. Include any proposed change to hours or pay explicitly. For a longer planning horizon, adapt the approach in creating a 90-day work plan.

Which maternity leave rights should you check?

Check the law that applies to your employment, your contract and your employer's policy. The sources here explain International Labour Organization standards. They do not establish your personal entitlement in a particular country.

Understand the international benchmark

The International Labour Organization, or ILO, develops international labour standards. Its Maternity Protection Convention No. 183 sets a minimum of 14 weeks of maternity leave. Check your own dates against the applicable local rules. ILO explanation of the maternity standard.

A convention is an international agreement. Ratification means a country formally accepts it; Convention No. 183 is legally binding on countries that ratify it. Do not assume the benchmark automatically establishes your individual entitlement. ILO explanation of the convention's legal status.

Ask for the relevant rule in writing

Request the rule covering notice of return, your position, pay, feeding breaks and any proposed schedule change. If an answer says “company policy,” ask for the document and the section. Keep your leave confirmation and employment documents together.

Use precise terms when asking questions. Identify whether your paperwork calls the absence maternity leave, parental leave or another form of leave. Ask which rules apply to that specific absence and your intended return date.

How should you arrange childcare and feeding breaks?

Build your daily schedule from leaving home to returning home. Include handover, travel, work and collection. Write down a backup contact and decide how you will notify work if the arrangement fails.

Make feeding arrangements specific

The ILO standard provides for breastfeeding breaks or reduced daily hours, counted as working time and paid accordingly. National rules determine their duration, frequency and the period of eligibility. ILO guidance on breastfeeding breaks at work.

Ask how the applicable rules work in your workplace. If you need to breastfeed or express milk, discuss a suitable private space, hygiene arrangements, storage needs and cover for customer-facing duties. Put the agreed time in your calendar.

Try a practice morning

If practical, rehearse the journey and childcare handover before your return. Prepare your work bag and your child's supplies the evening before. Record which part of the morning needs more room in the schedule.

Hypothetical example: a cafe supervisor proposes a return to morning shifts. Before confirming the rota, she asks who will cover the counter during agreed breaks and whom to call if childcare is unavailable. The example illustrates planning questions, not a guaranteed outcome.

If you are considering remote work, decide who will provide care during working hours. Use the criteria in finding a remote job to assess possible roles against your actual availability.

What should your first month back look like?

Choose one main outcome for each week and review the workload before expanding it. The schedule below is a suggested planning template. Adjust it to your job and agreed hours.

Define what finished means

Replace “catch up on marketing” with “prepare next week's customer email for approval.” Include the deadline, reviewer and information required. For practical setup tasks, use the checklist approach in preparing for your first day.

Hypothetical example: an online shop's marketing coordinator returns to a changed campaign calendar. Her first assignment is reviewing one email sequence. Paid advertising stays with a colleague until they review the handover together.

At the end of each week, record completed work, unresolved problems and one adjustment to request. Compare your work with the priorities you agreed. If new tasks arrive, ask which existing deadline should move.

How can you rebuild confidence without overpreparing?

Start with a real assignment and identify what you need to complete it. Ask for a recent example, the current template and the person who can answer questions. Avoid making a long course list before checking the work itself.

Make a short change list

• Which tools or systems changed?
• Who now approves work?
• Which clients or projects need attention first?
• What has been stopped or deprioritized?
• Where are the current instructions?

Sort the answers into familiar tasks, tasks needing a refresher and genuinely new tasks. Arrange learning time around the last two groups. Discuss when that learning should happen rather than treating your leave as an unpaid preparation period.

For a broader skills review, use returning after a career break. Keep the immediate exercise small: review an example, try the task and ask for specific feedback.

Ask your manager what acceptable work looks like during the initial handover. Request feedback on the task rather than a vague judgment about whether you are “back to normal.” Write down the correction and use it on the next assignment.

What if your role changes or dismissal is mentioned?

Request the proposed change and its reason in writing. Compare the old and proposed role, pay, hours and responsibilities. Get independent local advice before accepting a disputed change or signing a resignation.

The ILO standard protects against dismissal during pregnancy, leave and a nationally defined period after return, with an exception for reasons unrelated to pregnancy, childbirth and nursing. It does not describe an absolute ban on dismissal. ILO explanation of employment protection.

Keep a clear record

Note dates, the people involved and what was proposed. Preserve your own employment documents and relevant correspondence lawfully. Ask a local employment adviser about the applicable complaint process and deadlines promptly.

For the workplace conversation, explain the specific difference: “The proposed role removes these responsibilities; please explain the reason and effect on my terms.” The guide to resolving conflict at work can help you structure that discussion. Keep legal assessment separate.

Your task this week is straightforward: gather your documents, request the return meeting and test the care arrangement. Then draft the first week's priorities. Leave any unconfirmed promise marked as unresolved.