Advocating for Yourself on Return: Why It's Essential for Your Career
- Jun 1
- 2 min read
Returning to work after parental leave can feel like walking into a moving train.
Things have changed. Projects, clients, the team maybe your leader. You’ve changed, how you work, your priorities, your whole role in life. And yet, the expectation is often that you’ll just “slot back in”. You’ll pick up where you left off because you were a high performing employee before.
So many people just step back in thinking they will be supported by the business, and they will be (I am sure) but is it in the way that you need as an individual. Whether we like it or not people might make assumptions, about whats best for you, about how you want to work. Well meaning but potentially not correct.
And so, If you don’t advocate for yourself on return, your career is shaped by default, not by design.
Many parents hesitate to speak up because they don’t want to be seen as difficult, demanding, or “less committed”. Other people have returned before so it can’t be that hard. So instead of having honest conversations, they stay quiet and hope things will sort themselves out. Assume that their career will just continue.
They rarely do.
Self-advocacy on return isn’t about asking for special treatment. It’s about clarity, for you and for your organisation.
That means being clear on:
What success looks like in your role now
What development still matters to you
What’s realistically deliverable in this phase
What support or adjustments enable strong performance
Without these conversations, assumptions fill the gap. And assumptions often lead to misalignment, frustration, or stalled progression.
Advocating for yourself also means being honest about reintegration. Returning parents are often expected to perform at full pace immediately, without acknowledging the ramp-up that any transition requires. A thoughtful reintegration plan, one that aligns expectations, priorities, and timelines, protects performance on both sides.
This is where confidence matters. Not loud confidence, grounded confidence. The kind that says: I’m still capable, ambitious, and committed and I’m clear on what I need to do my best work.
Your career doesn’t pause just because you became a parent. But it does need intentional conversations to move forward well.
How we can support you
If you want support preparing for these conversations, or navigating them with confidence, coaching can help you advocate for yourself without burning bridges or second-guessing every word. Contact us to understand how we might be able to support you individually.
