When you think of maternity leave ending the worst thing to expect is really being away from the baby. To be honest, I knew that would be the hard part. You do your best to prepare for it but I don’t think that’s even possible. However, I wish I could say that was the worst part.
Because it’s not…+
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s storytime…
Maternity Leave Ends: My Horror Story
I want to start off by apologizing to every mother that is reading this and may have anxiety returning to work as a result of the details of this account. I wish I could say that what I’m about to share with you is false but it’s all absolutely true.
When my maternity leave ended I contacted my manager to let them that I would return as a part time employee. I was assured that this would not be a problem. I stayed in contact with them so that there would be no miscommunication between myself and them. I had been with the company for 10 years so I knew that, me returning from full time to part time would not be an issue. Little did I know…it would be.
The first week, that I returned to work everything went well. I missed my princess but I was only working 5 hours each shift. I had a system, a schedule where everything was coordinated. I had someone for my daughter and tried to make life as simple for my family as possible. Despite all this, I knew I had to take care of this on my own because I wasn’t getting the help I was expecting at home. But nonetheless, the first week was fine.
The following week was a mess. That Monday I worked about 7 hours. I also had to take the bus so that was an additional 1.5 hours of time taken from my baby. You can imagine by the third hour I was an emotional wreck. I hated being there. I was physically exhausted. I was mentally drained. I couldn’t concentrate. It was terrible. Nonetheless, I resisted the urge to quit on the spot and persevered to finish my shift. I had survived.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I found I wasn’t going to get paid.
Well that just didn’t sit too nicely with me.
I mean, I suffered through all of this emotional turmoil. I went through agonizing pains to ensure that my family would be taken cared of and I literally, I mean literally, had nothing to show for it. Here I am working my butt off at work, at home, for my boss, for my husband, for my daughter even for me and I had NOTHING to show for it. Not even an apology. I had been taken for granted. I was taken granted and was expected to just take it.
These people must not know who I am…
So, as professionally as I could, I started having a conversation. I had a conversation with my bosses, my husband and finally with myself.
Ever since the birth of my daughter, I have been unapologetic in knowing who I am and what I want. I make no apologies for it. If I work, I expect to be paid. I expect to be treated with respect. I expect to be seen and not dismissed, to be heard and understood. There is no reason why I can’t be given the due respect that I deserve.
So while I wait for my job to pay me, I have learned that you can’t get what you want if you don’t ask for it.
Sometimes, you may have to be forceful but never be anyone doormat.
Returning to work from maternity leave is hard enough without all that added stress! Hope you got your pay in the end. I feel it is more than the money though. I found it super hard to be away from my boy and people that can’t recognise that and work with you just make it so much harder.
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yup. I did eventually get paid. it was just very frustrating
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