Going back to work after having a baby is never easy and for most mothers one of the hardest things is deciding when is the right time to go back. While that’s certainly different for each parent, a new poll suggests there is an ideal amount of time.
A new survey commissioned by SurePayroll finds:
- Two thirds of working moms say the ideal time to be away from work for maternity leave is somewhere between four and eight months.
- But there are plenty of moms who didn’t have the luxury of all that time.
- In fact, 60% of moms said they went back to work less than four months after they had their child.
- And another 26% went back to work less than two months after giving birth.
- While 35% of mother say it was hard to get comfortable once returning to work after being on maternity leave, 55% actually said it was easy.
- Some of the biggest difficulties returning moms deal with include:
- Not being around their child (55%)
- Getting used to a schedule again (33%)
- Breastfeeding moms say they had issues finding time and privacy to pump and also places to store their breastmilk.
But even with those issues, many mothers are happy to return to the office.
- 77% say they feel gratified by the work they do outside of the home.
- 57% say they actually missed their job while on maternity leave.
- 42% say they specifically missed the work itself.
- 41% missed being with their colleagues.
- 48% say that being back on the job makes them feel like a better mom.
Source: SWNS Digital