Returning to work when juggling life as a parent

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For many new parents, the thought of returning to work can be a daunting one. As part of my blog collaboration series, I am joined by Laura Izard known as the Comeback Girl (@C0mebackG1rl on Twitter) to discuss how parents can prepare themselves before returning to the world of work.

Whether you are at the end of your maternity leave or you’ve taken a career break, returning to work can be one of the biggest decisions you’ll make, and confidence can play a big part in the decision-making process. Having children changes your life so thinking about returning to work and putting yourself first can make you feel guilty as a parent, but it shouldn’t. Returning to work can be fulfilling, exciting and rewarding, but most of all, it can make you feel like ‘you’ – pre-children!

Understandably, when you become a parent your priorities change in a big way, so firstly, it is important to understand and be realistic about the expectations you have for yourself. You may feel guilt about leaving little ones at home, that’s normal and it’s also normal not to feel it. It’s vital self-care to consider your needs too.

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HR Influence, what is the best approach?

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This week’s HR Hour discussed how HR can positively influence within our organisations. Regardless of the size of the business you work for, the ability to influence and drive positive change is crucial to HR supporting the business in the right way.

So how can HR effectively influence without the party pooper persona?

In days when respect is almost expected, it’s actually harder to earn than we think, this is not just a challenge for HR, it is for everyone in the world of work.

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Tis the season to be (not so) jolly: Mental health at Christmas

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Christmas can be a magical time of the year, but for some people it can be an emotionally challenging time and with pressure increasing year on year, it’s a time that can play havoc with our mental health.

Among the chaos of shopping, retail adverts, festive lattes and that image of a “perfect” Christmas; for some people, this time of year can conjure up feelings of dread, loneliness and sadness. Whilst Christmas is unavoidable, it is important to highlight that when it comes to festivities in the workplace, there are employees who struggle for various reasons, and the problem with this is that it is not always obvious as employees are often reluctant to talk about it which can make it difficult to offer relevant support.

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Back to my CIPD studies #ICSRealStories

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I am incredibly excited about this blog post as I can now finally reveal that over the next year or so, I am going to be working in partnership with ICS Learn to complete my CIPD Level 7 Diploma in Human Resource Management.

After completing my CIPD Level 7 Certificate with ICS earlier this year; I was delighted to be approached by ICS to top up my qualification to a full Diploma by being a part of their ICS Real Stories.

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Girl Power! Can women succeed in male dominated industries?

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Last weekend, I took my step daughter Sophie to see a Spice Girls tribute act; as cheesy as that sounds we had a brilliant time! But whilst we were singing and dancing to our favourite songs, I reflected on the legacy that they had created, I was surrounded by women who were empowered and could be whoever they wanted to be.

Thinking about it really took me back to the early days in my HR career, I worked with mainly all female teams until I was offered a position in the transport industry and with gender equality being front page news, I thought that it is time to address what this actually looks like in male dominated workplaces.

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