Back to work

The re-entry wants to be well planned

Returning to work during the first three years of the child's life

A large proportion of mothers and fathers return to work completely or at least gradually during the first three years of life after the birth of their child. As parents, you are sure to ask yourself many questions: How can things continue after the family phase? How can family and career be reconciled? What options do parents with children have for returning to work and what should they think about? We have compiled the most important information for you.

Already thinking about what your re-entry should look like?

It is best to think together at an early stage about how things should continue for both of you professionally. Questions that need to be clarified are, for example:

When is the right time to return to work?
Who works how much part-time or full-time?
How do I distribute my working hours?
How to organize everyday life with child?
Which form of childcare comes into question for us?
How many working hours can be reconciled with child, job and household?

The legal regulations offer you the following models of compatibility if you are employed:

1. Full time back to work
If you have registered less than three years of parental leave, you may return to your previous job or a comparable job at the end of the family leave taken. The same conditions apply to you as before the birth with regard to the scope and location of working hours.
2. Part-time work up to 30 hours per week
If you cannot imagine working full-time with a young child, a part-time solution may be an option for you. You have the right to work part-time during the entire parental leave period of a maximum of three years. Your workload can be between 15 and 30 hours. (The prerequisite is that you have been employed for more than six months and your company has more than 15 employees).
You must apply for part-time work in good time. You must submit the application at least seven weeks before the start of part-time work. In the application, specify how much you would like to work and how your working hours should be distributed. A part-time solution has the advantage that you can remain present in the job and develop yourself, but still have the desired time available for the care of your child. Talk to your employer about your plans as early as possible to negotiate the framework for your return to work. You can find tips on how to do this below.
3. Suspend complete three years
If you do not yet want to return to work during the first three years, the law guarantees parents protection from dismissal and a job for three years. After that, the same provisions apply as before the family leave. However, you are not entitled to your "old" job, but to an equivalent job. Keep in mind, however, that if you take a break from your job for a long time, you run the risk of losing touch in today's fast-paced working world. To keep up, you should find flexible ways to stay in touch with your superiors and colleagues.
4. What applies to self-employed women?
Women entrepreneurs and freelancers decide for themselves the timing and framework conditions of their re-entry. The length of the time off often depends on the financial possibilities and the amount of reserves. Back at work, self-employed women have the advantage of being able to flexibly adjust their working hours to family needs. At the same time, it remains a challenge to balance child and career. Here it is important to weigh things up and find compromises. Before you return to work, think about whether a reduction in weekly working hours or temporary cooperation or even substitution might be an alternative for you. Other caregivers or care options (parent, grandparent, daycare) who can still fill in for your child in an emergency can also be a support. Good time management can also help you to reconcile family and career even if a day goes differently than planned.

How to succeed in the conversation with the employer?

In your application for parental leave, it is legally sufficient to state the duration for the planned family break. However, the earlier and more concretely you communicate your career plans to your employer after your time off, the better he can plan with you and accompany your re-entry. Let your manager know your wishes and ideas early on and clarify the conditions for your re-entry.

Impetus for the conversation will give you these questions:

Do I want to take a short or long family break?
When do I want to rejoin?
How would we like to distribute the parental leave months?
Do I want to return to my job full-time or part-time?
Do I want more flexibility in terms of the location of my working hours?
Is there the possibility of organizing a home office day to make it easier to balance family and career?
How can I avoid a career setback despite part-time work?
What opportunities exist in the company to stay up to date despite family leave?
Does my employer possibly make me an offer for professional development during parental leave?

How can I prepare for re-entry?

Once the framework conditions for returning to work have been clarified, it is important to plan everything else well. Because there's no way around it: reconciling child and career requires organizational talent and discipline. Forward-looking arrangements and good preparation will make your return to work easier. These tips can help:

Keep personal contact with your company during the family break.
Consult with your partner the planned family and working hours binding.
Distribute responsibilities in the family and household tasks equally.
Organize as early as possible a reliable childcare. Plan a sufficiently long settling-in period.
Get support and relief where you can, for example, by the grandparents, trusted people or a household help.
Build in your environment a network of people who can step in at short notice if the caregiver fails, the child suddenly becomes ill or a work appointment lasts longer.

Where is the child?

An important question for many parents is where and by whom their child can be well cared for during times of absence. In North Rhine-Westphalia, there are many different care options. Whether it's a daycare center, a daycare provider, an au pair or grandparents - you should think about it in good time. Every child from the age of 1 has a legal right to a Kita place. Single parents are given priority in the allocation of childcare places. If no place is actually available, the municipality must cover the costs of alternative care models. Further information on the subject of childcare and on the question of which solution is the right one for you can be found here on the Familienportal.NRW.

Everything well regulated - but the guilty conscience remains?

Working parents often suffer from a guilty conscience. But what counts is not the number, but the quality of the hours spent with your child. With the daycare provider and in the daycare center, your child is reliably cared for and will benefit from the support and early education. Please do not let those around you tell you otherwise. Stand by your decision, even if other people have different views. Returning to work is your decision alone. And if the job is right for you personally, then it is also best for your family.

TipsDownload

The brochure "So sag ich's meinen Vorgesetzten" is available for free download on the website of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs.

So sag ich's meinen Vorgesetzten.pdf - PDF, 2.36 MB