Whether you've been on leave yourself or are covering a colleague's position, the end of maternity leave can be a career minefield. Here, experts give advice to help navigate you through the transition.

When you're returning to your role

“Having a career break gives you space to reflect on your priorities, so you can return to work clearer about how you want your career to progress and how you can implement positive changes in your role,” says Katerina Gould, founder of career consultancy Thinking Potential. You’re probably desperate to banish notions about “baby brain” and reassume your authority with staff not used to taking direction from you. So how do you steer this tricky territory?

The preparation begins before your first day back. Utilise your 10 paid keeping in touch (KIT) days to have update meetings with your boss, colleagues and maternity cover so you’re aware of any major changes and won’t be met with any surprises on your first day back. This also promotes a sense of sponsored_longform with your maternity cover, which will prove useful during the handover period.

While ideally you’d be able to pick up exactly where you left off, a survey by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) found that one in three women return to find their job unrecognisable from the one they left. The same number felt their “relationship with their boss had deteriorated” and “promotion prospects were reduced”. To avoid this, schedule sit-downs with your team three weeks before you return. Your message should be: “A lot can happen in 12 months, but I care about this job and need your help to catch up”.

How to navigate maternity cover