By: Lisa Farnell, Associate

The last few years have been quite a roller-coaster in my house, and no, I’m not talking about the pandemic (though that added its own slant to everything). As you’ve read the title of this blog, you know I’m talking about a life-changing event of a more personal nature: becoming a parent. Anyone out there who has been on the new parent ride will hopefully forgive the opening cliché – because the ups and downs of parenthood are real, friends.

It’s been a while since any member of the DFC team has posted about parental leave; not since Nick’s blog post. Nick’s post was actually the first thing I read in late 2020 when I started the daunting task of mentally preparing and planning (ha!) for my maternity leave. His post still holds true, so I won’t attempt to re-write it here. Anyone who wants to find out more about DFC’s parental leave policy should check it out.

But, of course, there’s a difference between reading about it on a blog post and walking through the process oneself. In my case, to make things a bit murkier, I happened to be the first female DFC employee to take maternity leave. Without a direct example ahead of me, I had to figure out what things were “supposed” to look like as I walked the process myself.

However – like all things DFC – flexibility is woven into the fabric of everything and this was definitely true of my maternity experience. What did I want things to be like(?) Within the DFC framework, I could decide for myself.

Helping to navigate every step of the way was our HR Manager, Nikki, who helped answer all my questions and made sure all the important details were in place well before my due date… and a good thing too, as my daughter decided to show up a week and a half before my scheduled last day of work! (My first lesson in the unpredictability of parenthood).

For various reasons I decided I would take a full year maternity leave. As my final working days approached, I struggled with the FOMO of going away for so long. I didn’t know how to step back and let go for such an intimidating stretch of time, but I was surrounded by many supportive colleagues – parents and non-parents alike – who assured me things would be fine, that everything would be taken care of and would still be here when I came back.

One colleague very wisely told me that once my baby arrived, I wouldn’t think about work at all. At the time, it was hard to fathom but when my daughter made the first (early!) signs of arrival, I knew the advice was right – I had other things to think about. My amazing colleagues wished me well and totally made me feel at ease that everything workwise was in safe hands – my projects, my clients, all taken care of. I didn’t need to think about anything and I was able to completely step away from work and focus on clinging to my sanity during the first mind-bending months of being a new parent.

But, as many who’ve been on this ride before can attest, after the first few months, an odd thing started to happen: I, myself, started to remerge, and when I started feeling like my own human again, DFC was there – as it had always been – for me to engage with as and when I felt comfortable, on my own terms. It was lovely.

I had colleagues come by to visit and holding my baby in my living room while we caught up on the office gossip I had missed (not much, it turned out).

I attended two different company Christmas social events with a sleeping 4-month-old strapped to my chest.

I attended a two-day company-wide training event on location, with my partner waiting in the wings with our daughter so I could breastfeed her during breaks.

I prepared for my professional interview to become a Member of the Institution of Fire Engineers and Chartered Engineer through the Engineering Council, liaising with colleagues for interview tips during my daughter’s naps. Yes, I passed – the interview prep helped, but I think the key was changing into a top with no trace of baby spit-up on the day.

Towards the end of my maternity leave, I worked on a handful of keeping in touch (KIT) days to get up to speed with my projects, sort through my inbox, and help ease myself back into work which I found really helpful. On my first day back, I actually felt like I was ready (even excited) to be there.

What did my return to work look like?

I decided to start back at 80% workload e.g. working from Monday to Thursday. DFC’s flexible working option is available for anyone who would prefer a more relaxed workload and schedule, and several of my colleagues are working this way permanently (many of them are parents).

When I was ready, I increased back to five days a week. However, the underlying flexibility is still there, woven into DFC culture, which means I can take my daughter to a doctor’s appointment in the middle of the day or have breakfast with her in the morning before heading into the office, all without thinking twice.

In terms of work, my projects and clients were indeed all there when I came back – thanks to great supportive colleagues who took care of things while I focussed on other priorities.

I really believe that everyone’s experience with parenthood is individual, and there’s no one-size-fits-all but that’s true for many things in life, which is why flexibility at work is so valuable. I’m now tackling new challenges of being a full-time working parent. With the free rein and flexibility at DFC, I can take on these challenges as I see fit. Sure, it takes some getting used to, but as I now hit eight months of being back at work, this ride is getting easier and – yes – even fun to navigate.

Find out more, what is it like to work with us and discover more in Balancing Career and Motherhood – Part 1 here.