We have a whole host of benefits here at the Coop to suit wherever you are in your personal life – paid parental leave and the option to return for KIT (“keeping in touch”) days is just one of those. We have a few super mamas here at the Coop and last year, associate director Izzy welcomed the latest little chick in the form of her baby boy Arlo. With her return to Rooster HQ in sight, we caught up with Izzy to chat through the benefits of a keeping in touch day, what she’s missed the most – and what she’s most looking forward to coming back to!
“I started at LRR straight from Uni as a fresh-faced 22 year old intern, so the fact I’m writing a blog on returning to work after parental leave is pretty explanative of my journey here (to put it bluntly I’m now turning 32 and, thanks to my adorable but incredibly cheeky nine month old I’ve got some rather fetching bags under my eyes and I’m not feeling quite as fresh and sprightly as I was a decade ago).
As a first time mum I decided to take a full year off, which thankfully allowed me six months to work out what the hell I’m supposed to be doing, swiftly followed by another six months of wake windows, nap times and baby sensory classes (see below – each week’s fancy dress theme is our highlight). I was never pressured to return to work quicker than I was ready which I’m hugely grateful for, and as of the new year I’ve been back at our Twyford HQ every other week to slowly but surely get my brain back in gear.
I won’t deny it took me a good ten minutes to remember how to switch a laptop on, but once I got going it really is like riding a bike. One of the first tasks I was set was to work on a presentation for a potential new client – new business is one of my favourite parts of my job here at LRR, so it was a hugely refreshing return to form to be back doing something I enjoy. I had been so nervous beforehand to come back to work – what if I couldn’t remember anything? But the team welcomed me back with open arms and I felt so reassured.
One of the things I’ve most enjoyed about my KIT days is just some adult interaction that isn’t centred on all things babies. It’s so nice to be in the office, having a cuppa with my colleagues, talking about the latest series of Love Island (which Arlo isn’t particularly a fan of – he’s more a Cocomelon kind of guy).
There’s been a lot of change while I’ve been gone – hello new IT system! – which I can see will make me work far more efficiently than ever before. I work well being given a list of tasks and the freedom to crack on as needed and as sad as it sounds, it’s quite an exciting prospect to come in and see what the team need from me each week.
The reason I got into PR was my love of magazines (as a teenager I saved my pocket money to buy Heat magazine each week on my way home from school) – and while I’ve been off, I’ve really enjoyed taking the time to read my favourite interiors magazines. As any new mum knows, time to yourself is limited, but even fifteen minutes to sit down with the new mags each month once Arlo is asleep means I feel like I have a little bit of ‘me-before-baby’ left. I still get that warm fuzzy feeling seeing our clients in print, even when I’m not working – in fact, even more so when I see the team doing a cracking job in my absence.
I will of course miss my regular trips to Gail’s (I’ve worked up quite an impressive loyalty card over the past year), but I really feel I’ve benefitted from a gradual return to normality – it hasn’t felt a huge shock to the system; I haven’t felt any pressure from the team and it’s given me time to adjust to being away from Arlo for the whole day (of course he’s happy as Larry when I leave him for the day and doesn’t seem bothered at all). I’m back full time in the Spring, which is an excellent time as activity really ramps up ahead of our Summer Showcase – I can’t wait to get back out meeting clients and press, and I promise to try to not bore you with baby spam!
