At Moxy, we believe in inspiring action by shining a spotlight on the voices of women. Today we have Elle Cheng, Diversity & Inclusion leader, APAC at Avery Dennison who is here to share more about how she navigated her maternity leave and transitioned back to work after becoming a mother earlier this year.
Getting to know Elle
Hi Elle! Can you briefly introduce yourself to our audience and share a little about your career journey?
Hello, thanks for having me. I am Elle Cheng. I graduated as a marketing major, honed my data analytical and storytelling skills in the market research field for 5 years, jumped to strategic marketing and then global marketing role involving communications for 7 years. 3 years ago, I pivoted to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in my current company. The thread across my career moves was my fascination with human psychology, admiration of diverse cultures, and what makes a person tick as a result of their culture and past experiences.
Transitioning back to work
Many women face challenges when returning to work after maternity leave. How did you navigate this transition?
Encountering the concept of "matrescence" really helped me.
Firstly, encountering the concept of "matrescence" really helped me. It is similar to "adolescence" for teenagers transiting to adulthood, while "matrescence" is for women transiting to motherhood. Having a word to understand this transition takes longer than the 4 month maternity leave, gave me more patience and self-compassion towards myself, instead of expecting, "Why have I not bounced back to my pre-pregnancy state?" or "Why do I not yet feel myself?". When the sense of frustration and loss comes up, I remind myself, "I am learning, I am changing," and accept I am right in the middle of this transition stage.
Also, how did your company, Avery Dennison support your transition back to work?
I have my boss to thank. Being a first-time mom and an ambitious woman, I had no idea what to expect. He encouraged me to consider my needs, and offered flexible working arrangements to support my transition back to work if that was what I wanted. As a result, I took 4 months of paid maternity leave, 1 month no pay leave, and 1 month of part time work.
Communication is key when discussing maternity leave with your employer. How did you approach this conversation with your manager, and what advice would you give to other women on how to effectively communicate their maternity leave needs?
Firstly, it is important to tune in to yourself on what you want - how much time do you want to spend with your child, what are your caregiving arrangements. I spoke to other moms to hear different perspectives - those who could not wait to get back to work, those who came back right after maternity leave, those who had extended leave, and those who left the workforce. I asked the question, "If you would to do it all over again, how would you approach your transition back to work?" A common theme was regret, wishing they could spend more time with their babies in the first year. The babies become more aware of their surroundings from 6 months onwards and separation anxiety makes it hard to be away from their main caregiver(s).
This helped me conclude that I wanted to be with my baby beyond 4 months, and I required accommodation and flexibility. As there was an implication financially, I talked to my spouse for support. We were comfortable that I could request for an extra month of no pay leave, followed by a month of part time work. The part time arrangement will be reviewed at the end to determine whether I wanted to go back to full time or stay part time until baby is older.
My advise is to talk to different mothers, and tune in to which arrangements resonate most with you. Assess your options and get family support so you are clear on Plan A, B and C when communicating your desired maternity leave arrangement with your boss. Last but not least, your needs change. Keep checking in yourself during your maternity leave as you adjust to this whole new life, and experiment with what works for you. Schedule check-ins wiht your boss mid-point and end of maternity leave to communicate openly on where you are at. So even if you decide to not return to work than previously communicated, it came not as a surprise to the organisation.
How do you envision the future of maternity leave support and workplace inclusivity, and what role do you see yourself playing in advancing these initiatives?
The future of maternity leave support and workplace inclusivity should move away from standardisation, towards customisation and flexibility. Different parents have different needs - for example same sex parents, parents who adopt, mother whose child has special needs, mother who suffered a loss, single parent etc. As a DEI lead, I see myself working with different parties to improve parental benefits and coverage for our employees.
What advice would you give to individuals who may be facing similar challenges or transitions in their careers? How can they find the inspiration and support they need?
As mothers we tend to put our needs last. Your needs matter, demand to be seen and heard. To find inspiration and support, seek out organisations that support women at work e.g. Moxy, find a coach, or reach out to your network to learn from people you find inspiring. LinkedIn is an incredible tool for seeking advices and networking as well.
Thank you Elle for sharing your journey so openly and candidly with us!
As a reader, we would love to hear more about how you felt about your own journey navigating motherhood and transitioning back to work as you were reading Elle's story. Drop a line in the comments section below and if you have a story to share that will inspire other women or organizations, please do write to us!
In case you also missed our latest post around breaking the maternal wall bias, read it here.
