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Back to Her | Return to Work

@backtoher.au

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Supporting women navigate work after becoming a mum. 🇦🇺 AU
Career clarity • Confidence • Work that fits.
19 yrs corporate HR expertise Mum of 3.

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You can have flexible work arrangements and still feel like you’re constantly trying to make everything fit.

The shorter week that somehow still carries a full workload. The daycare pickup that cuts into your last meeting. The flexibility you’re grateful for, but sometimes worry comes at a cost to your career.

Flexible work matters. Absolutely.
But having flexibility and having a working life that actually works aren’t always the same thing.

That’s part of what I’m exploring through The Return Study 2026.

#BackToHer #FlexibleWork #WorkingMums #ReturnToWork #WomenAtWork by @backtoher.au

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9 days ago

I’ve spent 19 years in HR, supporting people and businesses through careers, change and returning to work.

Then I experienced the return myself.

It gave me a new appreciation for just how much sits on both sides.

I’ll be sharing what I know from nearly 2 decades in HR and what I’ve learnt navigating it as a mum.

The practical stuff. The personal stuff. Your rights, flexibility, confidence, identity and career.

Because going back to work doesn’t have to mean going back to who you were before becoming a mum.

Welcome to Back to Her 🤍

#Returntowork #workingmum #womenatwork #FlexibleWork #parentalleave by @backtoher.au

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a month ago

19 years in HR and some of the most concerning workplace conversations I’ve had have happened during mums group meet ups and at the playground.

That’s why I started Back to Her. My name is Leah, a Mum of 3 (twins at 40!) and 19 years in HR, I want to make practical HR knowledge accessible to women navigating work after motherhood. I want women to understand their rights and workplaces to do better.

After finding out my Hr background the question I hear most is, “But can they actually do that?”

Here’s what I wish more mums knew.

Under Australia’s Fair Work Act, there are protections around:
• Returning to your pre-leave position
• Requesting flexible working arrangements
• Adverse action because you’ve taken parental leave

These rights have specific eligibility requirements, but they’re important to understand and not every change is unlawful. But don’t assume you have to accept it without asking questions.

Know your rights. Ask questions.

Follow @backtoher.au for practical HR advice on returning to work and beyond.

Send this to a mum who is navigating for themselves. 🤍

General information only.

#returntowork #parentalleaveaustralia #workingmumsau #workplacerights #backtoher by @backtoher.au

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2 hours ago

The thing she worried most about returning to work wasn’t actually going back…

It was about asking for flexible work.

That’s what another mum told me yesterday! “I’d be so grateful for anything.” “I know it’s inconvenient…”
“I don’t want to make things difficult for my manager.”
She was assuming a no before she even asked.

And here’s the thing. Even after years working in HR, I remember having some of those same thoughts the first time. So here’s what I told her:

Managers don’t say yes to apologies. They say yes to solutions.

You’re not asking for a favour. You’re having a conversation to design something you can actually stay in without trying to meet impossible expectations and burning out 3 months later.

Be collaborative, not apologetic.

If you’re holding that meeting over and over in your head, this page is for you.

I’m Leah @backtoher.au. A mum of 3, twins at 40. I’ve sat on both sides of this table and get both.

Follow along + send this to a friend who’s returning, thinking of returning, or just went back as I share more resources.

#returntowork #parentalleave #workingmums #matrescence #flexiblework by @backtoher.au

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a day ago

New research is putting a spotlight on the difference between having flexibility and having flexibility that actually works.

And for mums returning to work, that distinction matters.

Because the goal isn’t just getting back to work. It’s being able to build a career that works alongside the rest of your life.

I want to hear your lived experiences. What has genuinely worked?

Research: University of Sydney, Good Flex, Bad Flex (2026).

#WorkingMumsAustralia #ReturnToWork #FlexibleWorking #backtoher by @backtoher.au

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2 days ago

Things feel different when we return to work after having a baby but do some of us 🙋🏼‍♀️ go so quickly to question our own ambition?

“I don’t think I’m as ambitious as I used to be.” I’ve heard it so many times and the question I often ask is: What else could be true?

Maybe it is true and that ok but maybeee you’re just as ambitious, but no longer willing or able to be available at all hours?

Or maybe the way you used to work doesn’t fit the life you have now.

Maybe your priorities have shifted, but your desire to do meaningful work hasn’t.

Or maybe the workplace hasn’t changed to recognise that ambition can look different at different stages of life.

#BackToHer #WorkingMumsAustralia #ReturnToWork #CareerAfterMotherhood #womenatwork by @backtoher.au

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3 days ago

Sound Familiar? 🙋🏼‍♀️

Somewhere along the way, perfectly reasonable working arrangements became things brilliant women felt we needed to apologise for.

I get it. Sometimes saying sorry feels easier than being seen as difficult or feeling it could be interpreted as not quite as ambitious as before.

But there’s a difference between being considerate of your colleagues and feeling guilty for the way you work.

You can be committed, capable and collaborative without being available for everything.

Which one have you caught yourself apologising for? 👇

#BackToHer #WorkingMumsAustralia #ReturnToWork #WorkingMumLife #womenatwork by @backtoher.au

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4 days ago

The Monday morning optimism of thinking you’ll get a head start before everyone wakes up. 😂

Flexible work has its perks. So does having a colleague whose preferred meeting format is a cuddle.

Productivity might be questionable, but staff morale is thriving. 🤍

#BackToHer #WorkingMumsAustralia #FlexibleWork #WorkingFromHome #MotherhoodAndCareer by @backtoher.au

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5 days ago

The anticipation. The childcare goodbyes. The new juggle and wondering how it will all fit in a system that is broken (for now!).

The return to work deserves just as much attention as parental leave itself.

What does support look like before you return and in the months that follow? What can workplaces do to support women and understand the work vs care tension.

The Return Study 2026 will gather women’s experiences to help inform a Senate inquiry submission as well as practical support for women and organisations.

Preparing to return, already back or haven’t returned after becoming a mum? I want to hear your perspective.

Coming soon 🤍
#returntowork #flexibleworkaustralia #yourvoicematters by @backtoher.au

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17 days ago

Returning to work after parental leave and thinking about asking for flexible work?

Before you make a flexible work request, start with what actually needs to work differently. Flexible work isn’t just working from home.

It could mean changing your hours, days, work pattern or location and sometimes it’s a combination.

Save this for your return-to-work conversation or send to someone currently on parental leave!

#ReturnToWork #flexiblework #ParentalLeave #WorkingMums #parttimework by @backtoher.au

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19 days ago

Monday morning pre-game with the work bestie. ☕️
Quick coffee. Debrief the weekend. Align on absolutely nothing.
Ready to take on another big week.

An essential transition from a w.e of mum to a week of work.

#MondayMorning #WorkBestie #OfficeHumour #WorkingMums #WorkingMotherhood by @backtoher.au

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19 days ago

Returning to work after parental leave and thinking about asking for flexible work? Start here.

Before you decide you need to go back 3 days a week or ask to work from home, work out what is actually going to make returning to work hard.

Because flexible work doesn’t have to mean WFH or simply working fewer days. It can include changes to your hours, pattern or location of work.

Get clear on the problem first. Then you can get much clearer on what you actually need to ask for.

Save this if you’re planning your return to work.

This is the first in my Return to Work series, where I’ll break down the practical questions I want more women to think through before going back.

#ReturnToWork #ReturningToWork #ParentalLeave #FlexibleWork #WorkingMums by @backtoher.au

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22 days ago