How to Get Back on the Career Ladder after Having Children

Boosting your corporate wellness is always important, but what happens if you take time out to have children? Doubtless, you’ll have certain concerns upon returning to work; are you good enough anymore? Will your kids cope without you? Let’s take a look at the challenges that face mothers who want to rejoin the workplace, and how you can overcome them.

Firstly, is your field of expertise fast-moving and ever-changing? If you work in an area such as IT, knowledge and programmes often become obsolete within a matter of months or a few years, and so you might need to make sure you’re up-to-date with industry developments before you start applying for jobs you’re no longer familiar with. It may also come in handy to network with those who work in your field, as the right contact could get you an interview, or even endorse you to a company once they know how good you are, and how hard you’re working to get up to speed.

However, an important thing to remember is to have realistic expectations. According to Priya Verma, co-founder of HR outsourcing firm Crossover, ‘Staying abreast of developments in one’s field, being confident and having realistic expectations on salary and designation are needed when returning,’ to the workplace.  That is not to say that you should lower your expectations to anything less than you deserve, but try to see the opportunities in all jobs, even if your first one back is just getting you a foot on the ladder.

A short-term course or internship may be just the thing you need to upgrade your skills, and would be something solid you can put on your CV to show prospective employers that you’re not too proud to put the work in, and improve. Taking on a course or internship can also refresh your memory of what it’s like to be in the workplace, and boost your confidence in going for more substantial roles once you’ve reacquainted yourself with the basics. Many programmes are geared towards mothers who are returning to work, and as such consist of flexible hours and peer support. Look online for more information.

How to Get Back on the Career Ladder after Having Children

Categories: expectations, field, networking, realistic expectations, retraining, returning, work, workplace

Study Discovers Children who eat Frequently Weigh Less

If your children eat more than three times a day, they will weigh less than kids who eat three or fewer meals. This is according to Greek researchers who looked at 11 past studies and also found that overall, these children were 22% less likely to be overweight or obese. Wellness experts believe that smaller meals, spaced out over the day, may aid weight control and the study results, which were published in Paediatrics, give further evidence to support this theory.

However, Alison Field, an associate professor of paediatrics at Harvard Medical School and a staff scientist at Boston Children’s Hospital, argues that the study, in which she was not involved, fails to prove cause and effect. Field notes that all 11 studies were conducted at just one point in time, so it’s impossible to know whether the children’s eating habits came before their extra pounds. Field says that some of the children involved may have started eating less often after becoming overweight, and you need studies where kids are followed over time to know which came first. She adds, ‘People who eat frequently may choose different foods compared with people who eat less often. Is it the eating frequency, or what you’re eating?’

According to registered dietician Connie Diekman, who also wasn’t involved in the research, the study ‘does not provide conclusive evidence.’ However, Diekman, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis, believes that you should not view this study as a stand alone piece of evidence, but rather one of many into this area of wellbeing that fit together.  ‘I view this study as one more piece in our understanding about meal frequency and weight, but not of itself an answer to, what do we tell consumers?’ she says.

However, Fields asserts that, while it is biologically plausible that eating frequency affects metabolism and weight control, it’s not clear why that is. Field says that the important thing to focus on is what your child eats, and how many total calories he or she gets. ‘If you’re eating frequently, but you’re eating fast food, that’s obviously not good,’ she says, adding that if your child is currently eating three big meals, you should not simply add snacks to that. ‘What you don’t want parents to do is add calories to what their child is already eating.’

Study Discovers Children who eat Frequently Weigh Less

Categories: Child, Children, eat frequently, eating, eating frequency, field, Frequent Meals, Research, study, Weight Control, Weight Loss