I Hated It When Older Colleagues Did This. Now I'm Doing It, Too, And It Feels So Wrong.

"Earlier this year I had my first baby. I've been back at work from maternity leave for six weeks and it's been so hard. I've been struggling to keep up with my professional responsibilities. I'm not meeting deadlines like I used to, my attention to detail isn't what it once was, and I'm having trouble focusing. So far, my manager doesn't seem to have noticed."

"He is pretty hands off anyway, but the main reason is because my younger coworker is still doing half my job for me! My job has always been about half putting out fires and half regular tasks, and she took on all my regular tasks while I was gone. The first week I came back, she said she knew I had a lot to catch up on and offered to keep doing those tasks while I got settled."

Earlier this year a woman had her first baby and returned to work after six weeks of maternity leave. She is struggling to keep up with professional responsibilities, missing deadlines, losing attention to detail, and having trouble focusing. Her manager has not noticed, partly because a younger coworker absorbed about half of her job, taking on all regular tasks during her leave. The coworker offered to continue those tasks when she returned, and she agreed but has not revisited the arrangement. She cannot imagine resuming those tasks now and feels torn between acknowledging the coworker and manager and fearing exposure of her underperformance. She earns about 50 percent more than the coworker and fears financial consequences.

Read at Slate Magazine