Parental leave is an important benefit for many employees, and expecting parents often wonder how to prepare for maternity leave at work from an employee’s perspective. In addition to preparing for a new family member, an extended absence from work can be daunting.
Managing these transitions can also be difficult from an employer perspective, and businesses can set themselves apart and attract top talent by making the process as straightforward as possible. Not only will you build loyalty, you’ll mitigate the risk of lost productivity, knowledge gaps, and disrupted client relationships.
So, how can you ensure your employees get the support they need while maintaining business continuity? Read on to learn how to make parental leave work for everyone.
Maternity leave allowances vary per country, province, or territory but often range from a few weeks to a few months. Here’s how paid family leave policies differ in Canada and the United States.
In Canada, paid maternity leave typically lasts for a maximum of 15 weeks and is available to employees who are pregnant or have recently given birth. It’s a separate employee benefit from parental leave, which can be shared between parents of a newborn or a newly adopted child.
For parental leave, there are two options:
Parents can apply for both maternity and parental leave at once and can receive up to 55% of their insurable earnings (maximum of $695 per week).
In the United States, maternity leave is primarily governed by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year. Some states, like California, New York, Maine, and Minnesota, have mandatory state family leave programs. Others, like New Hampshire and Vermont, have voluntary paid leave models for employers to opt in through private insurance. However, 40% of companies offer paid parental leave, with 38% offering benefits beyond what FMLA requires.
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Now that we know the basics, it’s time to learn how to prepare your workplace for an employee’s leave. Here’s how you can support your employee and ensure a smooth transition during this exciting (and hectic) time.
Mastering how to prepare for maternity leave at work takes time. You want to start planning as soon as your employee notifies you, which should be three to six months before they leave. Schedule a one-on-one meeting to discuss:
Pro Tip: Keep the conversation open and empathetic. You want to set clear expectations and establish a detailed plan while being understanding and flexible. This way, you can help ease any anxiety they may have about the transition and create a more positive and productive work environment for everyone involved!
Mastering how to prepare for maternity leave at work also involves creating a solid plan to cover the soon-to-be vacant position. To do so, thoroughly understand your team member’s role. Map out their:
Pro Tip: Have your employee create a handover document with key tasks, resources, and contacts to help their replacement get up to speed. Include potential issues and solutions to ensure a smooth transition.
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The next step is to decide how to cover the position while your team member is away on parental leave. Luckily, you have options. You can:
If your employee leaves a considerable workload, we recommend bringing in an experienced contractor. Redistributing tasks may seem easier, but you don’t want to overwhelm your remaining team members with work beyond their capacity.
Pro Tip: Take the stress out of finding a temporary replacement by working with a specialized recruitment agency. They can help you screen, interview, and assess potential contractors, so you can focus on maintaining productivity and supporting your team.
Once you’ve decided on a contractor, skip to the good part: onboarding, training, and facilitating role transitions. To be safe, we recommend starting training your contractors about two months before your employee’s leave.
It’s also a great idea to involve the employee in the training. They bring firsthand knowledge about the role, which could help their replacement understand the nuances of daily tasks or managing more complex workflows.
We also recommend creating a clear communication strategy to inform:
One final hurdle to mastering how to prepare for maternity/paternity leave is planning for your employee’s return to work. Going back to work with a new baby can be a considerable adjustment, so show your support by:
When your top marketer announces their pregnancy, your first thought should be “Congratulations!”’ not “What now?” Let Ad Culture handle the contractor search while you map out how to prepare for maternity leave at work.
We specialize in finding marketing unicorns you can trust to keep your operations going. Our expert recruiters will help you screen, interview, and connect with marketing talent with the skills and capacity to fill in the gaps while employees are away.
Ready to secure the best marketing contractor for your team? Contact us today!