Employees take leaves for several reasons. However, maternity leaves can be the longest time an employee can stay away from the office. If an employee has recently disclosed their pregnancy to you, you may be worried about a long time they will be absent from the office. As an employer or an HR personnel, it is only natural to worry about it.
However, a few measures can ensure your business runs smoothly while your employee utilizes their maternity leaves. Let’s take a look at these measures:
Get Educated About the Laws
As an employer, you must educate yourself about the different types of maternity, paternity, and adoption leaves that your employees can utilize. Equipping yourself with these laws will let you know your employees’ rights and your organization’s rights as an employer. Knowing and understanding the laws will help you document the leaves and keep things legal and professional.
Form and Implement a Maternity Leaves Policy
While the federal government has maternity leaves rights clearly stated for employees, they don’t count as organizational policies. As an employer, you need to form and implement a maternity leave policy for your employees that can serve as a guide for them when they are ready to utilize maternity leaves.
These policies can include when an employee should inform you of their pregnancy and policies for different pregnancy scenarios that can take place. These policies can also state guidelines for potential work-from-home scenarios, the benefits the employees can enjoy during maternity leaves, and a smooth transition of employees’ responsibilities.
Communicate with the Employee
Though the maternity leaves policy will guide your employee about how to go about availing of their maternity leave, communicating with the employee can be significantly beneficial. Depending on the employee’s position availing the maternity leaves and their reason for availing them, they may be able to take up a part-time position or work-from-home during the leave.
Decide Terms of Accommodation
If the employee continues working during their maternity leaves, you and the employee can determine their hours or duties. These can include when employees are accessible during their leave or the extent to which they can play their professional role. Moreover, you can also determine if they need special accommodation once the maternity leave ends. New parents may have to visit doctors often, and it would benefit from discussing the terms of accommodation in advance.
Plan a Transition
If you are hiring a temporary employee to fill in for your employee or if the employee’s responsibilities availing the maternity leaves are getting distributed among other team members, it might be beneficial to make a plan for the transition. The employee availing the maternity leave may have to play a vital role in the efficient hand-over of responsibilities. Letting the employee train the temporary employee taking their place can also help with this transition.
Last but not least, don’t make the maternity leave about the organization. Your employee is starting a new chapter in their life. Organizing a baby shower for them or throwing them a party can help them feel valued and supported by the organization and eager to join back!
