How To Prepare For Maternity Leave

For a seamless transition stress-free. A step-by-step guide to leaving your work for an extended period of time.

The thought of leaving your work for an extended period of time can be scary. Especially if you don’t trust who you are leaving it to, this post is here to help you prepare and pass off your work without being a super stressful process.

So where to start?

The absolute best thing you can do for yourself and your work/projects is to start your maternity leave plan early! Like second trimester early!

To kick off your maternity leave plan, start by discussing with your manager how other coworkers passed off their work while on maternity leave in the past and what happened when they returned. This will help you know what to expect for your maternity leave and can start building your unique plan. Be sure to take a lot of notes, because you will want to revisit this advice in the future.

After talking with your manager, ask a few coworkers what worked for them with their leave and what they wish they would have done differently. Sometimes the best advice comes from those who have experienced it first! Take a lot of notes here too, so that you can revisit their advice when building your plan.

Once you have talked with your manager and coworker(s), now is the time to read over their advice and check-in with yourself to see if you can apply any of it for you. Everyone is different; different lifestyles, different demands, different natural schedules, different stressors, you get the gist. Just because it worked for someone doesn’t mean it will work for you, or it very well could.

Although getting advice from other mamas that have gone through it before you are amazing, trusting your gut plays a big role when preparing for maternity leave.

Important!

Don’t feel obligated to build your plan around what others did or want. They aren’t going to be the ones who will suffer, you will.

Figure out your back-ups

After you have an idea of what it looks like at your workplace to go on maternity leave and return, now it is time to figure out who will be your backup(s) while you are away.

Sometimes your employer determines that, however, there are times where your employer will let you determine this and ask for you to let them know. Either way, if you have someone or a couple of coworkers you trust or have in mind to be your backup, let your manager know.

Personally, I chose three people to back me up while I am away. The way I determined who would be my backup was by asking myself the question “who would be the best fit at tackling this type of work or anticipated questions?”

I envisioned the work they might be having to take on while I am away as well as the questions they might be asked by coworkers or clients. Then I asked myself “who approaches their work similarly to the way I do?” After answering those questions I asked my coworkers if they would be okay with taking on more tasks while I am away, and luckily they were.

Put Together a Responsibility Split

After your backups have been determined then it is time to put together a responsibility split. This can be a simple word document where you list out the backup’s name and list out the responsibilities that they might have to get involved in while you are away. List everything from the small tasks to the larger tasks so there are no surprises!

Once you have it written out, give a copy to your manager and your backup(s).

Plan a Meeting

I am a huge supporter of setting up meetings when it comes it setting game plans. That way everyone can ask questions if something is missed or if something isn’t making sense. What could make sense to you, could be extremely confusing to someone else, and you do not want to leave for an extended period of time with your backup(s) confused.

After the meeting send an email with:

– A copy of your responsibility split

– A summary of when your first day of maternity leave is & when you will be back

– What you would like while on leave such as do you want weekly debriefing emails, do you want them to cc you on things so that you can read it when you are back, do you want a meeting set up for the first day you are back so they can let you know what happen while you were away?

In that email, put anything and everything you would like while away and when you come back.

Other things to keep in mind depending on where you work:

1. Set up an out of office on your email account listing the dates you are out of the office, if you will be unreachable, who your backup(s) are including for what, and their contact information.
2. Record an out of office greeting for your voicemail (desk phone and work cell phone)
3. Tidy up your office prior to your maternity leave so that you come back to a clean space and can hit the ground running

Leaving for maternity leave can feel scary especially with so many emotions surrounding being a mom, change in daily life, labor, etc. Having a well-prepared plan with buy-in from your coworker is key!

To experience your maternity without the hanging stress of work in the back of your mind, it is also key to set good boundaries!

So that you have a clear separation between work and baby.

Here are some ways to set work boundaries during this time:

1. Delete your email and work chat app from your cell phone or see number 3.
2. Turn off work/email notifications on your phone or any at-home device
3. Move your email or work chat app on your cell phone into a folder so you don’t see the icons
4. Remind your coworkers that you are not available for work during this time
5. Leave your work cell phone or computer at the office if you can, or turn it off and hide it in your home so you don’t see it.
6. If you really can’t get away because there are ongoing projects that are just too important to be completely cut off on, set up a schedule/meeting and only discuss work and that project during that pre-scheduled time.

You are going to rock this maternity leave mama!!

For more on my pregnancy, maternity leave, and first-time mom journey, be sure to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram

How To Transition Into Maternity Leave Seamlessly

1. Start early! Your second trimester is a good time to start working on your plan!
2. Discuss with your manager what leaving and returning to work has looked like in the past for other employees.
3. Sit down with coworkers and ask their experience going on maternity leave, ask what it looked like for them, and what would be one thing they would have done differently.
4. Look over the advice from your manager and coworkers to start writing up what you would like your maternity to look like, ie: dates, boundaries, responsibilities, etc.
5. Find out how your backup(s) are determined. Do you choose who will back you up while away, or does your manager? Do you have any input on the decision?
6. Put together a responsibility split for each backup to set expectations of what they might work on while you are away.
7. Call a meeting with your manager and backups to go over your plan and answer any questions they have.
8. Send an email summarizing the meeting and attached your responsibility splits document.
9. Set up out of offices on your voicemail greeting and email if necessary
10. Tidy up your office/workspace
11. Set good boundaries while away!

Have a topic you want me to dive into more? Email me at balancedinpink@gmail.com

With Love,

Kari K.