How to prepare work for your parental leave
Navigating an extended period of parental leave as a senior leader can be a complex balancing act. On one hand, it’s a major exciting and personal milestone, on the other it can come with a lot of question marks around work – how will the business continue to run smoothly without you, what will your role look like when you come back from leave, how will it impact your role in the future etc. If you’re preparing for 2 months plus of parental leave then you’re likely thinking about how you’re going to make all these things work before the new arrival. The good news? With planning and clear communication, you can create a plan that works for you, your team, and the organisation.
When to tell your boss
In terms of when to tell your boss, I don't think there is a right answer – it should be what you're comfortable with, and any boss should respect this. I don't think a week here or there would make much difference, but if it's a difference of quite a few weeks and there are no upcoming plans for restructures, promotions or bonuses (i.e. nothing that an unethical boss could use to downgrade your rewards or status), then being honest upfront could paint you in a good light to your boss. No legal obligation but I'm just thinking of the goodwill here! Make sure you remind them how you're letting them know early so that you gain the positive benefit of this.
Finding your replacement
I think the biggest fear of extended periods of parental leave is always being replaced by someone better, but the law protects you well in this area as they are just your stand-in while you're away. I've heard lots of people say they intentionally recruit someone less good so they aren't competition (including a regular correspondent with Dear Katie!) but I haven't ever really seen this play out as a problem. The replacement is either happy to leave at the end; or isn't but has to anyway; or a job is created for them because they are good and a space has opened up in the team.
What does make a good parental leave cover? Someone who can do your work, and allay any fears from colleagues and your boss about the company not being able to cope while you're gone. Make sure there's clear handover of high-profile and high-risk tasks, so you don't return to problems.
Creating great cover
My final piece of advice would be to see the benefits of your replacement too. Find out what skills they bring that you don't have, and see if they can handle any projects that you’re less well-placed to undertake or are less interested in, while you're gone.
3 resources to help with paternal leave:
UK-centric advice on how to tackle unfair parental provision at your organisation: https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/your-rights/
Advice on how to return to work after parental leave, including the need to practise, plan and schedule like you never have before!: https://hbr.org/2019/08/how-to-return-to-work-after-taking-parental-leave
Five problems to look out for when returning to work (and how to handle them): https://hrzone.com/maternity-discrimination-five-ways-line-managers-make-maternity-returners-want-to-leave/
Did you find this post helpful? For more content like this, sign-up to my newsletter, ‘Dear Katie’, where I help solve real-life messy leadership problems.
Have a leadership problem of your own? Submit it via email – katie@katiebest.com – and I will answer it anonymously in a future issue.
