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In June we featured a session with Cheryl Frazer from Ovation Finance in Bristol about navigating parental leave. You can watch this back HERE
For many of us planning parental leave (maternity / paternity whatever you chose to call it) involves navigating a mix of excitement and professional risks and considerations.
Our profession’s dynamic nature calls for a meticulous approach to parental leave planning and it also varies wildly depending on the size and set up of your working environment (big business / small / sole trader).
What became clear when talking to Cheryl is that, despite any worries or concerns you may have about your job/career and how leave will be managed, that being honest right from the get-go about what you think you’d like to happen and how work can support you is vital.
This topic is often brought up in discussion forums and it’s clearly something that women are struggling to navigate and work through. So, I’ve tried to summarise Cheryl’s 5 top tips from her session in this blog.
1. Know Your Legal Rights
The key part of planning your parental leave is understanding your entitlements under UK law. In the UK, eligible employees can take the first 26 weeks known as ‘Ordinary Maternity Leave’ and the last 26 weeks as ‘Additional Maternity Leave’. There’s also 2 weeks Paternity available usually and of course, the ‘maternity’ or Parental leave entitlement, can legally be split between you too.
Different rules might apply in your company and whether you get full pay or statutory pay too, so it’s crucial to familiarise yourself with both statutory rights and any additional benefits your employer offers within their own policies.
Consult your company’s HR policies, handbook, or your contract to understand the specifics of your entitlements. Being well-informed not only secures your peace of mind but also empowers you to assert your rights effectively.
You are entitled to have this time!
2. Communicate Transparently With Your Employer
Effective communication is essential when planning maternity leave. It makes sense to inform your employer about your pregnancy and intended leave dates as early as it feels comfortable for you. This open dialogue will help prevent any surprises and allow sufficient time for your team to prepare for your absence.
When discussing your leave, be specific about your last working day and how flexible you might be around your return date. This does not have to be set in stone and can change – after all, who knows how you’ll feel once your baby is here! Clear and honest communication fosters the best supportive working environment and can lead to a more tailored leave plan.
3. Engage a Maternity Coach
Managing career progression and maternity leave simultaneously can be challenging, particularly in competitive fields like ours. A maternity coach proved invaluable to Cheryl.
Maternity coaches specialise in advising you about balancing career aspirations with the demands of motherhood, offering strategies for visibility at work, negotiating leave arrangements, and planning your re-entry into the workplace.
Probably most importantly a maternity coach provides emotional support and practical advice for balancing the new parental responsibilities with your professional life, enhancing your ability to navigate this transition.
4. Organise a Detailed Work Handover
To ensure continuity in your absence, plan your work handover as well as you can.
This of course depends where you work, your role and who will be able to support you and how long you’re likely to take off. This will be very different for face to face adviser roles for example, to more back office roles. Preparing a detailed document outlining ongoing client work, projects, key contacts, deadlines, and essential information that your colleagues or a temporary replacement will need to know will be important. As an adviser, trying to forward plan annual reviews before leave starts can help, meaning locum or colleagues assistance will only be needed for ad-hoc support for clients.
5. Prepare for a Smooth Return
Consider your return to work well in advance. Discuss any necessary adjustments you might need with your employer, such as flexible working arrangements or a phased return to work.
Keeping in touch with your team during your leave can also be beneficial; this might include occasional updates on key projects, which can facilitate a smoother transition back to full-time employment.
As Cheryl shared in her session, once your back it probably won’t feel like you’ve been away!
Thanks so much to Cheryl and all other content providers for giving up their time, voluntarily to produce amazing content for the FFEM group.
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