Business owners can often feel uneasy at the prospect of communicating with staff during a period of leave, however, your client should understand that keeping in contact with an employee on maternity leave is perfectly acceptable and widely encouraged.
Before the employee goes on leave, it would be advisable for your client to clarify with them how often they would like to be contacted and what is their preferred method of communication e.g. phone, email or post. Some employees may wish to be contacted more than others and it is best to get an understanding of this in advance so your client can tailor their approach accordingly. It is also advisable to agree on someone within the business that will handle all communication for continuity’s sake, which will typically be the employee’s line manager or an authorised HR representative.
Communicating with the employee whilst they are on maternity leave will help ensure that they are kept up to date with relevant business developments, such as promotions, redundancies or restructuring, whilst also guarding against any sense of isolation that can occur. Your client should understand that there is a fine line between keeping the employee informed and intruding on their time away from work, therefore any contact should be relevant and non-excessive. With this in mind, your client should strongly avoid asking the employee for assistance with any ongoing business matters, regardless of whether this had been their responsibility previously.
Employees on maternity leave may also agree to do up to 10 days’ work without bringing their maternity leave or pay to an end, known as keeping in touch (KIT) days. These offer another useful way for your client to keep in contact with the employee, however, they should note that this is not an obligation and must be mutually agreed by both parties. These KIT days do not have to encompass a whole day working day and could instead comprise of a brief morning shift or a few hours of work in the afternoon. In this case, each instance of work counts as one ‘day’ and these are commonly used for attending training or similar work-related events as opposed to the employee carrying out their full working duties.
When it comes to keeping in contact with employees on maternity leave finding the right balance is key. Your client needs to ensure they remain present and available for staff, all the while ensuring they do not intrude on what is an important and often deeply personal time. Mastering this should keep the employee feeling positive about their eventual return to work and improve the chances of retaining their employment once the leave comes to an end.
Please share this article with your clients
