Mothers At Work

Articles

The Manager's Role

Coordinating an Employee's Return to Work

When coordinating an employee’s return to work, begin by speaking to your human resources representative. Family/Medical Leave Acts are governed by state and federal laws, so you must coordinate each employee’s return to work schedule in accordance with existing laws and the policies set by your organization. Employee needs will vary and will have to be addressed on an individual basis. However, any employee who makes the commitment to breastfeed and return to work will need a degree of flexibility in order to breastfeed and/or pump during the work day. By working with your human resources representative, you can help employees make a smooth transition back to work.

Flexible Scheduling

Returning to work after the birth of a baby is an adjustment for employees, and may require some special accommodations, particularly during the first few weeks. Once again, begin by speaking to your human resources representative about your organization’s specific policies regarding return to work schedules. Some companies find that flexible scheduling provides viable solutions to potential scheduling conflicts. Flexible scheduling comes in many forms (which may or may not be offered by your organization): flextime (working the equivalent of a full-time schedule but with varied hours); compressed schedules (working a full-time schedule in fewer than five days); job sharing (two employees split the hours, workload and pay of one job) or part-time work (working less than a full-time schedule, with a reduction in pay and possibly benefits). These arrangements may be temporary or permanent as agreed between the employee and employer. Keep in mind that while flexible scheduling can be beneficial; it may not be appropriate for your organization. Remember to speak to your human resources representative about your organization’s policies before discussing arrangements with an employee.

Phased Return-to-Work Schedules

Another issue to address with your human resource representative is the possibility of a phased-in return to work schedule which enables employees to gradually phase back to a full-time schedule after their family leave. Note—Breastfeeding employees may want to return to work mid-week, rather than on a Monday, to allow them time to build up their milk supply, and get accustomed to pumping and storing milk. The following example helps illustrate how this works:

Sample Phased Return-to-Work Schedule:

First Two Weeks: The employee returns from family leave on a phased-in schedule by working three days (20 hours) per week.

Second Two Weeks: The employee continues to work on a phased-in schedule increasing her schedule to three days (24 hours) per week.

Third Two Weeks: The employee continues to work on a phased-in schedule increasing her schedule to four days (28 hours) per week.

Fourth Two Weeks: The employee continues to work on a phased-in schedule increasing her schedule to four days (32 hours) per week.

Thereafter: After eight weeks, the employee resumes a regular full-time schedule unless state or federal law dictates otherwise.

This publication is for general informational purposes only and it is not intended to provide any reader with specific authority, advice or recommendations. Where you deem necessary, we suggest that you seek advice regarding your particular situation from the appropriate professional.