Returning From Parental Leave — In-House Edition

// 515850Before I launch into my tips for those of you who are returning to work from parental leave, I have to note how different it was for me to be completely cut off from work. When I was at a law firm, I had unfettered access to my email and other systems, and rightly or wrongly, I checked my email and responded from time to time — particularly when it pertained to a client or matter I had handled. In fairness, the responsibility is mostly mine. Whether it’s Biglaw training or my Type-A personality or FOMO, I felt responsible (especially when it was a client from my own book of business), and while it was on a lesser cadence, I couldn’t help but check email just to make sure I wasn’t missing something.

But with my most recent parental-leave experience, I was completely cut off from my email and work systems — and to be honest, I freaked out at first. Even though I’m an employment lawyer, and I know that employees should not be allowed to work during their leave, I initially tried to push back, afraid that I would miss an important email from a government agency or an important work update. But honestly, being completely cut off from work (especially email) was the best thing for me, my mental health, and my experience as a new mom. It was refreshing to be able to be completely present for my new family of five.

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Regardless of the status of your access to work systems while on leave, here are a few tips to help you ease back into work.

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Start At The End Of The Week

To the extent it is within your control, it may be a good idea to come back on a Thursday or Friday instead of a Monday. Most of the time, Fridays tend to be lighter days when it comes to meetings and requests so you have more time to do the necessary administrative stuff (clear inbox, schedule meetings, block off time for pumping) with little interruption. Plus, it gives you the weekend (if you need) to clear the administrative stuff, to the extent you anticipate the first full week back will be hectic.

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Email HR And Your Supervisor A Week Ahead

Companies differ on return-from-leave procedures. Some companies rely on a third-party administrator, others rely on in-house HR. If your company uses a third-party administrator, it is a good idea to email your human resources contact to give them a heads up on when you’re returning. HR will likely already have the information, but sometimes, there can be a communication snafu between the third-party administrator and company HR. It’s also a good idea to make sure there isn’t anything you need to do to make sure your access to work systems will be turned on. Personally, I did this, and it still took me a few hours with IT to get everything turned back on and working correctly. Likewise, email your manager or supervisor. While it is likely that they already received your return-to-work date from HR, sending an email is an easy way to demonstrate to your manager that you are on top of things, and in case they didn’t receive communication from HR, the heads up will give them some time to prepare for your return.

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Schedule Catch-Up Meetings With Colleagues

When you have renewed access to your calendar, consider scheduling “catch-up” meetings with your colleagues, especially those who covered for you and serviced your clients while you were out. It is an opportunity to share your gratitude, “take back the baton,” and review any outstanding issues. With colleagues who didn’t cover for you, it is an opportunity to catch up on informal things you may have missed (such as a change in procedure or staff) and to maintain your relationships.

Give Yourself Time To Catch Up On Emails

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Although you may have had coverage for your matters, you may find yourself facing thousands of emails in your inbox when you return. If you are able, I suggest blocking time on your calendar to address, uninterrupted.  Being very Type A, my approach was to skim them and do one of three things: delete, file, or flag for deeper review at a specific cadence (today, tomorrow, this week, next week, this month, or next month). A friend of mine had a different approach. She created a folder, named it “on leave,” and dumped everything in there, planning to rely on using “search” should she need.

Schedule Catch-Up Meetings With Clients

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To relieve your colleagues who covered for you, reach out to your clients to let them know that you are back (so they can reach out to you) and schedule catch-up meetings. To keep it a light lift for your clients, proffer that you’ve already caught up with your legal colleagues so they don’t have to prepare for the meeting but that you wanted to reconnect. Even if you may think that there isn’t anything substantive to catch up on, it’s a great way to maintain the relationship.

Last, but not least, give yourself a lot of grace, especially if you’re pumping. Go ahead and block off times that you will be pumping so you don’t get stuck on several calls or in back-to-back meetings with no reprieve. Good luck and remember, you’ve got this!

Meyling Mey Ly OrtizMeyling “Mey” Ly Ortiz is in-house at Toyota Motor North America. Her passions include mentoring, championing belonging, and a personal blog: TheMeybe.com. At home, you can find her doing her best to be a “fun” mom to a toddler and preschooler and chasing her best self on her Peloton. You can follow her on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/meybe/). And you knew this was coming: her opinions are hers alone.

Topics

In-House Counsel, Meyling "Mey" Ly Ortiz, Parental Leave


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Originally posted on: https://abovethelaw.com/2022/05/returning-from-parental-leave-in-house-edition/