Handling a Leave of Absence for Employee Experience and Retention
As a leader, I always think first of the employee experience when it comes to a leave of absence. I have had to take a few leaves throughout my career, and how these were managed helped me make decisions of when and if to return to work. Although there are technical aspects that must be handled when an employee takes a leave, the support of management and use of social-emotional intelligence is even more important to maintaining an effective employment relationship, and really lets your employees know if the door is open to long term employment.
1. Be prepared for change
Regardless of who our employees are or what stage they are at in their career or life experience, anyone may request a leave of absence at any time, for a plethora of reasons. The best piece of advice I can give is to be prepared for the request at any time and for any reason: do not respond in a reactionary or overly emotional way; an employee requesting a leave is not a judgement against your leadership, your organization’s culture, or being done to intentionally impact your business.
There are a variety of reasons that an employee may request a leave and reaching out to management to discuss or request a leave can create anxiety for the employee. If you understand that people may need to use time away from work in the form of a leave, you will be in a better place to meet your employee where they are emotionally during the discussion of their request.
Depending upon the situation, the leave may be immediate (like sick leave or caregiver leave), or it may be scheduled in the future (like a maternity leave or scheduled medical leave). Assuring the employee that you will work with them to meet their needs and informing them of your accommodation practices or leave process requirements (both in the conversation and in a written follow up), gives the employee the opportunity to fully understand how you, and the business can support them in their life journey. If the leave is scheduled for the future, work with the employee to capture knowledge and create a transition plan – keeping in mind that you want to show them how valued their skills, experience, and tenure with the organization is to you, without making them feel like it is your key priority to replace them.
2. Consider the relationship
When I took my first parental leave, I had the worst experience – my supervisor at the time actually stated to my face that they were not going to reallocate my work (“just get it all done before you leave”) or use my budgeted headcount while I was gone (“just think of the money I will save in my budget”). I knew right there and then that my worst-case scenario was having to return to that department, job, and organizational culture. In hindsight, I know that my supervisor shut the door in my face when it came to recognizing me as a valued team member.
On the flip side, the next leave I took provided me with the opposite experience – my new organization worked with me to identify how the duties could be realigned as development experiences for my colleagues, which of my projects could be delayed until my return or outsourced, and what I would be interested in taking on when I returned. This time it felt like my leave was not just part of my personal life, but part of my career development. I felt that the door to returning was not only open, but I had been handed the keys to my future opportunities as well. When my leave was over, I was excited to return to work and looking forward to showing the same dedication and grace to my organization as they had shown to me.
I think about these experiences anytime someone approaches me about a leave of absence. How can I, as a leader and professional, use this opportunity to further my relationship with this employee, demonstrate that they are a valued part of our team, and that we are here to support them now and when they return? I also take into consideration how my approach to the conversation is about assisting the employee in whatever they are facing, not increasing their stress level. Leaves happen for a wide variety of reasons, and many of those are outside of my life experience. I know I want to be the person who holds the door open, and I do that by being supportive and doing whatever I can to help my staff understand the leave process and how valued they are.
3. Keep in touch
Not everyone on a leave of absence wants to maintain a close relationship with their job or their co-workers, and sometimes this can even be harmful. However, including the employee in an occasional communication, particularly if it is of great significance to the organization (like new clients or contracts) or their team (inform them of a new team member) or role, can be beneficial. I also find that inviting them to (or at least informing them of) social functions like company barbeques, volunteer days, or holiday parties helps keep people from feeling too isolated from their team. Sending an email to their personal account with a friendly greeting, a summary of the key information, and a reminder of their benefits, like an Employee Assistance Program, is a good way to do this – and it still allows the employee to choose when they read the information.
My personal experiences with leaves of absence have shown me the direct impact that a leader can have on employee engagement and retention. How you respond, manage leaves of absence, and stay connected with the employee matters and whatever the reason for their leave may be, it can be a great opportunity to develop their career and show them how valued they are. LIHR facilitates engagement surveys that measure employees' psychological health and safety, and identify areas of concern or opportunity to improve, like recognition and motivation. Book time with us to learn how we can help you to provide more engaging experiences for your employees.
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Lisa Isaac HR Professional Services
From the LIHR team and lead collaborator, Rebecca Wilkinson, Senior HR Consultant Rebecca@LisaIsaacHR.com
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