From: Stephany Correa
Sent: Friday, November 15, 2024 1:49 PM
To: Manager
Subject: Expecting in May
Hi,
I am pregnant and expecting twins in May! We are thrilled to be expanding our family! As my due date gets closer, we can work out a plan for those who will back me up and what projects I will wrap up before I go out on leave. Let’s chat more in our 1:1.
Stephany Correa,
Absence Program Manager
From: Manager
Sent: Monday, November 18, 2024 9:05 AM
To: Stephany Correa
Subject: Expecting in May
Congratulations, Stephany! Happy for you and your family. We can certainly chat about the plan in upcoming 1:1s.
Please also connect with HR and request your leave.
Thank you,
Manager
These types of emails can be exciting to receive, or if we are being honest, can induce anxiety! Leaves can range from being 1 day—for intermittent—or for three, six or more months, depending on the medical need and accommodation granted. While employees are out on leave, the work still needs to get done. But who is picking up the work?
Introducing…. those left behind
Who are those left behind and WHY are they left behind? These individuals are none other than those stepping in to back up employees who are out on leave. It can take a village to step in and get the work accomplished while a colleague is out. Oftentimes, these “left behind” individuals are not compensated for the additional work and yet, they still need to do it plus stay on top of their normal job duties.
While there is a lot of focus on creating a supportive program for employees out on leave, which is very important, it is equally important to create a supportive environment for those who are left behind taking on the additional work.
At the 2024 DMEC Annual Conference, Aflac and Prudential presented on the impact of leave in the workplace. Their studies showed that 65% of employees who were supporting work during a colleague’s leave were satisfied with support from their leader, but satisfaction dropped when the leave extended beyond nine weeks. The survey results also show that 73% of those covering work for a colleague on leave experience stress and anxiety and 42% experienced burnout when the leave extended beyond nine weeks.
Imagine you are an employer with high leave utilization. Better yet, you are an employer, that has a generous parental leave policy that extends beyond nine weeks. Based on the studies mentioned above, your organization will see decreased leader support satisfaction, increased stress, anxiety and burnout while your team member is out on leave adjusting to life with a new baby.
What can employers do to support a colleague during this major life transition while also supporting the team that’s still working? Regardless of your parental leave policies or employee demographics, this is a question all organizations should be prepared to tackle because the reality is there are numerous other leave reasons out there.
Supporting those “left behind”
Here’s a few tips to help those who are covering work while another team member is out on leave.
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- Communicate, communicate, communicate: Check in on those covering the work! How are they doing? Do they need additional support? Does some of the workload need to be spread around to others to help them manage?
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- Offer training and feedback: Is there a task they are covering that they don’t feel as confident doing and may need some additional training on? They could also simply need a thought partner to walk through how to accomplish a task or need some additional feedback and guidance on how they’re approaching the new work.
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- Acknowledge the work: They are not only doing their job but taking on additional responsibilities and are not being compensated for it. Acknowledge this! Let them know that you see them and their hard work, and that it is appreciated! Offer some flexibility when possible. This could look like coming in an hour later, leaving earlier, working remotely or even flexibility on a deadline.
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- Set internal expectations: Empower leaders to set internal expectations with stakeholders on resources and time commitment that can be given to projects while an employee is out. It is also helpful to be transparent that the work may not move as fast while you’re down a team member.
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- Offer Self-Care tips: Try to avoid burnout and offer resources to employees to ensure they’re taking care of themselves during this stressful time.
When it comes to self-care, there are a variety of tools that can be offered. For example, your organization may have access to well-being coaching and leadership training that would be valuable to staff as they manage increased workload.
One of ComPsych’s Sr. Health and Well-Being Project Managers, Taylor Handley, NBC-HWC, recommends coaching employees on topics like navigating burnout, coping with stress, building resiliency, balancing competing needs, time management or finding motivation. She states, “these topics can support employees with practical techniques to clarify priorities, create boundaries and manage daily stressors or tension between work demands.”
Another great resource is providing leadership training. Leaders, just like other employees, also look for developmental opportunities and guidance on how to proceed with challenges. Having an employee out on leave, or multiple in some cases, adds another layer of difficulty as they may still be responsible for the same amount of work in their department with fewer team members to accomplish it. Training topics ComPsych’s Senior Learning and Organizational Excellence Consultants shared that may be beneficial include:
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- Psychological Pressures of Middle Management
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- Languishing, Flourishing, and Your Mental Health
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- Avoiding Burnout: Self-Assessment Methods and Strategies for Self-Care
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- Relaxation Micro-Moments
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- Winding Down Techniques
It is important for you as the employer to create a culture where employees going out on leave does not create a burden for those “left behind.” Depending on your industry, production may still need to be the same, but you can influence how those doing the work feel as they move through the challenge. Do they feel stretched thin, exhausted and overwhelmed? Or do they feel supported, empowered, encouraged and appreciated? By offering the covering employees some grace and leveraging some of the tips in this post, you can better support them while also supporting the person on leave.
If you read my previous blog post about supporting employees going out on leave, you know that I was expecting twins. By the time this blog post is published, I will be out on maternity leave and my manager and other colleagues are filling in to take on some of my work and I couldn’t be more grateful. If you know them, reach out and ask how they are doing and acknowledge their work! I know the simple outreach will go a long way.
