View a list of considerations for how to fill a vacancy when an employee departs for parental leave and how to communicate changes in the team.
There are many things for you to consider when you first hear an employee is expecting the arrival of a child. As a manager you need to balance delivery of expectations for the team as well as supporting your employee through significant change. This section will cover considerations for you in leading your team.
How should the vacancy be covered?
The considerations for the impending departure of an employee on parental leave is similar to how you would manage a vacancy where an employee may leave the team. The main considerations that may differ for parental leave are the duration of the vacancy and whether changes to the role are required given the health of the employee.
In most cases you will have a reasonable lead time to plan for how the vacancy may be covered. Some considerations for you include:
- What are the overall deliverables for the team for the next 12-18 months?
- What skills do you have in the team to deliver against the deliverables?
- Do you have the skills you need, at the level needed?
- What are the aspirations of your other employees? Or employees outside of your team. Do they have the skills you need?
- Can you offer another employee a secondment opportunity to benefit both them and your team?
- Could you utilise specialist external skills for a period to benefit the team and the required deliverables?
- What is the intention of the employee leaving on parental leave, do they wish to return flexibly? Can you make changes in the team now, to make this an easier transition for the employee, your team and your customers?
- What has worked well for other areas requiring a period of relief?
Many employers will require vacancies over a duration to be advertised. You should gain the full support and insight of your HR team when thinking through how to cover the vacancy.
How do I communicate the changes in the team?
The communication of changes within the team will largely depend on the communication practices across your employer and the extent of change. If you have an employee stepping up into a role, this is a terrific opportunity to celebrate the development of that employee. If the departing employee has significant customer or client relationships, it is important that others know the changes to be able to service the customer or client.
Often team changes are communicated after an employee has informed the team that they are taking parental leave. In any case it is important that you maintain the confidentiality of the employee, until you have agreed with them an announcement is to be made.