“Charise” is a new mom in her 12th week of maternity leave who was recently alerted by her employer that she is expected back to work next week.
In her original pre-leave paperwork, Charise indicated she would take a minimum of 12 weeks off from her job as a hospital pharmacist, but she kept it open for up to 20 weeks. After she signed the papers, and without her knowledge, the HR department filled in a firm return-to-work date. This is a messy mix-up because Charise hasn’t yet lined up child care and she feels unprepared in other ways to return to full-time work now.
Of course, she requested a little more time for the transition, but her employer claims Charise isn’t following procedures because she didn’t file a “leave extension request” in time.
Where she lives and works, Charise has a maximum of 12 weeks of job-protected leave under FMLA. With the heat coming from her employer at week 12, she feels pressured under a perceived threat of job loss to return to work now.
Don’t make the mistakes of this mom. Here are a few tips to avoid a similar situation:
- Double-check your maternity leave paperwork before its final submission. If you’re unsure about your exact return-to-work date, determine with your employer how that is best indicated. Don’t leave crucial areas blank on a signed document.
- At least two weeks before your planned return date, call your manager to discuss and confirm your return-to-work plans. This is not an initial discussion; it should stem from the original plan you presented before you left on maternity leave.
- As most new moms will tell you, it’s smart to start your child care search during pregnancy and firm up arrangements soon after you give birth. Develop back-up plans.
Ideally, and barring any unforeseen circumstances or health issues, I recommend you present a well-developed maternity leave plan along with your return-to-work arrangement. If you haven’t already, you can find the framework for these plans in your free copy of Max Maternity Leave Proposal Template & Negotiation Guide.
As for Charise, under these less-than-ideal circumstances, she will reluctantly return to work full-time, with plans to present her proposal for a job sharing arrangement within a month.
