2torial #0427:
Learn2 Prepare for Maternity Leave (continued)

Prepare your colleagues

Now that you've assured your boss everything will be fine while you're away, decide if you need to train your colleagues to cover some of your tasks.

Inform them. If you're a manager and your boss leaves this up to you, inform everyone who's involved in covering for you that you'll need their help. Involve them in the delegation process to allow them to step in where they feel most comfortable and have the most interest.

Make sure no one feels overwhelmed--in fact, if it's a small office and everyone is already too busy, look into bringing in a contract worker to take care of part of the load while you're gone. Also make sure everyone knows when they'll be required to cover for you, and for how long.

Teach them. Schedule time to teach any unfamiliar tasks to the colleagues covering for you. Make sure you do this early enough that everyone feels confident about their new tasks before they have to perform them in your absence. You might even want to ease them into these tasks a few weeks before you leave, so you can answer as many questions as possible and let them become comfortable in their new roles.

When you walk out the office door to begin a well-planned maternity leave, you can rest assured that your position will be waiting for you when you come back. Your boss will appreciate how well you've prepared for your absence, and your colleagues will be prepared to help out. Perhaps most welcome of all, you can look forward to some peace and quiet before the baby comes, and prepare for the most important job of your life--becoming somebody's mother.

-end-

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