Returning to work after maternity leave can be overwhelming. Get the 4 tips to get the reboarding right before day one and keep your treasured employee.
Whereas this post's perspective is on maternity leave - because this is a great example of reboarding returning workers - the tips in this post are very useful for any employee returning to work.
It was all about diapers, new sleeping habits (or the lack of them), and giving loads of love to a new little human.
Now, it is all about meetings with new co-workers, finding out all the routines, and getting to know what skills to use (once again) in the daily work tasks.
Returning to work after maternity leave can be overwhelming. Say the least. Your employee just went through a life-changing event. A completely new reality emerges – also in the matter of work-life.
Huge changes might have happened at the workplace during the time she was away, and if no one sets the time to reboard her, the risk is that she might look for another job, where her persona and skills are more appreciated (and it's also great to prepare a digital development plan for employees).
That is why reboarding is essential when a most treasured employee returns from maternity leave. Get the 4 tips to get it right before day one beneath.
4 Tips for Your Reboarding
1. Preparation and Planning
Make sure to have the workstation ready. It can be hardware as a computer and phone, but also the right software is key. She will easily feel left out when returning to work without the tools to do the daily tasks. Everyone can spare time if you make sure that everything is set and in place. At the same time, you send the right signal: You are taking your employee seriously.
2. Create a Digital Reboarding-Module
A digital reboarding-module for your returning employee is a great possibility to let her know all about the changes that have happened at the workplace. The module can be a mix of a graphic overview of the new business strategy, video-presentations of new employees, and a brush-up GDPR course. The module should be sent 1-2 weeks before the employee’s return.
3. Talk to Your Returned Employee
Talk to your employee on the very first day of her return. But don’t stop here. It is important to keep up communication at all times. She might have tons of questions to ask, so availability is key. On the other way around, you might as well have questions to ask her, for example about the new work-life balance. The communication goes both ways.
4. Give an Extra Brush-Up
The employee is in place and she has probably completed the digital reboarding-module by now. But she needs more. Wants more. Advice her to re-take the digital reboarding to find out what was tricky to understand or what was particularly exciting. Have an open dialogue about what topics could be interesting to explore – both for the employee to get fully up to speed, but also for her further development in the organization.