If you’ve got a baby on the way, while many things in your life are going to become much more beautiful, this new addition can bring about some hard changes when it comes to your career. Luckily for many women, it’s completely possible and encouraged for them to take some time for themselves and their families once their baby had arrived.
While maternity leave can be a great blessing, preparing for this time can be extremely stressful. So to help ensure that you’re able to enjoy this time you have and make the most of this adjustment period, here are three tips for preparing to take maternity leave.
Get Everything Situated With HR
As soon as you’re ready to announce your pregnancy, one of the first stops you should make should be with HR.
When you speak with your HR representative, Lori K. Mihalich-Levin, a contributor to Mother.ly, shares that you’ll be able to get all the information you need about what type of maternity leave is available to you and what administrative paperwork you need to complete in order to take your maternity leave. Additionally, your HR staff should also be able to give you some tips or ideas for how to prepare for your specific job, like if you need to train someone or cross-train with other staff members.
Consider How Involved You Still Want To Be
For many women, even though they’re technically on maternity leave, they still want to or need to be somewhat involved in what’s going on back at work. So before you just assume that your coworkers will keep you in the loop or leave you alone completely, Ximena Vengoechea, a contributor to Fast Company, recommends that you consider how involved you want to be and then express those preferences to the relevant people at work.
Keep in mind, however, that if things with your labor and delivery don’t go as planned, you should tell those at your work that you reserve the right to change how much involvement you’ll take on while on maternity leave.
Automate As Much As You Can
To make this transition as easy as possible for everyone involved, Laura Richards, a contributor to Care.com, advises that you try to automate as much as you can at work before you leave. This includes setting up out-of-office responses, getting work done in advance, and planning ahead for when you return.
As a part of this, you should also know how to get any vital work done from home that you might not be able to put off until your maternity leave is over, depending on the type of work you do and what your work’s policies are with maternity leave.
If you’re going to be having a baby soon and taking maternity leave, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you prepare for this.
