Start thinking about your return to work eight to 12 weeks before you’re due back in the office.Getty Images
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Ask Women and Work
Question: I will soon be finishing up my parental leave after 18 months at home with my child. What steps can I take to hit the ground running when I return to work?
We asked Allison Venditti, founder of Moms at Work, Canada’s largest community for working mothers, to tackle this one:
The process should start 8-12 weeks before you’re due back in office. Reach out to your boss or to HR, and make sure that you know who your contact is at work and what the expectations are. A lot can change in a year or 18 months, especially in this economic climate. You might have a new manager.
As much as we want to believe that our workplaces will have a plan for us, typically they don’t. Moms at Work is working with companies on return-to-work programs, and we know that most companies do not have a transition plan in place. You may believe that your workplace is thinking about you all the time you’re gone. But they’re not.
We have free resources on the Moms at Work website, including a Return to Work Handbook. Take some time to consider how you want to handle your transition. Usually, whatever plan you propose, your employer will say yes to it, because coming up with their own plan requires work on their part.
The standard for long-term leaves such as disability leave is to do a graduated return to work. That’s something I also recommend for people going back after maternity and parental leave because it gives you a chance to transition your kids into childcare and adjust to your new routine. You should check to see if you’ve accrued vacation pay or vacation time while on leave, because you can use that towards a graduated return to work. It usually takes four and six weeks – what we call a ramp up. You will work three days for two weeks, then four days for two weeks, then back up to five.
Returning to work is big shift, and I’m not going to pretend it’s not. While you’re entitled to your job back, you’re not entitled to the same clients or the same portfolio, or even the exact same role sometimes, as long as the role has the same pay band.
It takes about three weeks to settle back in, so don’t expect that it’s going to take a few days. Once you return, take it easy. Find out who’s who and get the lay of the land. A lot of people get very discouraged and upset. Our 2021 study showed that over 40 per cent of people considered quitting during their return to work. That’s alarming. It happens because it’s so overwhelming and you feel like no one’s paying attention to you and your transition should have been managed better.
That’s why I want to tell anybody reading: Don’t take it personally. You’ve done nothing wrong. It’s just not handled very well at most companies.
And don’t quit. Talk to an employment lawyer if you feel like you’re being demoted, if you feel like they’re trying to push you out or if they’re making the transition difficult for you.
Submit your own questions to Ask Women and Work by e-mailing us at GWC@globeandmail.com.
This week’s must-read stories on women and work
How to actually decompress on vacation
A break from work – to recharge and unwind – is something we all look forward to in the summer. However, the way many of us approach vacations is anything but relaxing.
Busy itineraries that have us hustling from one must-see spot to another don’t exactly leave us feeling well-rested. That means returning to work potentially even more burned out than when we left. To truly reap the benefits of time off and battle our collective exhaustion, we need breaks that focus on rejuvenation.
It’s never been more important for Canadians to take their summer holidays so they can hit a reset button, says Jennifer Dimoff, an organizational psychologist who teaches at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa. “Vacations are not a cure-all, but if they are done right with time carved out for sleep and total relaxation, you can come back with a re-energized outlook on everything.”
Suffering from the “Great Exhaustion”? Read how to recharge on vacation and all year.
Companies and unions must strive for consensus on robotics and automation at work
“The rise of the machines can result in rising standards of living for Canadian workers – but only if companies and labour unions find common ground at the bargaining table,” says The Globe and Mail columnist Rita Trichur.
“Labour unions are sharpening their focus on technological change in the workplace, as they negotiate new collective agreements with businesses across the country. Companies in sectors including manufacturing, natural resources, telecommunications and retail are increasingly adopting robotics and automation.
“The technological transition is expected to automate between one-third and one-half of all tasks performed by employees by 2033, according to Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union. (Disclosure: I am a member of Unifor at The Globe and Mail.)
“But this trend is not necessarily something to fear, especially if businesses and unions strive for consensus on key issues such as job security, training, wages, workplace safety and workers’ rights.”
Read why Ms. Trichur believes Canada needs a national strategy on robotics and automation.
Canadians in crisis: The compelling case for more mental health benefits
“Many Canadians struggled with their mental health before and during the pandemic, and now a range of economic, social and environmental stressors are adding to the strain,” says Dr. Seema Parmar and Dr. Andrew Morgan from Cleveland Clinic Canada. “The Commonwealth Fund’s 2023 International Health Policy Survey showed more than one in four Canadian adults suffered from depression, anxiety or another mental health issue last year, up from one in five in 2016.
“Unfortunately, Canadians often do not get the mental health treatment they need, with cost among the main barriers. Much of mental health care is provided privately in Canada, with people paying out of pocket or, if they are lucky, through employee benefits. This means Canadian companies play a pivotal role in ensuring employees get the mental health care they require.
“Many of our corporate clients see mental health challenges playing out in real-time across their operations. Mental health-related productivity issues, absenteeism, disability and turnover complicate work force planning, impact workplace culture and are becoming more costly to companies.”
Read why increasing the cap on mental health benefits isn’t enough if stigma prevents employees from accessing benefits.
In case you missed it
How to engage men in the gender equity conversation
“I spoke at an International Women’s Day event last year and out of the 100 or so people on the virtual call, just two were men. So this is a problem that comes up a lot,” says hospitality industry recruiter and sommelier Val Upfold.
“First off, I think it’s important to personally invite men to these kinds of events instead of just sending an e-mail because I think some men may wonder if it’s an event just for women. Go for a coffee with a male colleague to invite him to take part as an ally. Also, consider rebranding so these are not just women’s groups or events, but women and allies.
“When a man does show up to an event, positively reinforce it. Lean on him and say, ‘Hey, can you get some other men involved?’ Let him know that you need him to talk about these conversations with other men so it’s more normalized to be involved.”
Read the full article.
From the archives
What do Gen Z women want in the workplace?
For young women in the workplace, change is coming fast.
Generation Z – referring to people born between 1997 and 2011 – is a generation just beginning to hit the job market. Some Gen Zers are preparing to enter the workplace for the first time, while many started full-time work during the chaos and uncertainty of the pandemic. It’s a daunting prospect at a time when change has been the only constant.
“I think the pandemic has done a lot [to] show people that they need to advocate for themselves if they’re going to get what they want from their workplace,” says Aly Laube, a Vancouver-based Gen Z musician and staff writer at Daily Hive.
“You have to walk this fine line and dance a particular dance as a woman in the workplace, and that gets more complicated with each intersection [of identity],” she says.
Read the full article.
Interested in more perspectives about women in the workplace? Find all stories on The Globe Women’s Collective hub here, and subscribe to the new Women and Work newsletter here. Have feedback? E-mail us at GWC@globeandmail.com.