Returning to work after a period of extended leave - be it parental, illness, or anything else, is difficult at the best of times for any member of staff. But the current circumstances we find ourselves in means that each situation needs to be handled with even more delicacy than usual.
Your returning colleague could be dealing with a bereavement, leaving shielding, returning from caring duties, or leaving a new baby.
Add to this the fact that most schools find themselves now running a staff rota, rather than business as usual, and there is potential for any returner to be lost in the melee.
Here, I offer key strategies for supporting your returning staff member.
1. Contact counts
DO…
... schedule a meeting for the morning of their return that includes their line manager and, if at all possible, the member of staff who covered them.
Usually, of course, this would be in school, but if this is impossible, then set it up on whatever video conferencing tool you have available or by phone.
Try not to overload them with a lot of new information - however, ensure that any key strategies are available, particularly surrounding the way the days are structured.
Even better, follow this up in an email with details of specifics. Have key info to hand: logins that may have changed; keys; timetables. Book the official HR meeting yourself - they shouldn’t be chasing this themselves.
Don’t…
… make this meeting an arbitrary ‘welcome back’. Ask what they need, in advance if at all possible, so you can have answers ready.
Try to anticipate questions that might be asked, for example where and when a breastfeeding mother can express and store milk.
Make time for the staff member to express how they’re feeling, and be empathetic that this could encompass guilt, happiness, anxiety, over-eagerness, or any combination of emotion.
It’s a good idea to set more time aside at the end of the first week back to check back in - this will, in turn, allow them to return with any questions or comments.
2. Be flexible
Do…
... ensure there is flexibility around when they are expected to be available, whether on the daily roster for in-school provision, providing online support, or responding to messages. We all have lives and responsibilities to juggle in this new normal, but a returning member of staff has not had the past few months getting to grips with this and cannot have planned for doing so.
Don’t…
... expect your staff member to get into the swing of the school’s routine organically. Likely as not, they will muddle through, but at what cost?
Be aware of what they might not know - there will undoubtedly be new staff, new students, and new procedures, so even tasks that may have been completed with aplomb previously might now take a lot more time.
There may be unforeseen issues with caring responsibilities or health that will need you to be supportive.
3. Think ahead
Do…
... remember that whatever period of adjustment your returning colleague is going through now, there will be another when things (eventually) return to the way they were.
This will naturally be a further change to the balance they have struck and may bring new challenges and feelings to the fore.
Remember to stay positive and continue to provide the support of a listening ear, crystal-clear expectations, and a hands-on approach if necessary.
Don’t…
... forget that whatever may have changed in your colleagues’ absence, they are still going to have career aspirations and goals that may have changed, been put on hold, or intensified.
The period of uncertainty we are currently living through doesn’t mean these should be forgotten about, and showing you understand and are willing to support this will not only benefit your colleague, but their department, the wider school, and ultimately the students.
Laura May Rowlands has recently returned from maternity leave to her job as head of the English faculty at Woodlands Community College in Southampton
