Planning for someone to return from a leave of absence

Your report is returning from a leave of absence. Read what you should do to help set them up for success.

⚠️Pyn note to HR: This is written as someone who is returning from an extended LOA due to reasons other than their own illness or maternity/paternity leave (e.g., maybe they took time off to care for a family member or have taken time off to school kids at home, etc.)

Welcoming back a team member from a leave of absence is something to celebrate. By working together, maintaining the lines of communication and adjusting expectations as appropriate, the transition back to work will be a success for the employee, the team and the organization.

1 week before their return

Schedule a brief chat with your People Ops representative to discuss:

• Company policy for leaves of absence and what resources are available for your returning employee.
• Who the employee should talk to if they need changes to their schedule or other accommodations.

Contact the employee to clarify a few key details like:

• The date they plan to return to work (or confirm with the People Team)
• Any changes that will affect their schedule or accommodations they might need 
• When you will meet with them to co-create their return to work plan.
• How they would like their return announced. It is important to honor privacy in terms of what they want to divulge. Here’s an example: “We are delighted to announce that Katherine is returning from her leave of absence. She will be back in the office on May 6.” 

No two employees are the same. Some will have a tougher time returning to work than others. It’s important to avoid questions that assume you know what someone is experiencing. 

Don’t ask: “Do you feel anxious about returning?” 

Frame any questions you ask in a more open-ended way, like: “How are you feeling now?” or “How ready do you feel?” 

In their first week back: welcome them and discuss their return to work plan

Welcome them back

Here are some ideas on how you can welcome them back to work and set them up for success:

• Tell the team they are returning, outline any projects or work that will be transitioned, and thank them for their contributions. 
• Give them a warm welcome back. This could be anything from a nicely set up desk if they’re coming into an office or a treat delivered to their home. 
• Have an in-person or virtual lunch or coffee and catch them up on anything big they’ve missed as well as what they can expect. 

Review their schedule and accommodations 

Your employee’s schedule might need to be different than before. The degree of flexibility a returning employee wants is a very individual choice. You can outline the available options and let them decide. Communicate this plan to team members as appropriate. 

Create a return to work plan together

This plan focuses on the projects they will work on in their first weeks back, catches them up on anything they’ve missed while they were out, and plans for their current career goals. 

Discuss things like:

• Have there been any changes they need to be aware of while they were out? (For example, reorgs, changes in leadership, new team members, a shift in priorities for the team/group?)
• What are the current priorities? What is the team working on? .
• Is there any training on new systems/processes, re-orientation, re-onboarding, etc.,that they may need?
• What goals would you like to achieve over the next 6-12 months?

Be clear about which projects they will work on and that the workload can reasonably fit into their return to work schedule. 

During their first few weeks back

In general, check in with them more frequently. Think about providing additional attention, as though you had a new employee joining the team. 

In the early weeks of your employee’s return, focus on providing background on projects and results. This extra time and effort will help them get re-oriented and set them up for success later on. You will likely want to add an extra 30-minute 1-1 with them each week. Continue this as needed.