Parental leave is an exciting and pivotal time for new parents to bond and adapt to their new role. However, for working parents there can be specific challenges. So if you’re an in-house lawyer, and parenthood is on the horizon, what do you need to consider from a work and career perspective?
What do you need to think about before you are expecting? Who should you tell in the workplace, and when? How much planning should you do before you leave?
Recently, a bunch of in-house lawyers from the Crafty Counsel Community hosted a series of calls on parental leave. These calls ranged from alternative routes to parenthood and telling your manager, to the return to work and juggling lawyering and parenting.
We’ve put together some of the key takeaways from these Community calls to explore how in-house lawyers can prepare for parental leave.
Check out part two where we share the key takeaways for in-house lawyers on returning to work after parental leave.
Explore your parental leave policies and find your support
Whether you’re taking a traditional or alternative route to parenthood, the place to start is the same for both. First up, you need to investigate your employer’s policies on parental leave. What does parental leave look like in your workplace? Discover how much time you’re able to take off and any other details you need to know.
If you’re undergoing fertility treatment or other alternative routes, see if your employer has any dedicated policies for this. When it comes to fertility treatment, if you feel comfortable you should also speak to your HR team. It’s important to discover what formal support is in place that you can use, aside from general sickness policies.
What if your workplace doesn’t have any policies in place already dedicated to fertility treatment or alternative resources? In-house lawyers in our community recommend resources like ACAS, Fertility in the Workplace and Fertility Network UK. Explore your rights and get a baseline for what other organisations are doing. There is also dedicated support for paths to parenthood involving donor conception (Donor Conception Network), surrogacy (Surrogacy UK), and adoption (Adoption UK).
Support is crucial when preparing for parental leave, but especially when you’re managing a fertility process and alternative routes. It’s important to find someone you trust during this time that you can lean on for support. Ideally this would be your manager, however this doesn’t always need to be the case. Finding a trusted person in the workplace can be helpful with managing workload around appointments or procedures, as well as just understanding that for a period of time, work will not be your sole priority.
Make your plan for leaving to go on parental leave as a lawyer
When you’re expecting, it’s an exciting time and you will want to share the news with people in the workplace. During their conversations, the in-house lawyers in our community said go for it. However, they did recommend making sure that your manager is the first to know.
Once you’re ready to start planning your parental leave, have an open discussion with your manager. Communicate your ideal plan and preferences for parental leave with them. It’s important that you communicate your preferences with your manager so that they can make arrangements for these where possible. For instance, some people like to be kept in the loop of big company announcements, team news, and changes on projects they’ve led during parental leave. Similarly, have a think about how you’d like to use your keeping in touch (KIT) days and your plan to return to work eventually.
If you are the manager in this situation, then you need to be aware of your role once someone in your team shares the big news. Make sure that you always approach this news with positivity and support.
When should you return from parental leave?
However, the number one tip from in-house lawyers in the Crafty Counsel Community was: don’t commit to a return date.
It is impossible to know how you’ll feel physically and mentally once your bundle of joy arrives. Undoubtedly, becoming a parent will change your priorities but you can never be sure how much so until it happens. Therefore, when planning for your parental leave, make sure you explore flexible return-to-work options with your manager. Are options like a phased return or reduced hours going to be available if you need them?
Similarly, you should consider applying the same flexibility to the duration of your parental leave. Don’t overcommit yourself by trying to return too quickly. Bear in mind that you can always decrease your parental leave so it is better to plan for longer. As much as having an idea of your return in mind is recommended, keep an open mind.
Getting ready for parental leave as an in-house lawyer is an exciting time, but it does involve both some considerations from a professional perspective. In-house lawyers in the Crafty Counsel Community say make sure that before you are even ready to take parental leave, you have familiarised yourself with your workplace’s policies, support, and options. They also focus on the importance of communication and finding support within the workplace. When you’re planning your parental leave, consider your ideal return-to-work arrangement and communication preferences.
The one piece of advice that emphasised consistently was: flexibility. Remember, parental leave is a significant life event that may shift your priorities and perspectives. Be kind to yourself and allow for necessary adjustments. With proper preparation and support, you can navigate this exciting time while maintaining a balance between your professional and personal life.
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