A team member becoming pregnant needn’t be the ‘HR nightmare’ you envisage it to be if you plan ahead and know what your responsibilities are as a manager and an employer. The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) recommends that you set an informal catch-up with your colleague and work through this tick list fairly soon after learning of their happy news. But first things first: offer them a big congratulations and see what you can do on a personal level to make them more comfortable at work. They may be suffering – you might have already been there too!

• Check employee knows their obligations to the practice as their employer: what to provide in writing and when
• Agree a date for a risk assessment meeting
• Ask if there is any specific advice from their doctor or midwife relating to adapting their working hours or environment
• Identify and note down key dates:
  • Due date
  • Dates of antenatal appointments
  • Dates for maternity leave
  • Proposed date for returning to work
  • Provide information on your in-house maternity and flexible working policies
  • Set time aside to research (update, implement or improve) these policies if necessary, as well as looking into your legal obligations as an employer

Statutory Maternity Leave

All pregnant employees are entitled to paid time-off for antenatal care. Those eligible can then take up to 52 weeks’ statutory maternity leave (26 weeks of ordinary maternity leave and a further 26 weeks of additional maternity leave), which can commence as early as 11 weeks before the expected week of the birth. Mothers don’t by any means have to take all 52 weeks’ leave, but they have to take at least a fortnight by law.

Pre-Maternity Leave Jobs

The last thing you want to do is bother a new mother on maternity leave – you’re actually forbidden from making certain requests of an employee once on leave – so make sure you get all these little jobs tied up before they go:

• Logins, IDs and passwords handed over
• Payroll informed of maternity leave start date
• Back to work plan agreed
• Keeping-in-touch plan agreed
• Performance review completed
• Handover to cover staff completed
• Employee is aware of flexible working policy and how to request flexible working

Finally, don’t forget to keep a record of all phone calls, emails and meetings pertaining to her pregnancy needs, maternity leave and return to work.