Growing a family is undoubtedly one of the most exciting times in someone life. As exciting as it may be, the process of trying to plan a leave of absence, understand benefits, and then return to the workforce can be confusing and even frustrating for your employees. An employee planning a leave of absence will have nearly 40 reminders and tasks to work through to optimize their care, benefits, time off, etc. And this is on top of the biggest changes one faces in life. Here are some thoughts on how you can support your employee, and provide a meaningful experience that can lead to better engagement, retention, and wellbeing: 

• Avoid assumptions and stigmas – not every pregnancy happened easily. Many women are not sure what their future career plans are while they are pregnant. They are not trying to “game” any systems, but sometimes may be scared, stressed, or in a rough spot while pregnant. Your support is priceless. 

• Show compassion and empathy – pregnancy and adoption are "positive stressors.” While it can be an exciting time in one’s life, it still comes with a great deal of stress and emotions related to health, work, relationships, and more. Understand your employee is going through many difficulties through this time. 

• Get familiar with your employer benefits and resources – policies and procedures may be confusing, or hidden. Get familiar with what is available and encourage your employee to reach out to BenefitBump for help navigating the various tasks. 

• Get to know your Benefits and Human Resource team – they can help you understand the process around leave, benefits, and accommodations. Depending on the type of work your employee is doing, such as manual labor, operating machinery, or even sitting at a desk, accommodations may or may not be needed to help your employee continue to work. Your local benefits and HR team will know how to handle the interactive process. And BenefitBump's experts can help your employee understand important policies and paperwork that might be required. 

• Open the lines of communication – set aside time to prepare and check in. Beginning when your employee is pregnant and again shortly after their leave, be available to "check in" with your employee regarding their plans for time off, training for back-up support while off work, return to work transitions, and any general concerns or updates. Having regularly scheduled time to check in will ensure a smooth transition for the employee as well as support for your team. 

• Do not go at it alone – as a manager or leader, you also have access to the BenefitBump program. You can call or email and receive support from one of our Master's level Care Navigators, who can talk to you about any concerns you have about supporting your employee.  

Other resources to help you support employees: 

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/pregnant-nursing-employment-protections 

https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/pages/0214-pregnancy-accommodation.aspx