MANAGING MATERNITY LEAVE RISKS

A manufacturing services company had benefited from stable staffing for many years, until the senior finance employee announced she was due to go on maternity leave.  We were asked to assist the directors to come up with a robust staffing plan to manage the risks of this process.

We met with the individual and the Managing Director to look at the structure of the team and the skills that were required.  We set out a timeline and identified when we needed to recruit some cover.  We supported the existing employee in planning the production of written procedures and work instructions to document the current tasks.

In consultation with the existing employee, we produced a job description for the temporary cover role and selected a recruitment consultant to work with.  We assisted with the technical element of the interview process and the selection of the winning candidate, with timing such that there was a sufficient overlap to provide a smooth handover despite the baby arriving early.

We stayed in touch with the business during the maternity leave period, remaining available in case there were any issues that need further assistance or support.