It is precisely women who most often find it harder to return to their careers after parental leave. However, employers worldwide and in Lithuania are already looking for unique ways to maintain contact with their employees during parental leave and to make their return as smooth as possible.
A good social connection initiated by the employer is important, but it alone is not enough for an employee to smoothly continue their career after parental leave (hereinafter – PL), believes employer image strategist, “DID Moons” partner Justina Darulytė.
Returning after PL is often complicated by changes in the team, processes, technologies, and responsibilities during that time, and sometimes by the employee’s doubts about whether they still have the same professional prospects within the organization.
“The biggest risk is not that a person will forget the organization during PL. A bigger risk is that the organization forgets their competencies and potential. An employee may be invited to organizational events but not receive information about training, internal career opportunities, or important changes. In such cases, an emotional connection is maintained, but the professional gap only widens,” says J. Darulytė.
The form of connection should be agreed upon in advance
According to the expert, there is no one-size-fits-all formula for maintaining contact. Some parents still want to receive the most important organizational news, participate in training, or occasionally meet with the team. For others, it is important to completely disconnect from work during PL.
Therefore, even before the employee leaves, it should be agreed how and how often the organization can contact them, who will be the main contact person, and what information is relevant to them.
“An invitation to maintain contact should not turn into a silent expectation to work during leave. The employee must be able to choose whether they want to receive news, be informed about training and career opportunities, or participate in team meetings. It is also important to periodically check whether their needs have changed,” emphasizes J. Darulytė.
Interestingly, in some countries, days spent maintaining contact with an employee on PL are paid. For example, in Australia, during parental leave, an employee who has agreed with the employer can attend training, strategic sessions, or conferences and receive their usual pay for this time: “This way, the employer shows that they are interested in the employee’s growth and want to invest in them. Just as they would if the employee had not gone on PL.”
Return should not start with a full inbox
An equally important stage takes place even before the employee’s first day back from PL. The employer identity and image strategist recommends discussing the role, workload, flexibility needs, and organizational changes that occurred during the leave one or two months before the employee returns from PL.
“A returning person is often offered to join the team as if they had only been away for a few weeks. But over a year or two, managers, systems, clients, and even the employee’s position may have changed. Therefore, a thoughtful reintroduction to the organization is needed, not just a formal welcome. Almost like what we apply to new employees,” says J. Darulytė.
The return plan could include goals for the first 30, 60, and 90 days, refresher training, introduction to a mentor or colleague who helps familiarize with changes, and gradually increasing responsibilities and workload.
“Looking at more interesting global practices, we see much more ambitious solutions. For example, the telecommunications company Vodafone has introduced a model where employees returning from parental leave can work 30 hours a week for six months and receive full pay.
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Other employers worldwide are also looking for unique ways to maintain contact with employees returning from PL: organizations establish daycare centers at workplaces or offer nanny services, foster parent employee communities, provide household help in the first weeks after the baby’s birth, and so on.”
Among employer mistakes – “writing off” the employee
J. Darulytė notes that the employee experience after PL in organizations often depends on the direct manager’s attitude. Some actively discuss flexibility and career continuity, while others, wanting to “protect” the returning mom or dad, no longer assign them complex projects, trips, or greater responsibilities.
“At first glance, this may seem like care. But when a manager decides in advance that a new mom or dad will no longer want ambitious tasks or promotion, care turns into career limitation. You should not guess what the person no longer wants but ask them,” emphasizes the expert.
Therefore, organizations are recommended to prepare not only a general parental leave policy but also practical guidelines for managers: when and how to maintain contact, how to prepare for the employee’s return, discuss flexibility, and ensure that visible projects, training, salary reviews, and career opportunities remain accessible to the person.
During PL they go to gyms, are insured
Good practices for maintaining contact with employees during PL also occur in Lithuania. Akvilė Švolkienė, marketing and communications manager at Danske Bank, who recently returned from maternity leave, says that about 200–300 employees are usually on PL at her workplace at the same time. During PL, parents can continue to use some company benefits: gyms and cafeterias operating in offices, accident insurance, favorable conditions to continue private health insurance and contributions to the third-pillar pension fund.
“From personal experience, I can say: even a small connection with the workplace during this period is important. Knowing what the organization is up to, the opportunity to meet colleagues or hear the experiences of recently returned people helps not to feel detached and to prepare calmly for the return. Therefore, I would recommend other employers not to leave parents on PL in complete informational silence. Such connection is important for their emotional well-being and also shows that the organization cares about the person not only when they are at their workplace,” says A. Švolkienė.
To maintain contact, newsletters are also sent to employees, they are invited to joint company events and special “Danske Babies” meetings dedicated to colleagues on PL. There, employees can hear organizational news from managers, discuss practical PL issues with the HR team, and talk with colleagues who have recently returned to work about their experience and preparation for returning.
Lithuanian employers are gradually interested in innovations
The nanny agency “Mama ir auklė” mainly works directly with families, but its head, Ieva Augustinienė, also notices the first attempts by employers to get involved in solving employees’ childcare issues.
However, so far such interest in Lithuania is still at an early stage. According to the agency head, in Germany, employer assistance in finding a nanny was already a much more common practice several years ago.
“To understand the differences – in Germany, a nanny startup can serve more than 100 employers per day. Companies there help their employees find both permanent nannies and temporary help that may be needed when a child is sick, attending training, conferences, or implementing an important project,” says I. Augustinienė.
She is glad that families in Lithuania can receive childcare compensation benefits: “But financial support solves only part of the problem – parents still need to find a reliable nanny themselves. The employer does not necessarily have to establish a daycare or pay all childcare costs. Sometimes significant help can be selecting reliable service providers, the ability to quickly find a temporary nanny, or assistance in finding a long-term solution.”
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