Keep Absent
Employees
Informed | Employees
returning to their jobs after a long absence can face a series
of challenges that require good management. In the end,
handling returning employees in a sensitive manner will pay
off in increased office harmony — and ultimately, higher
productivity. Here's how to handle the
situation.
Problem: During a temporary transfer, maternity
leave or sabbatical, employees lose touch with changes
in the office and in fellow employees’ lives. New
relationships and work dynamics have been formed. The
successful manager needs to regulate the pace of the
employee's transition to avoid upsetting the office
equilibrium, yet quickly make the returning staff member
feel part of the team again.
|
Solution: While employees are
gone, send periodic updates about customers, team
members, projects and changes at the company. Keep
absentee employees up to speed on personal developments,
such as who is having a baby, a birthday, and who is
going back to graduate school. This can easily be done
by e-mail.
If regular updates aren’t
possible, about a week before the expected return, send
a note about what’s been happening. This helps the
absent staff member feel part of the loop. On the day of
the return, schedule catch-up meetings with managers and
colleagues. If possible, arrange a department or team
lunch so the person can let everyone know what’s been
going on in his or her life.
You may have to be
patient. It takes time for returning employees to find
their place and get back up to speed. Typically, they're
rusty in office politics, unaware of new customers'
needs, and unsure of how key players operate.
When assigning
their first projects, hook the employees up with
experienced colleagues so they have someone to turn to
for help.
| |
|