Covering maternity leave

[Highfever]

I have been specifically appointed to cover maternity leave in a job role that is a new sector to me.

This suits me as I've been out of the workplace for a while and the skills I have are more than sufficient for this role. It will also get my brain and family ready for when I resume the career I'm qualified for.

I would love to hear from anyone who has advise on resuming work and tips for covering maternity leave.

The current post holder has already made it clear she will be returning so I suppose I need to plan for a handover. How much detail would you expect to go into?

At what point in the maternity leave would you actively start looking at other roles? What if I find a job before the 12-month contract is up? Obviously I can leave but there are roles within the organisation I'm tempted to already apply for!

[Di11y]

you usually have to be with a company for a minimum period before applying elsewhere. depending on the role it would be frowned upon to leave a maternity contract early but that's up to you.

[Di11y]

*elsewhere in the same co

[Highfever]

I'm free to apply wherever I want legally. Morally of course that's a different matter.

[Highfever]

Ah I see. No these are advertised externally not internally. I could of course apply be shortlisted just like anyone else but it be unwise to do so without a discussion with my manager first I assume.

[Zarara]

Do you know if they are taking the whole year? I would probably start looking at about 7/8 months in just to see what’s out there. Would you have to give notice? I would time it so the notice would coincide with the end of your contract.

[Highfever]

I don't think she is actually taking the full year but using some leave. there will be a crossover period of just under a month. Same as there has been for me commencing the job.

I think I keep a notebook of all the changes unless anyone can suggest a more modern way of doing it. Office working has changed so much since I last worked!

[ContadoraExplorer]

I'm a fan of writing standard operating procedures (SOPs). They are great tools for training any new people in the future and easily amended (in a word doc) if further changes occur at a later date. They can be linked in to a main document/timetable if relevant so they can be easily found.

[Highfever]

Yes a SOP would have been very useful to have when learning this role.

[Highfever]

Anyone else?

[LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett]

If there are roles in the organisation you want to apply for then you need to talk that through with your manager. If they like you and want to keep you (and aren't daft) then they should be open to those conversations. There's always a way round things with goodwill on both sides. But if you applied 'externally' I think you risk getting a bad reputation with your current boss/team and your applications could potentially be blocked. Not worth the risk imo. Start talking now about how much you like the firm, the kind of roles you'd like to move onto, etc etc.

[Highfever]

Annoyingly the jobs that are advertised now are much more suited to my skill set and knowledge. The money is less though so I'll stick at appointed role til I know organisation better.