training my maternity cover...

[DuelingFanjo]

Hi there

I wondered if anyone here would be able to direct me to any information RE what my employer should expect from me in terms of me training the person taking over?

I leave work in 7 weeks and they have just filled the post. The new person already works in the dept but not doing any of what I do so I will be training her from scratch.

I've heard (from the successful applicant, mot from my boss) that my boss wants her to take on a particular new project which she wants to 'push through' while I am off. She will have to do this project at the same time as doing all the other things I do now, including managing and supporting the other person here.

This is extra training that I will presumably have to do?

I am a bit stressed anyway because the week earmarked for the training happens to be my final week and the week that my workmate has booked as holiday.

thanks in advance.

Well employment law doesn't really get involved in what your day to day responsibilities should be, or whether/how your employer covers your role when you are off.

It doesn't sound as though you know at this point whether your employer will want you to do any training, so your first step is to ask your boss, rather than stressing about it prematurely. Once you know what they would like you to do, if you are concerned about not fitting it all in, you need to raise those concerns. Is it just the time factor you are concerned about?

it is really, plus the added extra stuff which no one has discussed with me.

hrmmph.

But I have a meeting on Thursday so I will talk about it then.

I do think it's wrong to expect me to train someone in my last week when the other member of staff here is off TBH.

Just ask what they are expecting you to do, and take it from there. If you're not going to be able to fit it all in, say so, and then work something out together that is doable. Is there actually anyone else who can train someone in your role? Just in terms of you thinking of solutions to the issue before you go in - if it's only you that could do it you could ask for someone else to cover other stuff, for example, or whatever will work.

If you do need to train this person, start asap, I found the nearer I got to my ML start date, the less time I seemed to have. It was much easier to get my replacement to take over, bit by bit, as she learned each new thing. By the end I was just doing all those jobs which never got done and clearing backlog. It meant I could go off with an easy heart, and if I decide not to go back then I know she was trained properly and doing a good job.