Going back to work soon how do I handle my replacement ?

[Rookiemum]

Whilst on maternity leave someone in the team has acted up in my role. When I return in Jan she will be going back to her previous grade within the team.

I am assuming that she will use the management experience gained to look for a role at the more senior grade but obviously that won't happen overnight.

I'm just a bit apprehensive about how to treat the situation, I was thinking that maybe taking her out for lunch informally before I start back would be a good start, but I am not sure what we should be discussing and also she is not the most communciative person in the world.

Has anyone been in this position and how did they handle it ?

I have just returned to work after a year's maternity leave and someone in my team acted up into my manager role. I have gone back on a job-share basis and she applied for the other half part-time job but was unsuccessful. Could be awkward, but she is really lovely and has kept me informed and sought my advice all the way through my maternity leave, and is very communicative, so it hasnt been too bad.

She has hinted that a few things that went wrong during my leave were to do with things I did or didnt do before I went off but I have just taken it with a pinch of salt.

What exactly concerns you about your own situation - is that you dont know what she has been doing in your job while you have been away, concerned that she might not easily give up the authority of the acting up and might start challenging you more when you return? Do you respect and trust and like this person?

Good questions bumbleweed.

There is nothing wrong with her at all. She is very self contained and we are just different sorts of people. She hasn't been in touch during maternity leave but that may be more to do with policy than anything else.

I don't think there is going to be a particular issue with challenging or giving up the authority, I just feel that generally we both might find it a bit awkward for the first few weeks and thought that if someone had been in the same situation they may have some pointers that would help me.

In that case your suggestion of taking her out to lunch is a good idea. You could just ask her to bring you up to date informally in her own way without it feeling like an official handover.

The other thing I did was to get a thank you card and present for the colleague who acted up, because she didnt get much appreciation from more senior managers, and it isnt easy acting up into someone else's job for such a short period as you have to work within all their systems and dont really have time to put your own stamp on things.

This went down really well - but again thats about personality I think. Some people might find it a bit patronising.

She also made it quite clear to me that once she had returned to her own grade, she didnt see it as her role to be briefing me or continuing to do bits of the job even though I wouldnt be fully up to speed myself, apart from passing on simple information. As it happens she has been really helpful but I have had to make a bit of a fuss of her iykwim.

Thanks Bumbleweed, I'm not sure how the thank you note and present would go down but I will certainly give it some thought.
I feel a bit more confident now I sort of have a plan of action.

i returned form maty leave into a new job which was a promotion. there was a person who had acted up for a period of 4 months and had had to deal with some major probs not of their making but my predecessor. i met them for a coffee so i could get a heads up, i also ensured that they had been getting the right pay for acting up and that it continued for a further 2 weeks after i arrived as they were more in control than i was. insisted that they caught up on overtime.