Manager ignoring communication from me while I’m on mat leave

[josiejay1]

I’m 6 months into maternity leave which is due to end mid Feb. A few weeks ago, I sent my manager a polite and friendly email asking if we could arrange a quick catch up about my return to touch base and start planning ahead. I would like to request to reduce my hours (likely to be rejected but still want to request this) and I wanted to have a chat first before just going and putting a request form in. Anyway she never got back to me and then towards end of last week I sent another polite email asking to arrange a catch up and she still hadn’t got back to me. I can see by her diary she has been in working the whole time and not had any annual leave so that’s not the reason and a good 3 weeks has gone by now. I haven’t heard a single word from her since the last time I was in the office before I had the baby. I’m feeling a bit frustrated with the lack of communication and it’s just making my anxiety about returning anyway worse. Has anyone experienced similar or has any advice? My manager when I had my first baby (changed jobs after I went back) was absolutely wonderful and so lovely so I don’t really know what to do in this situation. I work for the NHS incase it’s relevant at all.

Can you phone her?

Well, if you're not expected back till Feb maybe she just hasn't got round to it yet, it's a busy time here because all the people without school age children are taking holidays now, could it be the same in your department? I'd try phoning too.

No, most have school aged children. She moans and groans about people phoning her on her works phone and rarely answers it anyway. But she’s always answered emails promptly in the last. Being busy is fine, but not even a quick and simple acknowledgment of communication after over 3 weeks is surely unprofessional.

can you reply to her email and say something like "hi, just checking your saw the below" and cc HR?

I wouldn’t even be thinking about work until a month before returning to be honest! However, it’s extremely rude of her to ignore you.

What was your relationship like with her before mat leave?

Call HR instead??

Either cc HR or contact them directly

I’d message again and specifically mention that you are putting in a flexible work request and wanted to talk to her first. If she doesn’t respond, put the request in and cc HR. There are time limits within which requests need to be made and replied to, so hopefully that will get a reply!
Not enormously helpful though is it, OP. I have a team member on maternity leave at the moment and she’s still in my team, physically there or not!

put something in her diary? you said you can see it

Is it possible she is absent/ill with no out of office message?

Send another email saying you had contacted her about a flexible working request and can she arrange a time to discuss and copy in HR. If she doesn’t come back again put the request in to HR and copy her in.

If you’ve emailed from your personal
email, they may not have received it. Spam filters often have an ‘imposter’ policy to filter out email addresses that are similar to work ones.

Book a Teams meeting?

That's the best plan.

If she sees HR are involved it might galvanise her into action.

And yes, I agree it's unprofessional.