Maternity Leave Check List: Preparing a Temp or Sub to Cover Your Job

You are pregnant and about to go on maternity leave. A temp or substitute has been hired to fill in for you while you are gone. But how on earth will this person ever figure out your job for 12 weeks? First of all, keep in mind that women take maternity leave from work all the time and the world keeps turning. For a woman who takes pride in her job, however, preparing to go on maternity leave can be difficult. If you are nervous about leaving your job in the hands of someone else while you go on maternity leave, use this check list to help prepare you and ease your mind. This maternity leave check list is a great way to prepare yourself, and your replacement, for your maternity leave.

Create a List of Daily, Weekly, Monthly Tasks. A great way to organize your job duties for the person taking your place during maternity leave is to group tasks into chunks of daily tasks, weekly tasks, and monthly tasks. Having a well organized list of tasks, and how frequently they should be done, will help a newcomer quickly acclimate to your job and also know how to prioritize their tasks throughout your maternity leave.

Update and Leave Usernames and Passwords for Websites. If your replacement during your maternity leave will need to access online accounts, businesses, or other like items, be sure to change your passwords to a simple default password and leave a listing of all of your usernames and passwords along with the URL for the websites. You would not want to leave your own password, but the temporary employee may need to access some online resources. Changing the password to a common one ("maternity12weeks" might be a good one) will keep your passwords protected but allow your replacement to continue performing all of your job duties.

Train Other Staff Members. A must for any maternity leave check list is to fill-in your coworkers about some of the job duties you perform that perhaps no one else does. Even if you get the opportunity to train your temp before your maternity leave, you never know when that temp might get sick, or if she will forget something you have trained her on. Training some of your coworkers on your essential tasks will help your workplace run smoothly in your absence.

Leave Important Phone Numbers. Where do you keep the phone numbers you use most often for work? If you tend to leave your important phone numbers in your cell phone, which is the norm now, you will need to create a file of important phone numbers for your temp. No one wants to get a call from the office while on maternity leave just to get a phone number.

Let Businesses Know of your Absence. If you work with specific people in person or over the phone make sure they are well aware of your maternity leave. If you work with vendors, salespeople, order departments, or clients of any kind be sure to communicate your intended maternity leave time before your departure. This will not only make it easier for your replacement but it will also keep you in good graces with these businesses.

Don't Forget "Housekeeping." Many conferences or meeting start with "housekeeping" issues such as where to find the restrooms, how to locate vending machines, etc. Don't forget to make these housekeeping items a part of your maternity leave check list. Leave a list of basics such as where to find keys for filing drawers, who to tell if a light bulb goes out, and who to contact with computer issues. Having easy access to these everyday items, items that you probably don't think twice about, will make life so much easier for your temp while you are on maternity leave.

Maternity leave should be a very special time for the new mom and new baby to bond and enjoy each other. Don't waste your maternity leave by fretting over your job! A little preparation, and the items on this maternity leave check list, will keep you focused on caring for your newborn and yourself while someone else takes the reins at work for a while.