Going Back to Work After a Leave of Absence

Going Back to Work After a Leave of Absence

Tips on Going Back to Work after a Leave of Absence

Throughout the year, many people have to take long periods of time off work at any given moment for many different reasons such as surgery, family emergencies, or a serious illness. I myself am just returning back to work after taking 3 ½ months off for maternity leave. Whatever the reason may be, once it’s time to head back into work the transition can be difficult. Getting back into your routine, figuring out how to balance home and work life again, and staying organized are all things that must happen to make the transition successful. Here are some tips on how to make sure you thrive upon your return back to work.

  • Set up a meeting with your boss before your first day to talk about what will be expected of you once you are back, what your work load will look like, and what tasks need to be done right away.
  • Check your emails beforehand (if possible), because if not you will be spending most of your first day back going through thousands of emails that have been building up in your inbox since you left.
  • Create a schedule at home and practice it beforehand. Being a new mother I now have to get two people ready and out the door before 8am so creating a schedule and working on my time management really helped get me back into the swing of things. Doing a test run a few days before you start work can also help, this way if anything goes wrong you can fix it because nobody wants to be late on their first day back!
  • Ease back into it and don’t stress out or overwork yourself. It will take time to get used to work and all the stress that comes with it, so take the time to get organized, create a plan, and understand what has to be done.
  • Show your boss what they’ve been missing while you were gone by putting your best foot forward. After a long break from work it can feel good to be productive again, so take advantage of your fresh mind and get to work!

Dropping my daughter off at daycare wasn’t easy, but following these tips definitely helped me get back on my “working” feet. Comment below with any other tips that might have helped you when returning to work!

By: Laura Sanchez

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