For the employer

Measures for employees on parental leave

To encourage a faster and smoother integration of an employee returning to work after parental leave, an organisation may apply targeted measures while the employee is still on the said leave. Due to a long career break, which is typically associated with parental leave, an employee may lose his or her work skills, professional contacts, or motivation to work in the same workplace, or may feel too detached from the company’s current activities, nature of work, and the company’s team.

As a result, the employer may have a higher staff turnover, a higher number of employees not returning back to work after their parental leave, and a longer and more complex adaptation process for returning employees. Therefore, it is recommended for the employer to implement specific measures designed for employees who are on parental leave. In each case, they should only be applied with the consent of the individual employee.

These measures may be as follows[1]:

• Professional development seminars, training and courses (remote or face-to-face);
• Access to self-learning platforms;
• Subscription to business media channels and websites;
• Newsletters;
• Invitations to regular teamwork meetings;
• Invitations to the organization’s events or socialization activities;
• KIT (Keeping in Touch) days (periods when the employee briefly returns to work and joins the team);
• Maintaining/increasing the salary level for employees on parental leave;
• Possibility to keep the benefits package, etc.

[1] Fair Work Ombudsman. “Best Practice Guide: Parental Leave“, 2013.