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Keep Absent Employees Informed |
Employees returning to their jobs after a long absence can face a series of challenges that require good management. In the end, handling returning employees in a sensitive manner will pay off in increased office harmony - and ultimately, higher productivity. Here's how to handle the situation.
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Problem:
During a temporary transfer, maternity leave or sabbatical, employees lose touch with changes in the office and in fellow employees' lives. New relationships and work dynamics have been formed. The successful manager needs to regulate the pace of the employee's transition to avoid upsetting the office equilibrium, yet quickly make the returning staff member feel part of the team again. |
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Solution:
While employees are gone, send periodic updates about customers, team members, projects and changes at the company. Keep absentee employees up to speed on personal developments, such as who is having a baby, a birthday, and who is going back to graduate school. This can easily be done by e-mail.
If regular updates aren't possible, about a week before the expected return, send a note about what's been happening. This helps the absent staff member feel part of the loop. On the day of the return, schedule catch-up meetings with managers and colleagues. If possible, arrange a department or team lunch so the person can let everyone know what's been going on in his or her life.
You may have to be patient. It takes time for returning employees to find their place and get back up to speed. Typically, they're rusty in office politics, unaware of new customers' needs, and unsure of how key players operate.
When assigning their first projects, hook the employees up with experienced colleagues so they have someone to turn to for help. |
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Our firm provides the information in this e-newsletter for general guidance only, and does not constitute the provision of legal advice, tax advice, accounting services, investment advice, or professional consulting of any kind. The information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional tax, accounting, legal, or other competent advisers. Before making any decision or taking any action, you should consult a professional adviser who has been provided with all pertinent facts relevant to your particular situation. Tax articles in this e-newsletter are not intended to be used, and cannot be used by any taxpayer, for the purpose of avoiding accuracy-related penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer. The information is provided "as is," with no assurance or guarantee of completeness, accuracy, or timeliness of the information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose.
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