Welcoming Them Back: A Manager's Guide to Supporting a Maternity Leave Returner
As a manager, you have more influence over how a maternity leave return goes than almost anyone else. HR can write the policy and the firm can set the tone, but it is your check-in, your first-week plan and your choice of words that the returner will remember. Get it right and you have a loyal, motivated team member who feels seen. Get it wrong, often without meaning to and you risk losing someone brilliant and impacting team and company culture.
The good news is that doing this well is mostly about care, planning and a few simple habits. Here are some of our founder Sorcha’s top tips for managers.
Know what you can and can't do
Many managers go quiet during maternity leave because they are worried about overstepping. That is understandable, but silence can feel like being forgotten.
You can, and should, agree with your team member before they go how and how often they would like to hear from you. You can share important news about the team or the business, let them know about job opportunities, promotions or restructures that affect them, and invite them to optional events or social occasions. In Ireland, employees on maternity leave are protected from being disadvantaged by their absence, so keeping them informed about opportunities and changes matters in a very practical way.
You shouldn't expect or pressure them to do any work while on leave, contact them more than they have agreed to, make decisions about their role or progression without them, or ask about their plans for future children. Every contact during leave should be optional, light and on their terms.
If you are unsure, speak to HR before you act. It is far easier to get this right at the start than to repair it afterwards.
Agree your touch points
A simple, agreed rhythm of contact takes the guesswork out for both of you. Every person is different, but a pattern that works for many looks like this: a short check-in a few months into the leave, a conversation six to eight weeks before the return date to start planning, and a more detailed catch-up two to three weeks out to finalise arrangements. Keep each one brief, and always ask whether they would like more or less contact than you have planned.
Keep them in the loop
One of the biggest sources of anxiety for returners is the feeling that the world moved on without them. New people have joined, systems have changed, clients have shifted, and there is a whole layer of context they have missed.
You can take a lot of that weight away. Before they return, send a short summary of what has changed: new starters and leavers, any restructures, key client or project updates, new tools or processes. It saves them from having to piece it together in their first week and quietly signals that they still belong.
Take the anxiety out of the return
Much of the worry around returning is practical. Will my laptop work? Is there somewhere private to express milk? What time can I leave for crèche pickup? Who am I reporting to now?
Sort as much of this as possible before day one. Make sure their equipment, access and logins are ready, that their desk or workspace is set up, and that a private space is available if they are breastfeeding. Irish law provides for breastfeeding breaks or reduced hours for up to two years after the birth, so check your workplace's arrangements in advance. If they have made a request for flexible or remote working, give it genuine consideration and a timely answer, and don't leave it hanging over their return.
Create a roadmap for the first few weeks
A clear plan for the first few weeks gives a returner something to hold on to.
The first day should be gentle. Start with a one-to-one with you, keep the calendar light, and plan lunch or coffee with the team. Avoid scheduling high-stakes meetings or major deadlines.
The first week is about reconnecting. Walk them through the summary of changes, reintroduce them to key colleagues and clients, and agree which responsibilities they will pick up first.
In weeks two to four, they gradually take back their workload. Agree priorities together, keep the volume realistic and check in at the end of each week.
Around the three-month mark, hold a proper review of how things are going, how the working arrangements are holding up, and where they would like to go next in their career.
A plan like this gives a capable person the runway to land well, without treating them as fragile.
Meet them where they're at
Don't assume you know how their time away has been. For some people maternity leave is joyful. For others it is exhausting, isolating or marked by difficulty they may never mention. Some are thrilled to be back and craving adult conversation. Others are heartbroken leaving their baby at the crèche door each morning. Many feel somewhat of a mix of both.
Ask open questions and then listen. "How are you finding being back?" leaves room for an honest answer in a way that "You must be delighted to be back!" doesn't.
Don't assume they'll be "going off again"
It is one of the most damaging assumptions a manager can make, and it is often made quietly. It shows up in resource allocation for projects, who is put forward for promotion and who is introduced to important clients. Whether or not someone has more children in future is their business. Their ambition and capability deserve to be judged on what they do, not on what you imagine they might do next.
The same goes for assuming they want less. Some returners want to slow down for a while as they readjust and some want to accelerate. The only way to know is to ask.
Hold them in unconditional positive regard
This is a term from the psychologist Carl Rogers, and it is one of the most useful mindsets a manager can bring to a return. It means approaching the person with genuine acceptance and belief in their capability, without conditions attached. In practice, it means assuming good intent, giving the benefit of the doubt in the early weeks, and making it clear that you are on their side.
It also means recognising the strength it takes to come back. Returners are navigating sleep deprivation, childcare logistics, a changed identity and a changed workplace, often all at once. They are doing something hard, and they are doing it while still turning up for you and your team. Say so.
A few more things that help
Be ready for the first winter of crèche bugs. Children pick up everything in their first months of childcare, and a little flexibility around sick days goes a long way.
Make sure their performance review is fair. Don't rate them down for months they were on leave, and make sure the goals for the year reflect the time they are actually in work.
Watch your language, and your team's. Throwaway comments about being "part-time", "on holidays" or "back from your break" land harder than people realise.
Remember the other parent too. Fathers and partners returning from paternity or parent's leave are adjusting as well, and they benefit from the same thoughtful approach.
Finally, look after yourself as a manager. If you aren't sure how to handle something, ask HR or get some support. Nobody expects you to get everything right first time, but they do expect you to care.
How Clarico can help
At Clarico, we run Corporate Workshops that equip managers to support returning parents with confidence, and we offer Employee Coaching and Return to Work Coaching for the returners themselves. To find out more, visit claricocoaching.com.