Part 1: Choosing the Right Cover for Your Business

Few moments in the employee journey come with quite as much responsibility – and stress – as parental leave. It’s an exciting time for your employees, but it can also be an overwhelming one. Research shows around 70% of mothers worry about their job stability and almost half are concerned about the impact of maternity leave on their career.

This isn’t good enough.

Welcoming a new baby into the family can be challenging enough without having to worry about managing your own handover, whether employers have sourced appropriate cover for your role or, crucially, if that role will still even be there waiting for you when you get back.

At the same time, as a business leader, you need to know everything is being taken care of for the sake of your organisation. But securing the right parental leave cover and knowing how to support employees before, during, and after their leave isn’t just about ticking a box for business benefit; it’s the right thing to do for the sake of team members who are relying on you.

This guide is intended to help you make the process easier for everyone involved, ensure your employees can focus on their families without added concerns, and keep operations steady. In this three-part series, we’ll help you:

1. Plan for parental leave and identify suitable cover
2. Onboard the right candidate
3. Manage transitions effectively before and after the leave to best support your team.

Here’s our first instalment on choosing the right parental leave cover:

1. Understanding your options

Before you dive into hiring maternity or paternity cover, think about what type of agreement best suits your business needs. Generally, you have three main options: freelance, contract and temporary employees.

• Freelancers offer flexibility and expertise in specific areas, often working remotely and independently. This option is ideal if you need someone to step in quickly and take on a project-based workload without extensive onboarding.
• Contract employees are typically hired for a set period, ensuring medium-term stability over the leave duration. They’re well-suited for roles that require more in-depth involvement and collaboration with the team.
• Temporary employees are generally brought in through agencies and can be a more cost-effective option for covering roles that require continuity in day-to-day tasks.

Choosing the right type of support depends on your business needs during this specific time, the complexity of the role and just how critical it is to business operations.

2. Assessing the necessary skills for the role

Not every role is the same and what your business needs during the period of cover may differ from the skills required to take on the full-time role. That means your first step should always be to assess which skills are essential during this period. Does the role require a specialist who can take over strategic planning or will a more generalist approach suffice to manage operations?

Also, consider the evolving nature of the business environment. Will the next few months bring new projects or challenges – or even macro-economic factors - that require additional expertise? This will help inform your decision in selecting a candidate with the right qualifications and experience to meet immediate needs.

3. Hiring for flexibility and peace of mind

When hiring for parental leave cover, flexibility is your greatest asset. Many aspects of the cover arrangement can shift over time — whether the employee on leave returns earlier than expected, extends their leave or the needs of the business change.

What’s more, hiring a freelancer or short-term contractor can bring a huge sense of relief to the employee heading out on parental leave. Unfortunately, a common concern among new parents remains: “Will my parental cover end up replacing me?”

Hiring professionals who specialise in interim roles eliminates that stress. Freelancers and contract professionals are in it for the short term. In other words, they’re here to keep things running smoothly until your team member is ready to return, not to take over for good.

Another significant bonus is that these experts are seasoned in picking up projects, quickly getting up to speed and adapting as needed, so they can start contributing with minimal onboarding. This means your employee can fully enjoy their leave, reassured that they’re stepping back into their role when the time comes.

4. Leaning on the right support network

Navigating parental leave requires thoughtful planning and the right balance of expertise, flexibility and foresight. By carefully assessing the type of support you need and the skills required during the leave, you can ensure that your business runs smoothly, and the transition is seamless.

And you don’t have to go it alone. We’re experts in identifying interim professionals and freelancers that match your business needs – whatever those needs may look like at any given time. Many of our team have first-hand personal experience and we always work at pace and with empathy.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out for support, advice or a friendly consultation.