Maternity Cover at work…reassurance please
Hi Ladies! I’m really career focussed. I love my job, I love my team and I’m incredibly passionate about what we do. I’m expecting my second baby, when I was off with my first, I was in regular contact, I worked onsite at least once every few weeks, I joined certain meetings in between, I still handled all our financials / pay and bonus review etc etc. When I returned to work 6 months after having little one, I found my maternity cover had made a load of ridiculous commitments, which I then had to unpick.
I’m super anxious about commencing my maternity leave and I don’t have a good relationship with the individual who is taking up shared support of my role whilst I’m out, which is really worrying me. One of the men taking over my role temporarily (they’ve shared it between 3 people, with him being the most senior of the 3), is already trying to cut me out / restrict my involvement. It’s stressing me out no end.
I’ve already agreed to working my KIT and SPLIT days (even setting dates) and formalising my return to work date. The most senior management (ie our MD and CEO) know I’m on hand and have continued to reach out to me regardless of my upcoming maternity leave. Whereas this guy and one other are trying to cut me out - they’ll ask me to help give them the data they need and use it to boost their profiles/claim the work as their own.
Please tell me I’m not mad and other people are feeling anxious about leaving their work, clients and teams in someone else’s hands? I wish the person taking over was at least someone I had a good relationship with / understood my team and our direction
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@Julie thank you so much for the reassurance! We’ve never got on, he does the bare minimum in general and claims others efforts as his own but others don’t see it as they’re not as close to the detail. I really didn’t want him involved, which my management know. I wanted this to be an opportunity for one of my existing team to step up and show their potential. It’s horrible having to “step back” when you don’t trust someone with something you’ve created.
100% this is something I have struggled with my whole maternity leave. Especially as my team are telling me the person that has been covering me is doing okay but they really want me back. I love my job and can’t wait to go back but was soooooo nervous when I left (still am!). My mat cover even try to insinuate I wasn’t coming back, so I had to be super straightforward and tell her I am and unfortunately there is no role for her. If I was you, I would speak to the person that is cutting you out and tell them how you want to be kept in the loop and explain that leaving you out of things is not what you want. Be really really clear and say what you want - they might be thinking they’re doing you a favour by not involving you? Hope it works out!! Good luck!