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Babies and Small Business

Joyce Morse

April 09, 2015

A small business owner puts in 110% and often expects the same of his employees.

It can be a challenge when one person has to take time off. This can be especially true for extended time, such as a pregnancy and maternity leave.

On the other side of the spectrum, the expectant mother may feel pressured to work extra hard or worried about job security.

The answer is beneficial to both the employer and employee.

Flexibility and support ensure that the employee gets the work done and allows the mother to concentrate on her new family.

Flexible Schedule

One of the best things an employer can do to help an expectant mother that will also help the business is offer a flexible schedule.

While this is not always possible, consider it when it is practical. If the employee works in a closed office or is in operations, she may be able to do much of her work at home.

Consider accommodations that would be feasible such as providing her with a work computer loaded with company software. If your business operates in the cloud, it is much easier to move an office.

For businesses that can’t have employees working from home; consider offering more than one option for schedules.

For instance, instead of 8-5, maybe she could work a few hours in the morning and come back later in the day. This is not only practical for a woman who is having a difficult pregnancy; it can be helpful after she returns to work from maternity leave.

Maintain Open Communication

Instead of letting issues or concerns remain hidden; bring them out in the open.

Have a meeting with your employee and talk about worries she may have as well as your concerns. Present these issues in a non-threatening way, as if you are just having a conversation.

Brainstorm solutions and let your employee come up with suggestions. She will feel less stressed if she knows you are talking to her about the situation.

Because she has a unique perspective, she may come up with ideas that you never thought of.

Be Supportive

While work is not the place for employees to air all of their problems, sometimes an expectant mother may be dealing with more issues than pregnancy.

As the article, Should I Keep My Baby? talks about, sometimes a pregnancy may be unplanned. The woman may even be unsure if she wants to be a mother.

If it is feasible, you can offer to pay for counseling for the expectant mother. Many businesses offer this as a benefit to their employees to help them deal with personal issues.

An employee that is dealing with personal problems is more distracted and less productive at work. Providing affordable counseling can be a benefit to both employer and employee.

A small business can survive the temporary loss of a new mother on maternity leave if the company and employee plan ahead.

Open communication and exploring options make the transition period easier.

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