How Do I Prepare for an HR Leave of Absence?

HR Question:

I have a member of my HR team who will be going out on a leave of absence (LOA). I’m worried about the workload that we’ll need to cover while they’re out. What can I do to prepare for this period of time?

HR Answer:

Being down a staff member in your human resources department can quickly become overwhelming, but with proper planning, you can cover the gap effectively. First, consider the urgency of the need as that can vary based on what is going on in the department during the upcoming leave. For example, is it open enrollment? Performance management time? End of year?

Busy HR departments know that even a fully staffed team can struggle during peak periods, so operating understaffed feels unthinkable. When possible, prepare in advance to protect the department and minimize disruption.

How To Prepare for an HR Leave of Absence:

Gather a functional task list. This includes all of the information regarding each task that an employee does during a cycle – whether that’s a day, a month, or a year. It’s going to be a long list that includes a lot of information, including each task’s purpose – i.e., why the employee needs to do it – and the timing surrounding each task.

Create standard operating procedures for all of your employee’s essential tasks. Update them at least annually so that changes are accurately reflected and the information is current in the event of any sudden departure or leave.

Create a contact list. Have each staff member create a contact list that includes frequented websites and links along with any login information and passwords necessary to perform the job. Don’t forget passwords to the computer, voice mailbox, and email. Better yet, use a third-party password keeper and share the password prior to departure.

Today’s cybersecurity measures often require multifactor authentication, so backups can’t simply use shared login credentials. Before the leave of absence (LOA), confirm that your backup can successfully access all required systems and resources. For added security, consider setting up unique logins for the backup. Because some vendors take time to process access requests, start this step as early as possible.

Meet before the leave. If you are lucky enough to have a planned absence, schedule a meeting with the individual who will be on leave to collect the above information and plan for the departure. Include the individual in a discussion surrounding the absence and ask for their input on filling the void. Inquire on how they thin the team should divide their duties. Ask questions such as:

• Who was your most recent backup for certain tasks?
• Who do you recommend as the most logical person to take on various tasks?
• If we run into challenges, who might have insight or additional guidance when we need it?

This participation can be key to a successful and (hopefully) drama-free leave of absence. Also, be sure to clarify with the employee if they’re comfortable or will allow you to reach out to them in the case of an emergency or a missed question/contact. If they agree to this, don’t forget to ask how or when would be the best time to reach out.

Collecting and maintaining this type of information is better done over the course of a few months, especially if the task is completed multiple times in that period. Capturing the information over a longer period of time (ideally, when the task is completed more than once) assures that tasks that are not completed daily can be captured and not missed. It is very difficult to remember everything that you do in your role and document it!

Managing an Unexpected LOA

Unfortunately, as with many leaves of absence, they can come without warning. Often, if there’s a family emergency, health concerns, or other challenges that don’t allow them to be present at work, you’ll have little to no warning.

If you do not have the luxury of preparing for a planned absence in advance, you can try to mitigate confusion or frustration by making sure to keep a functional job list up to date throughout the year for each employee. And, if possible, having a conversation with the departing staff to review pending emails or even completing an audit of what’s on their desk can help you be sure to capture the major duties the suddenly absent staff member performs.

• Do you divide the duties among current staff? Consider using this opportunity to enhance or develop other members of the team. This may be a great opportunity to stretch their skills or help them learn a new aspect of their role within the organization.
• Do you hire an interim worker to fill in for all or some of the duties? The list of functions will help to determine the size of the need and how to fill it. Sometimes there is just “too much” and the need to fill can best be done by bringing in another set of hands.

There are many options for temporary and part-time fills that provide highly skilled individuals to meet an organization’s temporary needs. The American Staffing Association reports that U.S. staffing companies employ approximately two million temporary and contract employees who work for America’s staffing companies during an average week. This does not count those working on their own outside of an agency. Notably, one-fifth of these workers are in professional/managerial roles and could fill a high-skill vacancy in areas such as HR. For example, Clark Schaefer Strategic HR is one of those options that can provide an interim solution to your team.

Regardless of how you fill the leave of absence void, be as transparent as you can (without breaking confidentiality or disclosing information that isn’t yours to share) with your team and your organization regarding the absence. If you begin to struggle with response times, deadlines, or quality, make sure any stakeholder is aware of the situation and can give you grace where possible. Communicating realistic deadlines here will be key. Consider all of your options to increase capacity and make the result work for you and your team.

Thank you to Patti Dunham, MBA, MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Director of HR Solutions for contributing to this HR Question of the Week.

If your HR team is expecting a LOA and in need of interim HR or recruiting support, Clark Schaefer Strategic HR has got your back! Our contract HR professionals can be the experienced helping hands that you need for a seamless transition and continuity of service for your short or long-term HR needs. We’re there when you need us; gone when you don’t. Learn more about our Contract HR Services or Contact Us.