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As a line manager, you have an important part to play in the smooth running
of your organisation and a significant impact on the day-to-day experience of
the people you manage. This includes employees who may be pregnant, on
maternity, or preparing to come back to work.
Whatever the situation, it is important
to continue to have regular, honest and
open conversations with your team
member during this period to ensure the
most positive and productive experience
for you both.
This guide has been created to help
ensure you feel comfortable about the
conversations you will need to have and
when. It includes practical guidance and
advice, as well as key considerations.
A corresponding guide has also been
created for employees.
We’ve kept it simple and straightforward,
and while we cover some important
points, it’s best to check your company’s
policies and contact your HR team or
senior management team for more
information, especially if you have any
queries or concerns. Also, see if there
are any employee schemes, benefits
and support networks that you can both
benefit from.
You can find further guidance,
advice and helpful tools including
checklists, letter templates and a
Maternity Date Planner on the
Equality and Human Rights commission
website: www.equalityhumanrights.
com/workingforward
For health and safety assessments, the
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has
a useful flow chart which sets out the
steps an employer must take to protect
pregnant women and new mothers in
the workplace: hse.gov.uk/mothers/
docs/pregnant-workers-flow-chart.pdf
You may also wish to undertake this
short, free ACAS training module for line
managers: elearning.acas.org.uk/
An introduction