Jo Lyon, owner and director of executive coaching company Talking Talent, provides her advice on how to announce your pregnancy to your boss, colleagues and clients, and how to manage your return to the workplace. Jo has more than 10 years’ coaching experience and is both an occupational psychologist and qualified Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) coach. She has worked for a wide range of FTSE 100 companies in a variety of sectors including financial services, media, professional services, leisure and FMCG.
By Jo Lyon
Being pregnant is an exciting experience, and announcing your pregnancy at work may feel easy or daunting. Questions will run through your mind: How well it is going to be received? How will my colleagues and clients react to the news? What impact is this going to have on the business?
The below should give you some ideas about how to managing this and to get the response you want.
Set an ideal outcome
Firstly, understand your feelings and concerns about work and pregnancy. Recognise what your hopes and fears about telling other people are?
Once you are clear on how you feel about it, the most important thing you can do is to set an ideal outcome for how you would like people to think and feel about you being pregnant. So think through your message and how you will deliver it.
Telling your work colleagues
You will need to identify the key people that you need to tell about your pregnancy. Just remember to put yourself in their shoes, and this will help you get clear around what to say.
The first person you formally need to approach is your boss, or line manager. Be clear about the overall message you want to give, consider how you think they may react, and have a clear message around the future. You don’t have to provide concrete plans at this stage, but do make sure the overall messaging is positive i.e. if you may know you want to return but not when – share this.
And, remember to think about how you portray yourself and manage your emotions, if you appear to be anxious or nervous or anxious, your manager might wonder why.
You should, however, be prepared for mixed reactions; your boss and colleagues may not be expecting the news. They will react in the way you tell them and in ways which are connected to their past experiences and personal circumstances.
Do try to provide answers to questions, but – remember – it is fine to say you don’t know, and that you will feedback on any points at a later date.
Informing your clients
When it comes to agreeing how and when clients are told, this is really down to when the business thinks it would be best.
You need to consider the reaction of the client, and what will make them feel safe, and that they will be well looked after in your absence. Their primary concern will be to ensure they receive the same levels of service, and it is down to the business and you to allay any fears they may have.
How much time will you be away from the business?
Some women will know how much time they plan to take away from the business, and others won’t know until the baby is born, or when it is six months old. My only advice is to be transparent about this – if you do plan to be away for some time, then it is better to let your manager know so they can plan for this and you can make the choices which are right for you.
I would always advocate regular catch ups with your line manager or boss during your pregnancy, and prior to you taking the leave.
Top tips
Here are some tips on announcing your pregnancy at work:
Remember to be positive – this is an exciting time.
Be clear about the message you want to give.
Think through the timings of who you tell, and when.
Try to help your boss or manager be positive, and think through any concerns they may have.
Remember to be ready for all types of reaction to your news.
Keep composed, and be professional.
In today’s tough economic climate, companies value their talented staff. They will do all they can to motivate and retain their best female talent, to nurture leadership and avoid attrition of staff, and its associated costs.
Tags: Advice for working mums, guest blog, Jo Lyon, maternity, working mums
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