Ready or not!
Preparing for a planned or unexpected leave of absence
Carrie Krautkramer | June/July 2025 Footnote
Editor's note: Updated May 22, 2025
Every business, small or large, will experience employees who need to take a leave of absence (LOA). For small businesses, in particular, this can lead to significant dips in productivity, leaving customers and clients unattended for what can be an unpredictable amount of time.
When an employee requests a leave of absence — whether for medical needs, family care, personal development or other reasons — it can trigger a mix of emotions and operational concerns. As the manager, your role is to balance compassion for your employees with the operational continuity your team and organization needs.
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Planned LOA: Ready
In many cases, leaves are planned and preparation can be made to ensure a smooth transition. LOA for maternity or paternity leave, a planned surgery or earned sabbatical allow for both the employer and employee to partner and put together a transition gameplan.
Here are the initial steps to take once you learn an employee will be taking a leave.
Review your company policies if you have them
Before you take any action, familiarize yourself with the laws and company policies that apply to the employee’s situation. In Minnesota, employers with fewer than 50 employees are not subject to the regulations under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). However, some small companies offer their employees comparable benefits, such as providing up to 12 weeks of unpaid parental leave or ensuring the person’s job is available to them upon return.
Do your research around the FMLA, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and state or local laws that may require employers to provide specific protections. Even if the leave is not legally protected, having clear, fair internal policies helps ensure transparency and trust.
Meet with the employee
- Thank them for the notice and reassure them that you will work together to plan for their absence.
- Avoid prying into personal details unless they voluntarily share; focus on planning and support.
- Confirm the type of leave (paid, unpaid, protected, discretionary). If your organization does fall under FMLA there is an extensive list of required documentation that you’ll want to review and collect (i.e., doctor’s recommendations and return to work approvals).
- Clarify the expected start of leave and return to work dates in writing.
Create a transition plan
One of the key luxuries of a planned LOA is having time to document projects, client work, tasks and responsibilities that will need to be addressed during the leave.
- List ongoing projects and deadlines.
- Identify key contacts.
- Outline critical tasks needing coverage.
Cross-train and communicate
Determine if you have the internal resources to take on and manage the added workload. You may have to consider temporary help, putting items on hold or pushing deadlines.
- Assign and communicate temporary reassignments to team members.
- Set up time to cross-train with coworkers or temporary help if necessary.
- Notify relevant internal teams (IT, payroll, HR, facilities) about the leave as needed and communicate with clients and customers about any upcoming changes in support.
- Setting up an out-of-office message can be crucial to prevent customer requests from falling through the cracks.
Unexpected LOA: Or not!
Being prepared for a leave is the happy path, but we all know life happens. Emergencies, unplanned family care needs, accidents, injury or death in the family can throw the employee and the company into an emotional fire drill. The steps for a planned leave and an unplanned leave are the same — it is the timeframe that changes. Action needs to be taken quickly.
Steps to take today to prepare for an unexpected LOA
- Create policies. If you don’t have any documented policies for LOA in place, now is the time to create them. Look for standard templates and sample policies online to get you started. From there you can customize your policy to meet your business and financial needs. If your business is more complicated — or you have unique situations to consider — partnering with a professional HR firm or consultant may prove to be invaluable. Having partners in place for unexpected situations can provide peace of mind.
- Document key responsibilities. Documenting tasks can be daunting and annoying, but it will be a lifesaver when there is an unexpected leave. For example, if your payroll person is unexpectedly out, who is the backup and do you have access to documentation of how to run payroll next week? The upfront effort is worth it, and you can leverage it for training and onboarding new employees. Finally, encourage teams to “job shadow” or rotate responsibilities occasionally.
- Centralize data and client information. Imagine if your top performer with the highest client base suddenly cannot return to work for several weeks — and it’s tax season! Moreover, what if all their files are on a hard drive/desktop in another state? Even small companies should make use of a shared network or database and have a secure administrator with access to passwords and customer information. Knowing where to quickly find files, contact information and customer data will help you provide continuous service with limited disruption to productivity.
- Prepare to bring in help. Before you look externally, think about your talent: Who is ready for added responsibility? Could this be a growth and development opportunity for someone on your team? In some cases, it will be necessary to bring in extra support or temporary help. Build relationships with temporary staffing agencies in advance. Having a point of contact and established connection can put your mind at ease.
Steps to take during the leave
While the employee is on leave there are key items to remember:
- Respect the employee’s communication boundaries. Consider the importance of the need or question before texting or calling. The employee should not be expected to return emails or calls either internally or externally.
- Agree upon occasional check-ins for both professional and personal well-being updates. Often the employee isn’t getting paid and, therefore, should not be expected to “work.” You may consider being open to flexible working solutions (remote work, job sharing, reduced hours) during unexpected leaves.
Steps to take when the employee returns to work
Schedule a meeting before their expected return date to discuss their transition back. Consider if a gradual reentry is preferred (e.g., part-time hours initially). Share projects, processes or team structure that may have shifted while they were away. Restore access to systems or tools and remember, the transition back to work can be a challenge for some, welcome them back — celebrate their return!
Preparing for the expected and the unexpected
Expected and unexpected leaves will happen. LOAs can be complicated to administer, layered in legal documentation, benefits and pay considerations, and technical logistics. Most importantly, they are often deeply personal and need to be handled with empathy and care.
Preparedness shows professionalism, reduces disruption and earns employee and client loyalty. By taking these steps, you will not find yourself panicked putting out a real fire, it will be a drill — one where you are calm and prepared.
Carrie Krautkramer is a dynamic leadership development professional with a Master of Science in Training and Development. Carrie’s journey includes transforming training departments, elevating corporate culture and leading change management initiatives. She’s known for her high-energy leadership and creative communication skills, always driving for excellence and engagement.
