Society launches guides for new parent professionals

A series of guides to help legal professionals in Scotland manage their return to work after taking maternity, shared-parental or adoption leave has been launched today by the Law Society of Scotland.

The 12 short guides, under the series title "Parents in the profession", have been produced by the Society in collaboration with The Talent Keeper Specialists. They explore a range of issues including best practice for line managers who have staff on leave.

Topics covered include ensuring a smooth handover to and from your cover; seeking flexible working; renegotiating your role; regaining your confidence; how to draw boundaries between work and home; career prospects after returning; combining fatherhood and career; and best practice for line managers for managing maternity leave.

Men and women across the legal sector contributed personal experiences to allow the guides to combine real-life case studies with an assessment of the legal aspects of leave and other research.

Rob Marrs, head of education at the Society, commented: “Our equality and diversity research has shown that there are differing practices across the profession when it comes to parental leave, but most obviously to maternity leave. It also revealed that there was some really fantastic practice going on and we’ve worked with solicitors from across Scotland to bring this great practice together in one place.

“The guides are full of hints and tips and we hope that they will improve the parental leave experience – and the return to work experience – for solicitors and others working in legal services and their employers. For me, the guide on how best to manage maternity leave for line managers – with its focus on communication and understanding – was particularly useful. For those on maternity leave, the guidance on Keep In Touch days may be worth a look.”

He added: “We would encourage line managers to make their staff aware of the guides if they are about to embark on or return from a period of maternity, shared parental or adoption leave and to use the guide for managers as a resource.”

Click here to access the guides, which are easy to read on any device.