Stepping Away is Okay: Ethical Leaves of Absence
With VISIONALITY’s Katie Pearson and Nico Gervasoni
Video Transcript: Stepping Away is Okay: Ethical Leaves of Absence
0:04 all right hello everyone and welcome to Visionality's Building forward
0:10 ... we are joined today by two very special guest stars Katie and Nico and
0:16 we're going to talk today about something that I'm really personally passionate about and it's one of the
0:21 cornerstones of the way that I've built my business and the decisions that I'm making in growing a firm and it's about
0:30 ... creating a safe space for our employees to step away for whatever kind of reason they need to step away so it
0:37 ... very often is maternity or paternity leave but it could be to caretake someone in your family it could be a
0:44 sabbatical it could be a mental health leave of absence and so I have invited our our two esteemed colleagues to
0:51 ... lead this discussion and so ... the two of them have this really interesting Dynamic where ... Katie
0:59 stepped away to have her second kiddo and ... they actually hired Visionality
1:04 to cover her job While She Was Out on maternity and Nico was the project
1:10 manager and so we've got just this really interesting ... double-sided look at what that leave
1:17 looked like why it's important ... but then also some lessons learned
1:23 that we as a team have learned on being both sides of you know the the parent going out but also the team covering and
1:31 and some tough stories about when it hasn't gone so well and so I want to
1:36 turn it over to the two of you and you know just kick it off tell me about what
1:43 it was like Katie when you ... step back to have Luna yeah so
1:50 ... Luna was a pandemic baby so we were in the midst of 2020 which already was
1:56 you know chaos so ... yeah it was
2:03 probably a terrible time to have another child but I guess there is no good time
2:09 to really take a leave of absence so ... yeah I was
2:16 I had told my supervisor at the time you know I'm I'm pregnant we need to plan for this and she was so fantastic and
2:26 rather than saying we like you can figure this out just make a plan she said we are calling
2:33 Visionality and she called you guys and said we need you to come in and help cover
2:40 this leave because it's not something that our team at this point can reasonably cover so that was the
2:47 greatest ... decision that she could have made because had it been up to me I would
2:54 have put a lot of things on hold that probably shouldn't have been put on hold I would have put things on other
3:00 people's plates on my team that they were already overloaded and just tried
3:06 to Cobble something together to make it work so I was really really blessed that
3:12 she she knew that the need needed to come from bringing in extra hands so
3:18 ... yeah that's kind of how we started and I got a wonderful teammate Nico who hopped
3:26 in and we were really blessed that he was able to come in ... a month or two early so we spent some
3:34 time together he learned who I was and what I did and my day-to-day actions and what was on the
3:40 horizon and really got to understand ... you know the ins and outs of my job
3:46 until I called him one day and I said hey bud guess what it's go time so
3:56 and that was fun that was on like a weekend or it was either a weekend or a
4:02 Friday so there was no like sewing up any last minute sort of
4:07 tasks or projects or what have you it was come Monday morning there's just this void that I stepped into and I
4:14 think I did okay but you did great a little disorienting not gonna lie but we all came out better for it
4:22 ... great so should I take it from here I have some questions
4:27 ... and Emily is a pro at this and she actually took my first question which is talking about the run-up to Katie's
4:33 leave and kind of what those different projects were that needed to get done so
4:39 ... we'll move on to the next question so can you talk about what you were feeling or what your biggest fear or worries
4:45 were going to that leave ... the one that ended or that started ... surreptitiously I guess yeah
4:53 so we Luna was technically due in January which from my fundraising
5:01 perspective was like a great time because we could get through the end of the year appeal and I had a break
5:07 between like the next big thing and then she was you know like all children I'm
5:13 here early guess what ... so it was mid-December and unfortunately we
5:21 were still in the middle of the year-end appeal which in 2020
5:26 budgets were all over the place and I was just really fearful that we were not
5:32 going to meet our expectation of the appeal and then we were also on a fiscal
5:39 year that ended in December so I also had to wrap up my entire year and make
5:44 sure goals were met reports were ready the board knew where we stood and so
5:50 walking away at that point was really scary because
5:55 I didn't know and I wasn't going to know until I got back ... so that that was really tough
6:03 ... and then unfortunately as I was prepping I think it was probably
6:09 the beginning of December we were told that our CEO actually was retiring and
6:14 our director of marketing was moving on so I was faced with
6:20 ... you know what am I going to come back to because I was the only development
6:25 person but our CEO did carry a lot of development weight so I didn't know the
6:32 situation I was going to come back to because I was losing my my partner my
6:37 boss and then I was also losing my partner in marketing and you know fundraising and marketing work hand in
6:43 hand a lot of times so there was a lot of unknown and ... I think that was another really
6:50 wonderful ... moment of you guys being able to come in and help because you could help
6:57 facilitate all of the fundraising as well as stop Gap some of that marketing
7:02 and assist our interim CEO and making sure you know we started off you're
7:10 strong and and just keep things on the tracks until I was able to come back but it was it
7:16 was definitely Chaos on top of chaos that I was really fearful for sure
7:23 absolutely ... and you touched on it just a little bit ... I'll have you expand on it just a
7:30 little bit more that kind of visuality coming in made you feel secure and supported and obviously selfishly
7:37 like that's great yay ... because that was just that was mostly my job but what else made you feel most secure or and or
7:43 supported ... at the prospect of being away for a few months
7:48 so I think it was knowing that somebody was fulfilling the day-to-day operations
7:55 that I didn't need to check my email because my email had been transferred over to you Nico like so I knew that if
8:02 somebody needed something from me they were going to get a response instead of being like I
8:08 either somebody I don't know what's going on and Katie will get back to you in three months or
8:15 ... not a response at all so being able to transition everything over to
8:20 somebody who is super capable eased my mind and it made it where I didn't have
8:26 to feel like I needed to check my email I didn't need to do these check-ins of how's it going my anxiety is all over
8:33 the place I didn't feel that because we had spent so much time together and I knew that you understood what was
8:41 important what needed to get done and ... it took a lot off of my mind knowing
8:48 how capable y'all were but ... I think we had built a nice Rapport
8:53 and then the also the knowledge that I was going to continue working with you
8:58 once I got back to because it wasn't just you pass it back and that's it it
9:06 was we were going to be partners for the rest of the year because
9:11 again we we were at a very chaotic Staffing situation so we needed to keep
9:18 you on and that just made it really nice to know that all of these projects that
9:24 were going to influence the entirety of 2021 were
9:29 ... not only in your hands and being formulated but that we would then be able to work on them and execute the
9:35 whole rest of the year and it was going to be a really great time
9:41 yeah I I agree ... it was a great time so then my I
9:47 actually had two questions left and I'm actually gonna combine them into one because you're starting to
9:52 ... get into this a little bit already but describe the transition back to full-time work once you were officially
9:58 back ... kind of how either easy or not easy that was and then to sum this portion
10:05 all up ... what was the biggest takeaway from from this experience as it pertains to work um
10:12 and being away yeah so I ... well let's be real coming back to
10:20 work after having a baby is really hard ... I'm exhausted I was not a functioning
10:26 human being I was not the person who left the position so let's be real about that because it is not a vacation it is
10:33 not a fun time off I came back and I was tired and adjusting to a new normal so
10:41 ... being able to come back in with ... with ease and understanding was so
10:49 important because ... I it wasn't just this expectation of
10:54 you handing me back all of the projects and ... the rest of my team saying you know
11:02 let's go it was what do you need do you need to be here halftime do you need to
11:07 you know scatter your days do you need to work different hours um
11:13 Nico you and Cristiano were so fantastic that you were asking me constantly what
11:19 do you need how are you feeling ... here's the project that we're all working on what of this do you think
11:25 that you can actually handle at this moment what is important to you to handle and what is it that we can take
11:32 and and do ... so there was just so so much grace on
11:38 your part and ... just an understanding that I think a lot of people don't don't really get that
11:46 you know ... a life change it really is a ripple effect on
11:53 everything and so coming in easily was much much better ... and
11:59 yeah I think taking that into perspective of what have we learned
12:04 overall ... it's yeah it's all about accommodation and being really graceful
12:11 with yourself and understanding that you also do not have to just run a million miles an hour once you get
12:18 back and that everybody is going to to really be understanding of the situation
12:24 but it takes communication to get there so ... yeah I I again I think I've said this
12:32 so many times what should have been the hardest year of my career with no
12:38 leadership no team members in my development department and having a baby
12:44 that equals probably the hardest year of my career but it wasn't it ended up
12:50 being the best year of my career because I had Visionality as my teammate we did
12:56 some fantastic work and we actually exceeded our annual goal by 25 that year
13:03 in fundraising which coming out of a pandemic is unheard of so
13:10 okay sure and nothing else happened in 2020 2021 that made things difficult
13:16 ... a sort of memory hold that so that's all that's all great to hear
13:21 ... so those are the questions that I had and I believe this is where I turn it back over to you Katie ... fewer
13:28 questions from me and actually no that's not true Emily yeah I wanna I wanna elaborate just a minute Katie you talked
13:35 about accommodation and they're actually at the end of June was a really big
13:41 piece really big and important piece of legislation that went into effect and it's called the pregnant workers
13:47 Fairness Act and so what this means ... and I'm not an attorney ... ask your
13:54 employment attorney how to implement this in your workplace but ... employers of 15 employees or or more
14:02 are ... required to make reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers and
14:10 ... people who are parents when I think mothers when they're returning to work so that could and it's an expansion of
14:17 the protections that were already implemented and so things like a closer parking space ... longer or different
14:25 break schedule ... and so that's great and I'm really glad that
14:32 that law came into effect to increase equity for for returning mothers and
14:37 what we're talking about is just simply the right thing for employers to do to
14:43 support and accommodate their working parents and so yes I'm glad that that
14:48 happened and we're just doing the right thing right now which is treating people with kindness and compassion and
14:57 accommodation and recognizing that we're not machines and that you know coming
15:03 you know go working through or going through and then returning from a
15:08 life-changing event changes you know and you and you need a different set of
15:13 tools to show up as your best self so ... we as a as a team
15:19 ... led by Katie have developed something that I'm really proud of and it's our you know ethical leave planning coverage
15:28 ... and so I Katie just take us through it and I'm gonna pop in with some comments along the way but essentially
15:35 we've developed a six-month program ... for employers to ethically cover when
15:42 someone goes out on a leave it could be maternity it could be disability like I mentioned it could be caretaking or
15:49 sabbatical but in in this example we're going to talk specifically about ... a pregnant Mom heading out on leave
15:56 and then returning to work yeah so this is I mean again kind of
16:01 modeled after my experience because coming from being the person on leave
16:08 and being that ... that person within the non-profit who
16:13 has hired the external help ... that was a great perspective to have so
16:18 ... month one we really send over a a planning document which was something
16:25 that I put together and I sent Nico I think within the first week of us being together
16:31 ... that outlined day-to-day weekly monthly
16:37 ... and then miscellaneous things that may have come up within that allotted leave period that are are due or
16:45 expected to start along with a list of contacts for different departments and
16:53 who might handle things and preferred vendors so really that that planning
16:59 document just kind of gets the wheels turning and it gets things down on paper in the instance that leave needs to
17:05 start early ... because it's fantastic to have that just in case
17:11 ... so we start with that where we're just kind of really learning the basics from the person who is going out on
17:17 leave as well as getting some buy-in from the rest of the team ... making sure because you know what I
17:25 may have on my paper is not always ... completely reflective so we need to make sure
17:30 that the other employee doesn't say I always actually need this from this person so we need to add that to the
17:37 list so covering all those bases ... and then we go into month two where we begin a shadowing process and that's
17:45 where we really get ingrained into some of those tasks making sure that our faces are
17:53 seen as we start to integrate this transition so during meetings we will be
17:58 there also to lend a set of ears eyes and hands as we're learning
18:05 ... the the new setup navigation scheduling all of it and
18:11 again it's that insurance that if baby or leave starts early
18:17 we have already started this work and we just carry on and then you know month three is where
18:23 we're anticipating the leave to begin ... so we keep that train on the tracks
18:29 we make sure projects do not ... fall off the radar and and just keep up keep up
18:37 the work and then we roll into month four where we're still doing the work but we've begin conver we've began
18:43 conversations with the employer to actually ... identify these reasonable accommodations that might need to be
18:50 made ... you know things like if it is a mother coming back to work and you are
18:56 in person we we got to talk about nursing we got to talk about what comes with all of that because you can't stick
19:03 somebody in a bathroom you have to make sure that they have a clean environment
19:09 to pump in that they can take the breaks that they need to do it that they have a fridge to put the milk in to keep it
19:16 safe and stored ... there's anxiety challenges that come
19:21 and flexibility of scheduling that that might need to be made so
19:27 ... Emily and I really talk through as Employer who also just welcomed back a
19:33 new mom on our team you know what does that look like and and how can we make those thoughtful recommendations so the
19:41 transition is nice and easy well and and from my thank you for
19:46 bringing it up we just welcomed an employee back who had a baby congratulations Taryn and ... you know
19:52 I'm not a mother and so I don't know what those kinds of things I don't know
19:58 what pumping takes I don't know what nursing takes and and Katie you really turned into an advocate for Taran and
20:06 educated me and the rest of our team on what we needed to do to support her so
20:12 it it wasn't just you know taryn's gonna need to pump or whatever but it was she
20:17 every two or three hours she needs 30 minutes off and you need to give her a bottle of water and then she needs to go
20:23 somewhere who's that's not a bathroom with all of these requirements and she's
20:28 not allowed to come back until the bottle of water is finished and and so like
20:34 I believe that as an employer it is our primary job to take care of our
20:40 employees and make sure they have the tools to show up as their best selves and this whole notion that you know
20:46 employees go away and have babies and come back and they don't need anything
20:52 different is ridiculous and and so I one of the things I'm most passionate about
20:57 this program is that we're taking the lead on having these sometimes awkward conversations and an education process
21:05 to the employer on what reasonable accommodation could look like for the
21:10 different employees needs and again some of these things are legal literal legal
21:17 requirements like the nursing station cannot be in a bathroom but also this is
21:23 just being decent to your employees and you know
21:29 wanting giving them the tools they need to show up so continue
21:35 so yeah we spend ... one month really kind of talking through all the
21:41 accommodations and then the next month as we try to make those changes ... into a reality to to prep for the return of
21:50 the employee so once they come back which we're anticipating that being around month six some
21:57 ... some employers are very generous and will give give more time for leave some
22:03 may choose to you know use their vacation days their sick time and really and push that leave a little bit longer
22:08 but for the purposes of this we have just talked about our our basic um
22:14 accommodation from the state and so that is when we expect return
22:19 ... and when that employee transitions back we're really going to be testing
22:24 out all of those accommodations and finding out what's working what's not we're going to be able to be
22:31 ... kind of a sounding board for both employer and employee ... and and navigate some of those
22:38 conversations if adjustments need to be made ... to to really be supportive in all
22:45 ways ... and and you know sometimes it means that the the employee decides this is
22:53 not an okay fit anymore and I need to be part-time because I want to spend more time with my family or
22:59 maybe they don't want to come back at all because that's a reality as well ... and and that is where we call we call
23:08 this the Visionality insurance we're already doing the job so we'll just continue doing the job in the capacity
23:15 that you need us to and in that instance while you find the next right fit or as
23:22 you need to make adjustments for someone to go from full-time to part-time and
23:27 figure out the the adjustments to that job and job description so so we are we're still
23:35 doing the work and helping out in more of a reverse shadow
23:40 ... situation where the employee kind of pops in and and gets the feelings back
23:47 ... and then as we transition into month seven we as visuality say we are here
23:53 ... ongoing and as needed so whether there's a large project on the horizon that you need a couple extra
24:00 hands in or something had popped up during leave that really needs our eyes
24:05 on it we are here to help and we do not just walk away
24:11 ... we are your partner as you navigate your new normal and ... that's that's
24:17 really what helped me I think the most was being able to ... not just felt left high and dry like
24:25 a attempt replacement could it's it's really a nice easy transition
24:32 thank you so much for all your work in developing this program and you're you
24:37 know lived a shared lived experience so that we can just start to talk about what's real about maternity leave
24:46 ... when as an employer when you have an employee out on maternity leave
24:53 in the state of California the employer is no longer paying the wages because in California they file
25:01 for the different programs and then their wages come from the state of California so technically when an
25:08 employee is out on maternity leave my payroll goes down and having someone out
25:15 on maternity leave should not be seen as a budget advantage that shouldn't be a
25:21 pro ... because it is creating chaos in your organization it's
25:27 you're asking especially on a small team no one has extra time in their day and
25:33 so on a small team just asking your colleagues to pick up your work and they
25:39 don't get additional compensation while you're out they also I think too
25:47 experience of the outgoing employee like we're all very specifically in our jobs
25:52 for Unique reasons and so to just say like oh yeah so-and-so can do my job no problem for three months like that
25:59 that's not true and so I you know when an employee goes out on maternity
26:07 there is budget available to cover a consultant or additional Staffing to
26:13 keep the trains on the track and to give that employee support as they exit and
26:19 come back so I love
26:25 it too I love it too ... so I want to actually open it up
26:32 ... to anybody who's with us today for some lived experience on when you went
26:40 out on maternity and came back or on disability or a sabbatical or whatever
26:45 and ... yeah if if anyone has a story that they want to share of a time it went
26:51 great or a time it was really tough we're we're here to listen
26:57 I'd just like to add that hi everybody I'm Jeanette and I am a senior project
27:04 manager here with Visionality and I have ... I'm a mom of a 23 year old
27:11 and a 29 year old and I was in a bathroom pumping in a
27:16 multi-stall bathroom and I'm glad that we have moved ahead
27:21 and we are being more respectful to moms and that and that the thinking is more
27:28 Progressive now so that an outgoing mom doesn't have to feel like to keep up with everybody else I need to do my job
27:35 plus 100 more to cover during the next three months or so that you take off on
27:41 maternity leave so I I think that it has been a long time coming and I'm really happy to be
27:48 part of of a mini Revolution that is
27:53 really you know respecting moms and in the workplace and valuing their their input and their
28:01 contributions and giving them the space to have their family and come back to
28:06 work yeah thank you so much for sharing that
28:12 oh Juliana ... you know I'm Juliana Ramirez with JR
28:19 bookkeeping and we also assist non-profits with their accounting needs
28:24 and we had an opportunity to assist you know one of our
28:30 non-profits with client nonprofits with that transition in our case it was
28:37 ... the the executive director had just it was just coming back from maternity
28:44 leave so we didn't we did in the system in ... in the in the going right and and
28:50 the lead during the leave but coming back as a new executive director
28:56 ... she had just like started and then went on my maternity leave so she had not had
29:02 the opportunity to get acquainted with a system ... and then coming back to like trying
29:08 to figure things out we were able to assist them in that process of let's
29:14 let's lay down let's let's set the foundation and help you with you know
29:20 the things that you need to obviously care for for your baby and for you know
29:25 what you need and let's take that stress out and so it's very helpful to you know
29:30 to hear ... you know from from Katie and and Nico because it it really
29:36 ... you know helps to put that that perspective out there not forget about
29:41 you know that that the human aspect of of and the reality of of the situation
29:48 right so I know you know again I did have that experience of assisting and
29:54 supporting somebody that had a completely new new life a new career A
29:59 New Path and all of that ... I'm you know even though we're not a non-profit we do have to expect in
30:06 mothers and so this has been very very helpful ... because we are going to have one meeting you know in the next month
30:13 and then the one the other one right after so it's two maternity leaves oh you know at once
30:19 ... but what you guys shared is so true and and I feel so confident because we
30:25 want to support right and that's what we've been working on right now to to to set that
30:31 ... to let them leave you know ... confident that the work is going to
30:36 be taken care of because we've taken the time to look at what it is that you know that it's needed that they don't have to
30:43 worry about when they are you know at at home and of course as they come back that they're not gonna come back to more
30:51 you know or or the stuff yeah yeah Juliana I'm curious is there something
30:56 that really surprised you or has surprised you in the prep for your turn to maternity leaves is there something
31:03 you didn't expect um
31:08 definitely the fact that there were two not one but two and it was like we we
31:15 were obviously they they ... are only a few weeks apart so it was
31:20 like one that was a big surprise like like of course we're always open right to
31:27 ... to supporting the you know the lives of our of our team members but yeah I
31:32 think that one was a big one and then also that there's it in two completely different roles one one's once in our
31:40 payroll department which is a small ... you know ... area of our business but
31:45 then the other one was in our bookkeeping department so it's it's two different roles
31:51 ... ... that I think was like the biggest surprise like getting that that that notice like you know one right after the
31:59 other ... and the fact that they were like again into which we're grateful right
32:04 because at least it's not the same Department well and Juliana like you and I can just
32:10 be candid like we both run small teams and
32:15 when you have an employee leave for any reason part-time or permanently it's
32:21 really tough and and it is expensive to to bring someone in and onboard and
32:28 train them and you know it's hard and it's expensive and that is our job as
32:34 employers is to support our employees and give them the tools to show up and
32:41 so I I think a big first step is just acknowledging that employee transitions
32:46 are hard no matter what they are and no matter how happy we are about them and like well that's what you and I signed
32:52 up for yeah and and here's something I will add that I feel that has you know made the
32:58 the that process a lot easier at least for me or or or or somewhat of you know
33:05 ... peaceful you know ... it's the fact that it I'm reminded of
33:11 the importance of having processes and systems in place because when you have that then it should be not super simple
33:19 or super easy but it does make a difference when somebody comes in and say well to follow that process and it's
33:27 been a huge investment ... on on on our part or on my part to invest in that and
33:34 at times it just like you said Emily it's really expensive and it's feel like you know all the you know all the energy
33:40 and the money is going into processing systems and at that moment when you're
33:46 investing that money and that time and that energy does not feel like you're doing the right thing however it pays
33:54 off once you see that somebody else can come in and follow that I think that
33:59 that had that I can say has been one of the greatest satisfactions I can share
34:05 right ... an experience of like at that moment when I was working on processing systems
34:11 didn't feel like it was worth it because it's painful
34:16 ... but I'm sure Nico could you know was able to appreciate ... coming into Katie's role in
34:23 supporting that there was already you know again that foundation and those systems and processes and while there's
34:30 personalities and you know ways of doing things that would be different it still
34:37 ... that again Foundation of processes and systems is what is the key
34:42 ... to being able to make that transition even even better so for those of us who sometimes feel like investing ahead of
34:49 time on that piece and that's why I'm I'm also so grateful and peaceful and this I'm not
34:56 freaking out of like somebody leaving right ... that's what I can share
35:04 yeah well and it's oh go ahead Nico no I'm just gonna touch on the like those
35:10 the two months or the time before the actual leave starts
35:16 like primarily it's for the person going on leave but it's also for mirrored the person in my position as
35:23 well to kind of figure out what we're sort of stepping into and getting to speak the speak the language of the
35:29 organization that we're stepping into because we're we're sort of expected to be fluent in
35:34 that language sort of right away so anytime that we can get to pick up on pick up on things learn how
35:41 I need to interact with heliana or what Katie expects Trump from task X doing thing why like that
35:49 extra time is Super valuable for for us too so I just wanted to comment on that piece of what William was talking about
35:56 well and it is an investment in fact in sustainability and stability
36:04 ... and and so yeah like it's an investment it takes time and energy and it's not super fun and you know
36:12 you're revamping your job descriptions you're getting more detail on what the day-to-day week-to-week month-to-month
36:19 activities Key activities are for your organization and that's all gonna help you like be more profitable
36:26 in the future yeah yeah thank you so much Juliana
36:35 is there anyone else who tearing
36:40 yeah hi I'm Taryn I'm with this team as well I'm the one that they were
36:46 referring to just came back from Lee ... and I just think it's super important
36:52 like and really crucial honestly for these small teams and small businesses
36:58 that we're talking about because like if you have a bigger team and you have more coverage or like maybe things like don't
37:06 have to be as efficient all the time but like when you're with this small team and everyone has such a large
37:14 chunk you know large percentage of what they're responsible for having that coverage at least like for
37:21 me it was just like such a weight off my shoulders when I was leaving because
37:27 and some people like Katie was talking about how she was like you know like I was gonna let things fall through the
37:33 cracks or whatever not fall through the cracks but you know just like not prioritize certain things until when I
37:40 got back and for me I was like okay like I'm ready to go on leave like but then I feel
37:46 not like guilt's not the right word but just like responsible for like how my team does when I'm gone but like I'm
37:51 still not checking my email you know like I'm not thinking and I'm not doing any work like
37:57 I'm a millennial we're all going to be working until we retire at age 96 you know like I'm like
38:06 I'm gonna take this time and not do anything but I know that Nico
38:12 is there I know that Katie's there I know that Emily is there and they're working and I like worry about that as a
38:18 human another part of the team so just having that coverage and for me for my coverage
38:25 plan I mean I'm super grateful to Emily because she like was on top of it before
38:32 honestly I even thought about it this was my first child that never gone on any sort of extended leave before
38:39 ... and like come back to a job you know extend believe is getting laid off or whatever it is
38:44 ... so she thought of it before I even could and brought in Delaney who's now on our
38:50 team permanently ... and just having her there since I was previously a department of
38:56 one so not only did I have coverage seamless coverage for when I was gone
39:02 and also gained an employee after I came back our company gained an employee
39:08 ... so my department increased by I mean she's filling me wears all the hats too
39:15 but you know increased by a hundred percent well and I I think it's really important
39:22 that this comes from management that it comes from the top down and and I've
39:28 been talking to a lot of moms about this and just how we have been conditioned
39:36 you know well this is just my problem that I have to solve and I have to do a
39:42 80 hours a week to prep to get everything ready and I have to train up my my other colleagues and then they
39:49 need to step up to to cover everything but it that it's not reasonable and and
39:55 what I have observed is that very few expectant mothers feel comfortable
40:02 advocating for themselves in this way and it really needs to be chopped down
40:08 to say you are important your skill set is unique ... we can't put your work on hold
40:14 because you are so important and so we are going to bring in a talented team to
40:19 cover you it's not a temp agency it's seasoned professionals
40:24 ... and and that we value you as an employee and we can't wait for you to come back it's
40:30 also not a replacement you know you are so valued and so important that we want
40:36 to ensure you know you have every opportunity to come back and show up as your new true self
40:43 ... because you are so important to us so I just like I just haven't it makes me
40:49 sad but I haven't seen the employees be in a position to really advocate for
40:55 this and so my hope is that we can start having these conversations and change the narrative and say like the way that
41:01 we used to do it like Jeanette pumping in a bathroom is unacceptable and we
41:06 just need to change the way that maternity happens ... in the workplace especially in small workplaces
41:12 yeah completely and like I mean I think I was prepared to but I didn't even have
41:19 to because you're so great and this is so great ... but like what prepared me to was like
41:25 my immediate previous job where like we had been trying to have a baby for a
41:32 long time and like so I had talked to my previous position and they had an HR department it was a
41:40 much bigger company and basically went in and asked about their maternity
41:45 policy and they were like ... uh really have one it's whatever's through the state no Health in navigating that at
41:52 all through an actual HR department no help in navigating that that at all no
41:58 official policy that I could like look look at or turn to and so in talking to
42:04 and there were plenty plenty of parents on that team there's a large team a ton
42:09 of parents ... and in talking to some of them the struggles that they had like you
42:16 were talking about a fridge ... there were fridges but the mothers were told that they could not use them
42:22 for expressed milk and they had to bring their own cooler which is like it's not as cold like then you get into like your
42:30 milk potentially like going bad and then they weren't able to use the like closer
42:37 parking spots even though they were carpooling with the child you know an
42:43 adult child but a child nonetheless lifting pool coolers definitely heavy
42:49 ... but yeah it's just like all these things that I talked to them about that they had to go through
42:55 that was like what prepared me and it shouldn't be that way it should be the opposite like I want someone to talk to
43:03 me about my experience and then that leaves them prepared to go talk to their employers
43:08 ... I don't want it to be the a terrible experience and I mean I'm so
43:14 fortunate to never have felt like stressed about it people would ask
43:20 me like oh like what are you doing about work oh it's fine it's covered my company is great so supportive
43:27 that was amazing and you touched on it too like the paperwork is confusing and
43:34 and so you know we can't fill out anyone's paperwork for them but I feel like even just acknowledging like this
43:41 is confusing and if this then that and like we as a company have had many
43:48 people go out on maternity and return and I don't know I don't know the
43:54 paperwork I don't know how to do it and thank goodness for Brienne because she has that analytical
44:00 brain but I feel like even just feeling seen where it's like yeah this paperwork
44:05 is confusing and yeah like the wait time
44:10 for the checks to or it's a card right to start coming in is long and so
44:16 prepare for you know a chunk of time where that money hasn't come in yet
44:22 ... and acknowledging that when you come back you are a different person and you are dealing with a whole bunch of other
44:28 stuff like three months leave feels like a long time it is not your body is
44:34 healing you're living with a brand new tiny human like and you're you're
44:41 different and it's unreasonable to expect that people come come back from a
44:46 life-changing experience and just plug back in 40 hours a week here we go
44:54 yeah thank you so much for sharing is there anyone else who wants to hop on and and
45:02 share what their experience was like or what they wished would have happened or
45:07 where they've seen it go really well at a different organization and if if not we can just wrap it up
45:16 oh Juliana yes ma'am you just you just made me remember about
45:25 ... about ... the time when I also you know took medical leave you know working for
45:32 somebody else my expectation was that I was going to be able to come back to work like you mentioned you know with a
45:39 new human being in new situation in my life I thought ... you know babies just
45:44 sleep and ... and eat that's all you know that's that's how it's going to be that
45:50 was with my first baby that didn't happen I thought I was going to be able to bring the baby to work because I was
45:57 allowed to if I wanted to I it just started in that face of starting my own
46:03 business so it was a combination of clients and part-time jobs per se and I'm like I'll be able to bring the baby
46:10 I only brought the baby with me once because she was not the type of baby
46:15 that would ... really like just sleep and eat it was
46:20 there was definitely not that and I had not quote unquote planned for that and
46:26 so I had to make a adjustments I you know I all of a sudden had to you know ask my mom who I thought I didn't I was
46:33 not going to have to of course I was you know blessed to have my mom around but you know or just a care you know
46:39 caregiver for for the baby and so that you again I just remember that and also
46:46 it'll what you guys were talking about earlier of you know this this also
46:51 reminds me of the importance of having quote-unquote being clear on what an
46:57 individual's you know life plan is in a way as far as like career you know
47:03 career plan because you know yes you you want to start a family or you are growing your family and that is going to
47:10 impact the way that you also you know ... you know ... go over
47:17 ... your career right like how you support your career you know life as well and so having that conversation and
47:24 and being able to support that you know that plan also you know it's also very
47:29 important so just not like you know we're trying to have a baby so knowing that ... knowing that then that that can
47:37 come at any time because you know you know your team member you know what their life plans are their career path
47:44 you know and if it's like you know I'm trying to have a you know grow my family
47:49 ... but I cannot do it you know for whatever reason and just having that and being of that support as well
47:57 ... in all aspects of of life I think it's very important too yeah I agree
48:03 with you Katie do you have any thoughts on that yeah I mean I I love that Juliana and I
48:09 think ... unfortunately as I'm having conversations with people too is they're
48:15 under the impression that they now cannot have a family because they
48:21 ... are in a career that ... they cannot step away from that they
48:26 feel like they can't potentially ever take that amount of leave ... whether that's for financial reasons
48:32 or because things they feel like would crumble without ... having someone in that position so
48:40 ... part of kind of what Emily and I are doing is just making everybody aware too that
48:45 ... the state is here to financially bridge that that Gap as well so it is
48:51 not up to your institution and whether or not that they have ... a financial plan for you because
48:58 everybody is able to have a family if that is what they want to do it is supported by the state of California and
49:06 then and there's organizations like Visionality that is here to help bridge
49:11 that Gap keep your position operating in your absence and then
49:17 welcome you back ... so I really do think that the the
49:22 knowledge of being able to have a career and a family is is something that can go
49:28 hand in hand it's just going to take some time to find the exact right formula of what works for each person
49:34 but it's always an option and I don't think people should ever write that off because they they think that they need
49:40 to just stick with the career and that the road is always straight but my gosh
49:47 it is curvy well and and once again why it needs to be top down to to to say
49:55 your job is safe if you have a baby and not just because it's legally protected but because we are an organization that
50:03 supports families and ... and so just making that super clear
50:08 I've heard so many stories of people who want to have babies and uh
50:14 like Taryn shared that they're just like we don't have a maternity plan we don't know like go figure it out and so that's
50:22 not really encouraging to say like we're we're on your team and we're gonna
50:27 figure it out ... and then I want to just mention too
50:32 like great plans are great it never they never go as planned and so you know
50:40 every pregnancy is different every baby is different every journey is different
50:45 and so you know I every time we have an employee who shares that they're
50:51 expecting congratulations and
50:57 whatever we talk about is gonna change and that's okay and so we've got
51:03 employees who are you know I I know I will come back I know I will come back
51:09 full time I know I know I know and it's like I love that awesome and when things change let me know and like we're here
51:17 committed to accommodate for you and whatever you decide you want your life to look like
51:24 ... after new baby comes home so it really does have to be flexible
51:31 I do I do want to share that we do have a plan a plan a like you're just saying
51:36 and a plan B because ... again things can change and we want
51:43 to be you know as prepared as we can be of course things ... are like you like
51:48 you very well already said you know you can plan in everything but ... they could change and and having a plan a plan B
51:54 it's it feels again very very good and and also knowing that
52:01 again like Katie said she had to leave earlier than expected right and there we
52:06 go that there is a change right there that you know if if you're in that process of preparing
52:12 then you you're gonna be confident yeah Karen's Baby came a week early and
52:18 her spidey sense was going two weeks early thank you her spidey sense was
52:24 going off and ... and she was like I don't know Emily I just think we gotta
52:29 finish this to-do list this week I don't know and like if I'm here next week a plus but we just gotta get through this
52:35 to-do list and guess who joined the world early baby Road
52:42 truly I was like I told Emily I'd stay through like a little longer than I probably
52:48 wanted so that I could do our end of year Building forward because it was going to be our whole team
52:55 ... and then yeah two weeks early worked till Friday
53:02 water broke on Saturday had the baby on Sunday oops oops knows when Katie puts a plug
53:10 in for pack your go bag always that is my number one
53:16 recommendation to every mom packet early because you do not want your partner to
53:21 have to guess what you need in the hospital it is not fun for them for
53:27 anybody to have to either guess what you need or to be the recipient of things that
53:34 should not have been brought in or things that were completely forgotten so it was grounded by us too because
53:41 everyone basically was out of town so
53:46 thank goodness it was packed it was ready yeah I also had the joy of my first
53:52 child was early so the whole time I was just telling Nico I'm this is going to happen early I just want you to know
53:58 like we are most likely going to have Exit Plan early like
54:04 and I had kind of ramped him up for that the whole time and so while it was still
54:10 a surprise of like this is it I think in the back of his head he
54:15 always had that like that buffer of it could really be any
54:20 time at this point yeah so your go bag in this situation is
54:25 having a plan coverage plan packed early
54:35 all right well thank you all so much for your your sharing and your vulnerability
54:40 and ... are there any final thoughts before we
54:47 say goodbye and and go on to do good work this week
54:53 I think the my final thoughts is we're kind of closing this out too is that you
54:58 know a lot of organizations may be a little bit hesitant to bring someone in
55:03 other staff members may feel that they can pick up the work and that they can
55:09 help ... and that you know someone else isn't really needed here but truly we're not
55:16 here to replace anybody we're not here to ... take over give orders change the plan
55:23 we are here to just be your extra set of hands eyes and ears and really just do
55:30 what's best for the organization to keep things moving and to help this employee
55:36 in ... chaotic moment in their life ... so that those hesitancies they do
55:44 arise and of course like we are here for that and ... that's why we we take the time to
55:51 build the trust and build the team yep excellent well thank you so much
55:58 Katie thank you so much Nico thank you to everyone who shared and ... let's just
56:03 keep it moving have a good week everyone