How to welcome someone back from leave
The first days back set the tone. Someone returning from a week or more away comes back to a full inbox and a team that kept moving without them.
What you can notice yourself
- Decisions were made while they were away.
- Their work was covered by someone else, or paused.
- Their calendar is full of catch-up meetings.
What to do
- Say welcome back, and ask: "What do you need to catch up on?"
- Give them a short written summary of what changed.
- Keep their first day back light on meetings.
What to avoid
- Do not expect them to answer every message from their time away.
Guides on this
- One on one questions to ask your team
One on one questions for every part of a 1:1 meeting: workload, the team, growth and you as their manager. Plus what to talk about, and a simple agenda.
- Signs of burnout at work a manager can see
The signs of burnout at work a manager can see early are about the work: late nights, no breaks, no say. What to look for, what to say, what to change.
- How to support an employee returning from leave
What to do before, on and after someone's first day back from leave, so they can catch up without being rushed or left out.
Related signals
- How to tell if someone could take on more work
Someone has had much less of their own work than usual, and could take on more.
- Checking in with a new hire in the first 90 days
Someone is in their first 90 days.
Ready when you are
A quieter morning, starting in your inbox.
Connect the tools your team already uses. Sonarwork reads the past of the ones that keep one, so there is something to look at on day one. Then every weekday morning, the brief lands.
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