NOLA Notes

I have been asked how it is that I managed to talk my employer into letting me work three days a week and how my return to work is actually going.

First let me say that I didn’t really talk my employer into it. When I told them I was pregnant, I was very nervous–they probably thought I was about to give notice that I was quitting. It seems it was more of an issue to me than to them.

I was concerned about taking three months for maternity leave as well as reducing my time in the office upon my return. It was stated to me that as attorneys we have the benefit of being able to work anywhere. So for all they were concerned, I could work from home anytime. That is what they said. And I appreciated the words. But I had my doubts.

I feared that “out of sight, out of mind” would occur and if I was not in the office, I would not be contacted at home by my fellow attorneys with assignments they may have for me–that they’d opt to give it to the guy in the office next to me since he would be there. But in my office, no such guy-next-door exists. What I offer the company is a bit unique. I am certainly replaceable. But I had hope that they’d rather work with me (even if I was home or in every other day than train a newbie or learn to work with someone else). Only time would show me that my concerns were unfounded. Attorneys (and clients) SO know how to call me at home if they need my help! Seems silly now that I even worried about that.

To prepare (them and me), I made sure all of my files were up to date and organized so that anyone could pick them up and work them. I did my best to get my files in a position that three months of down time would not matter. And I reminded my office often of how long I was taking and what my schedule would be upon my return. Thus, even having Sun five weeks early, my desk was ready. I was prepared at that point that any day I could leave the office and not be back the next day.

Then I delegated like a mad-woman while on leave. During my maternity leave, I did come into the office about six times total, but checked my voice-mail and e-mail everyday; I did not post an “I’m on leave; call someone else” message on either, and I maintained the management of my files and my clients.

The bottom line, and something I learned ten years ago, is that I am an attorney all the time. There is really no such thing as “maternity leave.” In the past, I have taken calls from clients in the evenings and on weekends; I dealt with clients’ calls outside my dying grandmother’s hospital room and on the airplane on the way to my wedding. You don’t just walk away and say, “oh, someone else can handle my files today.” I am not necessarily proud of or happy about this; it is just a fact of being an attorney. However, I was very lucky that I had very accommodating co-workers during my leave that jumped in and handled the actual work at hand (my clients were very patient and cooperative, too). But if I was needed, I heeded the call. If to do nothing more than get the right attorney with the right client.

And now that I am back working, it’s the same message: I am an attorney all the time. I work three days a week in the office. I do not say that I work part time. Because that isn’t exactly true. Every day, I respond to calls and e-mail (and do more on days when I am home when it is required). But I do my best to schedule meetings and get documents out on the days I am in the office and have the aid of my secretary. Do I work less when I am home with Sun? Absolutely. But I also work harder (and a bit longer) now when I am in the office. I strive to see that my turn-around time is the same whether I am in the office five days a week or only three.

And that is the beauty of my career choice–it affords me a lot of flexibility. And I work for a company that gets that my asset is my mind and I can operate that asset anywhere. In the end, it is my choice to come to the office (more on why I don’t telecommute exclusively, Bayou Belle, soon). And it is my choice to stay home twice a week (and CS’s choice to stay home two other days a week) and keep Sun out of daycare. Because, like being an attorney, I am a mother all the time.