If you work with clients, one way to alleviate some stress is to communicate clearly with them about your maternity leave, and making sure they’re taken care of while you’re out. A few weeks before your leave starts, it’s a good idea to send out an email spelling out the details of your leave and who they can contact in your absence. Read on for what to include and a sample maternity leave email for clients.
Why Sending a Client Maternity Leave Email Is a Good Idea
If you have clients who don’t already know you’re pregnant, a client maternity email is a convenient way to inform them. For those who do know, this is the time to get all the details they’ll need in writing about your maternity leave. An email specifically tailored for your clients will be a great resource for them. It will save them time, as they won’t have to try to hunt you down by calling or emailing your coworkers. This email shows your clients you’re thinking of them. They will have something in writing that they can refer to on how to get support from your company in your absence. This type of letter may not a requirement but is a nice gesture that ensures your clients are taken care of.
What Topics To Cover
The content of your email depends on who your client is and how often you are in touch with them. If you are sending out the same email to 200 clients, you will want to keep it short and sweet. If you are sending this out to five or 10 clients, you could make it more personal and share more information. Here are a few topics you can include in your client maternity leave email:
How many weeks you’ll be out of the office When you will leave the office When you will return to the office Who they can contact for support while you are out That you’ll be unavailable while on leave
View this email as setting expectations with your client. For you, this will protect the time you have with your newborn and can ease your mind that you didn’t leave loose ends at work.
Sample Client Maternity Leave Email
Below, find an example of a client maternity leave email. Where you see (parentheses), you should insert the appropriate words or phrases for your circumstances. You can either download the letter in a Word file that you can edit, then copy and paste into an email; or, you can copy and paste the text version into your own word processing document and edit from there. Subject Line: Who to Contact While I’m on Maternity Leave (give the dates of your leave here) Dear (Client Name), I am pregnant (or in the process of adopting a child) and expect to take a (fill in the number of weeks) maternity leave beginning on (the date you wish your leave to begin) and returning on ( the date you expect to return from maternity leave). As you know, I take great pride in my performance and the quality of my work for (name of client’s company). I have already submitted a detailed plan to my manager to ensure that your needs will be taken care of in my absence. While I am on leave I will not be available for consultation, so my job responsibilities will be managed by the following co-workers. (Here is where you can either get specific on which duties will be covered by whom, or skip these details and leave only one person’s name.) During my absence, your point of contact will be (name of colleague covering for you, with contact details such as email address and direct phone number). Please let me know if you have any particular concerns or questions about how your needs will be addressed during my maternity leave. I will let you know if any changes occur that may impact you. Thank you for your confidence in my work. I look forward to working with you up until my maternity leave and then again after I return to the office. Sincerely yours, (Your name)
