Indispensable, but pregnant

QI run data operations for a small company. I am vital to the dayto-day success of my company, and there is no one else who can perform my job at the level I do. If I go on vacation, work piles up and takes weeks to catch up because of how little support there is from others. I am pregnant, and my maternity leave will take place at the busiest time of year. I know I should have a plan or some ideas as to how the company can handle my absence, but I do not currently see a solution. I am not sure it is feasible to find a shortterm replacement who could handle the scope of my role with only a few months of training. I am nervous that I will be asked to split up my maternity leave or work part time to continue managing the workload.

What do I owe my company under these circumstances? I am one of the few women working there, the company has not had to deal with maternity leave in the past, and we do not have an HR department. Do you have any advice on how to broach this topic with the business owners or how to mitigate the fallout from my absence? — Anonymous

A

Congratulations on making a tiny human that will soon join this world. You need to find a short-term replacement. Businesses do this all the time to accommodate people who are taking parental leave. You are clearly amazing at your job, but you are not the only person in the world who can keep your company from imploding. If you truly are, they are not paying you enough. When you approach the owners, have a clear plan in mind for the kind of person they need to find, how long the temporary colleague will be in place and how you will onboard that person. You should not have to split up your leave or work part time. The point of work leave is to leave. Be clear on that both with yourself and with your employer.