How to Negotiate a Successful Maternity Leave

• How to Negotiate a Successful Maternity Leave (814.0 KB)

Dr. Hanson, a new associate, recently discovered that she is pregnant with her first child. Although she gets along well with practice owner Dr. Manzinelli, she is nervous to broach the part-time conversation.

How can Dr. Hanson negotiate a new schedule in a positive way? What steps can both associate and owner take to arrive at a win–win?

As the predominant sex of new veterinary school graduates, women are the veterinarians of the present and future. Women also make up a significant percentage of those employed in other practice capacities.  In particular, as both Generation X and Millennial associates and employees attempt to balance the demands of work and motherhood, women working more flexible and creative schedules will evolve as the new norm. For many, this migration from the norm of full-time, consistent schedules causes frustration and indignation. It is a major alteration in the way that veterinary practices have run for generations. Yet, negotiated fairly and managed consistently, these novel schedule arrangements can benefit the practice, the team members and the people and patients served.

The key to the development of win-win arrangements begins with an appropriate mindset and an ability to negotiate. Given that discussions involving major change in the way a practice functions are emotionally volatile, it is important to approach them objectively and to begin with your end in mind. The process of negotiation attempts to take the “heat” out of potentially charged discussions by creating neutral and safe ground in which to explore options. 

In this case, Dr. Hanson needs to do some careful preparation before she approaches Dr. Manzinelli.  In his book, Getting Past No: Negotiating with Difficult People, author William Ury provides a model that can assist in this process.¹ He recommends detaching from the emotional impact of charged discussions with careful preparation ahead of time. Adopt an attitude of detachment, or as he calls it “go to the balcony.” In this way, you enter into the discussion with an open mind, and the ability to listen to the other party. 

His negotiation process involves 5 clear steps. Let’s explore how these steps guide Dr. Hanson’s approach to negotiating a new schedule with Dr. Manzinelli, using this model.

1. Explain and Don’t React:  Think through both your own potential reactions and those of your colleague. Ask questions rather than make statements. Know your hot buttons and try to avoid responding to them. Don’t be afraid to make use of silence, or pausing to gather your thoughts throughout the discussion. For example:

Dr. Manzinelli, thanks so much for meeting with me. Let me begin by saying that I really feel at home at this hospital. I appreciate the culture and the high level of care we give our clients and patients. I sincerely value my job and you as an employer. Recently, I found out I am 8 weeks pregnant. My husband and I are very happy to start a family. However, I still want to work and be a veterinarian. I plan to work full-time through my entire pregnancy.

Allow time for the owner to digest your news and to respond. Attempt to manage your defensiveness or need to be heard and truly listen to what your employer says in return. Although your pregnancy is a positive life event, it will cause some change and disruption to the workplace. Listen for fears, concerns, and objections and validate them. Then you can address them individually.

2. Don’t Argue: Listen actively to your colleague’s thoughts and acknowledge his or her points. Remain respectful and own your responses by stating them in the first person. Acknowledge your coworker’s point of view.

I can understand your concerns that my pregnancy will cause disruption to the clinic flow. I will do everything within my power to keep that from happening. I’ll try to schedule all my OB visits on my days off. My plan at this time would be to take off 2 and 1/2 months, and then come back for 2 to 3 1/2 days for a month or two, and then work 2 to 3 regular shifts a week. What would you think of this arrangement?

3. Reframe: Get around objections by not engaging them. Focus on the problem and not the person and restate disagreements in a way that allows them to be overcome.

I know that the arrangement I’m suggesting will cause some challenges and I want you to know I’ve thought through how to make this equitable for everyone. I’ve found a relief veterinarian who would be available during the time I plan to take my maternity leave. Knowing that this will be an expensive outlay for you, I am sure we can work out a financial compensation package that will work for all of us during this transition. Once we come up with a plan, I am happy to work out the specifics with you.

4. Build a “Golden Bridge”: State your hoped-for vision clearly and concisely. Ensure that you’ve addressed both sets of concerns as you do so. Give your colleague ownership in the arrived upon solution.

If I’m hearing you correctly, you think it would work if I take the time off that I’ve stated, as long as I can set up the schedule we’ve discussed with the relief veterinarian? I am happy to do the leg work in getting that set up and putting together the schedule for the time I will be gone. When I return, I will plan to share my schedule with the relief vet for the first two months, and gradually return to full-time by the time the baby is six-months-old. How does this sound?

5. Use Power to Educate:  Help your work partner understand the mutual benefits to the arrangement that you’ve arrived at through your negotiation, so that both parties fully grasp the advantages gained through successful navigation of the negotiation process. 

Dr. Manzinelli, thank you so much for having this conversation with me. Our work together has been a time of incredible growth for me and I know from our past discussions that you’ve valued my work and contributions to the practice. Your understanding and your willingness to work with me through this new life stage means a great deal to me. I commit to you that I will continue to be an excellent associate and to support you and the practice in any way I can in the future. I know this will be a big transition for you and for the practice. I believe the best way to work through this is to communicate regularly, as I know how things can change with pregnancy and being a new mom. This agreement, and this supportive discussion, allows me to see this practice as my long-term workplace for the rest of my career life.

Undeniably, there are some challenges to having doctors work part-time. They are not as available to their patients or the practice, and full-time doctors can feel they are picking up the slack for the part-timers. However, if managed correctly, many owners have realized that the pros of offering flexible schedules to responsible employees far outweigh the cons. As life-work balance becomes an increasingly important consideration to female associates, practices that offer part-time schedules are often able to attract and retain top talent. Financially, this allows practices to forgo the high costs involved in employee turnover. In addition, decreased burnout and increased job satisfaction leads to improved productivity and contributes to positive practice culture.

Entering into a discussion of this type takes careful planning, a thoughtful and mutually beneficial plan and a respectful and honest negotiated outcome. By laying the groundwork through doing your homework to come up with a reasonable plan,  using these negotiation principles to guide your discussion, and keeping the channels of communication open, forging new ways of navigating practice can become a reality. | EVT