From time to time, a member may need to take a leave of absence; most common parental leave, but also medical or personal leave. Here's what to know and how to handle it.
Your role: have your member consider continuity.
The ideal outcome is for the member to continue coaching throughout their leave. This is common; many partners are supportive of it, and members often find coaching especially valuable during transitions. That said, the final decision rests with the member first, then the partner, who can approve coaching during a leave.
What to do when a member mentions an upcoming leave:
Ask when they expect the leave to start and how long they anticipate being out. The more lead time we have, the more options are available.
Encourage them to advocate internally. Let the member know that continuing coaching during leave is an option and that Mento supports it. If they want to keep going, they can raise it with their point of contact (POC).
Flag it to the Mento team by emailing coachsupport@mento.co. Once you have a sense of timing, let us know so we can coordinate with the partner on next steps.
If a member opts to pause and return after their leave:
When a member is expected back from leave, we aim to have a session already on the calendar shortly after their return date. For example, if a member is expected back on May 1 and has a recurring session on May 4, that session will remain on your calendar so there's no gap in momentum.
What happens on the Mento side:
- If the member continues coaching: Sessions proceed as normal. If they lose access to their company email, we'll switch them to a personal email for the duration.
- If the member pauses: We may unmatch the member from your roster, but in some cases we can keep them on your profile in a paused state – this will not count against your capacity. When they return, we'll do our best to bring them back to you first.
- If the member exits coaching entirely: Their remaining membership may be reallocated to a new member within the same organization and get matched with new coaches.
In short: Lead with continuity, surface the conversation early, and loop us in. We'll handle the rest.