I have an employee who is coming to the end of her 52 weeks maternity leave -she is due to return next Monday.

However today she has called us to say that her child is sick and she will not be returning until August at the earliest.

Although we are, of course, sympathetic about her situation we have planned for her return and cannot continue to copy without her for another 3 months. I also worry that in August she will still not be in a position to return and effectively we will have given the green light to never ending unpaid leave.

Can anyone advise me on how they would tackle this delicate situation. We don’t want to be unreasonable – but are we supposed to just keep her job open indefinately? Previously I have read that if an employee fails to return from Maternity leave then they are absent without authorisation?

Many thanks
Anna
Anna Brown