What to think about before you meet about your Keeping in Touch Plan

Key takeaways

• Familiarise yourself with what is and what is not classifed as a keeping in touch day. 
• Think about how you can use your keeping in touch days in a way that keeps you connected, without feeling like you're being 'sucked back in' to work. 
• Keeping in touch during parental leave is good for your mental health and will help ease the transition back to work. 

Four to six weeks before you go on parental leave, schedule a meeting with your employer to cover if and how you would like to be contacted during leave. Keeping in touch during leave helps you stay connected, protects your mental health, and eases the transition back to work for you, your child, and your employer.   

While there are no formal stats on the number of new parents who take keeping in touch (KIT) days during parental leave, we know the uptake is low. But it shouldn’t be! Whether you’re a dad, mum or partner taking leave, KIT days are beneficial for everyone involved. Read more about your entitlements and how to prepare for this meeting with your manager.  

What does ‘keeping in touch’ mean?  

In short, it means staying connected to the workplace while on leave. This can be through keeping-in-touch days and email or phone updates from your employer about workplace or organisational changes and opportunities. You are not legally obliged to do either, but there are many benefits.  

Remember, keeping in touch days can be used by anyone taking long parental leave – that means dads and partners too!  

What’s in it for me?  

There are many benefits to staying connected to your workplace while on leave, including:  

• Helping to maintain relationships with your leaders and co-workers. 

• Ensuring you don’t miss out on training opportunities or work events.  

• Reducing potential unconscious bias for career development opportunities. 

• Facilitating a smoother transition back into the workplace. 

• Providing open lines of communication around the parental leave transition, including working through concerns and solutions with the support of the business. 

• Reducing social isolation and offering protection against anxiety and depression. 

A quick refresher on official KIT days  

If you haven’t had a child before you may not be across the full definition of KIT days. Here’s a quick refresher.  

• You are entitled to up to 10 KIT days during the first year of parental leave (and another 10 if parental leave is extended). 

• KIT days are paid at your regular pay rate, and you are paid for the time you actually work.   

• Once you have worked for more than an hour of paid work in a single day, it counts as one keeping in touch day.  

• You can’t use KIT days in the first two weeks after the birth or adoption (this is to allow for bonding), but you can request one between two and six weeks of going on leave. 

• Your employer can’t ask you to attend one within six weeks of going on leave.  

Why should I bother with KIT days? I don’t want to think about work until my leave ends 

Even if you don’t think you want to go into your workplace until your leave ends, it’s worth considering that you may change your mind about this while on leave. The long days of parenthood can be lonely, and you may find yourself looking forward to the stimulation and social interaction of your workplace.  

You can take up to 10 KIT days without it affecting your government Parental Leave Pay. You can spread these out periodically or use them in the few weeks before your full return. KIT days are paid at your normal rate, and you don’t have to work eight hours for it to count, e.g. If you do four hours of work, you will be paid four hours at your normal hourly wage. This block of time counts as one KIT day. 

If you’re still not convinced, you can always schedule these towards the end of your leave and see how you feel. KIT days can be beneficial to ease the transition for you and your child — particularly to manage the ongoing sicknesses that come with early childcare support.  

There are some rules around what you can and can’t use KIT days for, so use this list to help form your ideas before talking with your employer.   

What can I do on a KIT day?  

Activities such as:  

• Participating in a planning day. 

• Engaging in training. 

• Attending a conference. 

• Doing work to become familiar with the workplace, or the role, before returning to work, e.g. induction meetings, attending meetings regarding your position.  

What can’t I do on a KIT day? 

Social activities, such as:  

• Social events. 

• Casual catch-ups with your colleagues. 

• Other unpaid activities relating to work. 

How do I avoid getting sucked back into work on a KIT day?  

Agree on what you will be doing on KIT days. When meeting with your employer about keeping in touch during leave, use this opportunity to discuss how you would like to use your KIT days. This step will not only help you take the government-supported days, but you’ll be less inclined to get sucked back into work, which can easily happen when you are missed! 

What else do I need to think about for my KIT plan?  

Answering a call from your employer may be the last thing you want to do while on leave, and that’s ok. When discussing (or filling out the KIT template), let your employer know your preferences for staying in the loop while on leave.  
 
Note: there may be instances when your employer must inform you about organisational changes. If you want minimal contact, set up an email address for work so that updates don’t become a burden while on leave, but keep in mind that you might miss important information.  

Also consider:  

• How you would like to be contacted on leave (phone/work email/personal email)? 

• The frequency of communication (weekly/fortnightly/monthly)? 

• If you would like to be considered for job promotion/career opportunities while on leave?  

• How you would like your child’s arrival to be announced to the business. 

The bottom line  

KIT days are good for your mental health.  

Fast forward to after the baby is born. Life as you knew it has been turned upside down. If your baby has just arrived, your life may feel like a blur of feeding, changing nappies, cuddling and rocking baby to sleep. You might be surprised by just how little time you have left in your day for anything other than meeting the needs of your child.  
You’ll not only wonder how your former self used to run meetings but also had time to shower. We don’t want to presume anything here, but chances are you might be desperate for adult company and conversation. Cue: a KIT day.  

We know that staying connected while on parental leave is really important to support mental wellbeing and helps make the transition back into the workplace easier. We’d call that a win-win.  

Feeling overwhelmed about everything you need to know about your legal entitlements as a new parent? Check out our article here.