Return-to-Work Planning Guide

Recovery from Hyperemesis Gravidarum does not end at delivery. This is how to plan a return that holds — for the employee, the manager, and the team.

For: Managers, HR & employeesTime: 30-minute conversationFormat: Letter · complete together

What employers usually get wrong

Most return-to-work plans assume the employee returns as she left. After HG, that assumption fails. Many women return after months of severe illness, significant weight loss, disrupted sleep, dental damage, and — for a substantial number — post-traumatic stress related to their pregnancy and treatment. Recovery frequently continues for months after delivery.

A phased, written, reviewed return protects retention. An abrupt one is a common reason experienced employees resign within the first year back.

Before she returns

Contact her once, warmly, without pressure to confirm dates

Confirm role, level, and pay are unchanged

Agree what the team has been told

Send any changes to systems, org, or process in advance

Offer a phased schedule as the default, not an exception

Confirm lactation space and break arrangements

Identify one named contact for her first month

A phased return that works

Stage

Typical shape

Weeks 1–2

Reduced hours, no deadlines, reorientation and reading in.

Weeks 3–4

Partial workload, one substantive project, no on-call.

Weeks 5–8

Approaching full duties; travel and client work reintroduced by choice.

Week 8 onward

Full duties if she is ready. Review, do not assume.

In her first weeks back

Weekly ten-minute check-in, not a performance review

Flexibility for postpartum and follow-up appointments

Do not backfill her calendar to previous levels

Do not ask her to catch up on months of missed work

Protect her from being the subject of team conversation

Signpost employee assistance and mental-health support

Revisit accommodations — some may still be needed

Recognize that recovery is ongoing

·Physical recovery from prolonged malnutrition and dehydration can take many months.

·Dental treatment following HG is common and may require repeated appointments.

·Anxiety, low mood, and post-traumatic stress are well documented after HG and are treatable.

·She may be reluctant to disclose ongoing difficulty for fear of being seen as unreliable.

·Ask how she is, then let her answer without solving it.

THON Reflection

An employee returning from HG is not fragile. She has survived something extraordinary while continuing to care about her work. Plan the return she deserves and she will stay.

Plan agreed · review date · signatures

Employment protections vary by jurisdiction. Confirm obligations, including any lactation-accommodation and leave requirements, with qualified employment counsel. Educational only; not legal advice.

Part of the THON Employer Toolkit™ · Evidence-informed · Last reviewed July 2026 · Next review January 2027
This resource is educational and does not replace the advice, diagnosis, or treatment of a physician or another qualified healthcare professional. If she cannot keep fluids down, feels faint, or you believe this is an emergency, contact her provider or seek emergency care. © 2026 The House of Nirvana · thehouseofnirvana.org · info@thehouseofnirvana.org · You are not alone.