The first thirty days back
Not the full Work Protection Kit: just the cadence, two scripts and a short accommodations list that get you through the first month after leave or an episode.
For the Return-to-Work Pack. 15 minutes. Private on this device; nothing is sent anywhere. Not clinical advice.
Who it is for
You are going back on Monday. Formal leave, a quiet gap nobody filed, or a phased return; the pack asks which, then gives you a month that does not depend on your having energy to plan one.
The short version
- Situation (step 1): medical leave, quiet gap, or reduced schedule. The cadence and scripts change with it.
- Cadence (step 2): week one is presence, not output. Week two is one deliverable. Week three is the check-in you schedule yourself. Week four is the conversation about what stays.
- Two scripts (step 3): the first-day sentence and the "what happened" deflection. Edit both until you could say them tired.
- Adjustments (step 4): three at most, all temporary, all with an end date. Temporary is easier to grant and easier to keep.
- Name it and export. Read the cadence on Sunday nights for four weeks.
A worked example
An invented reader, so the mechanics are visible. Your answers will differ.
Quiet gap, no paperwork, a colleague who will ask. The first-day line: "I had a rough patch, I am back, and I would rather talk about the project." The adjustment: no early meetings for two weeks, framed as "I am rebuilding my mornings". The week-three check-in is with yourself: did the sleep hold, and is the deliverable done? If yes, week four is asking to keep the late start.
The one thing
Set the end dates on your adjustments yourself. A temporary arrangement with a date is a plan; one without is a worry for both sides.