Hi Ladies

I really hope you can help. I have recently found out I'm pregnant and discovered that the company i work for doesn't mention anything about Maternity pay etc in the contract. It is only a small business (5 employees), and it will be more than likely be my job to implement some sort of maternity pay/leave entitlement into our staff handbook as it is not something they will have had to deal with before (I am a senior member of staff in a management position and thought very highly of in the business- so hoping this could possibly go in my favor).

Please could you tell me what your company policy is for maternity pay and what you are entitled to, including whether you work for public or private sector. Once I have collated all the information I can then taken this to my boss to discuss what my options could be.

I would really appreciate as much information as possible so I can put the best case forward for a fair Maternity policy for our company ( I am the first female employee here and we are taking on another shortly).

Thanks in advance ladies
:)

What country are you in?

I'm in the US and women in my company get 12 weeks of FMLA (family medical leave act) time but it's unpaid.

Originally Posted by lenaofdc

What country are you in? I'm in the US and women in my company get 12 weeks of FMLA (family medical leave act) time but it's unpaid.

Thanks for your reply :) im in the UK

I'm in Canada and work for a government health agency - I get 16 weeks at 80% pay (topped up by my union/employer) then the remainder of the year paid by unemployment insurance at approx. 52% of my pay.
Hope the helps and good luck!

Originally Posted by lenaofdc

What country are you in? I'm in the US and women in my company get 12 weeks of FMLA (family medical leave act) time but it's unpaid.

Same here! We have to use up our regular sick and vaction time, fortunately I signed up for short term disability and it cover up to 12 weeks after you run out of paid leave. But you have to have it at least (1) month before getting pregnant.

I'm in the US and my company provides up to 26 weeks of maternity leave, with 12 weeks paid 100% and the rest unpaid (the unpaid portion can be funded from unused vacation time). They also provide short term disability (with supporting medical documentation) that can be used prior to the child being born with 100% of pay up to 8 weeks and 70% of pay for an additional 17 weeks.

Ugh. Jealous of you all! I'm in the US and all I get is 6 weeks of disability (60% pay) with no guarantee of my same position back. And I had to jump through major hoops to get that. Luckily my boss is lazy about hiring people. I can't believe some countries give up to a year off...I would kill for that. My heart is gonna break in 4 weeks when I have to go back to full time :'(

I think if you have any say in what leave you get, you should ask for at least 12 weeks. Long enough to establish feeding and sleeping schedules.

I got 12 weeks maternity leave and 4 weeks out of the 12, fully paid. The maternity leave in the US definitely not as appealing like when I used to live in Australia.

Thanks for all your replies ladies :)

If there's nothing in your contract/staff handbook then the company would only be obligated to pay you statutory maternity pay which is 90% of your salary for 6 weeks, followed by SMP at the statutory rate (around £135 per week now I think) for the remaining 33 weeks with the last 13 weeks unpaid.

If you think you can negotiate a better option then go for it. Some companies offer very good maternity pay deals on the proviso you pay it back if you fail to return from maternity leave.

If you want chapter and verse on UK law then please do feel free to PM me.

Originally Posted by AnimalCrackers

Ugh. Jealous of you all! I'm in the US and all I get is 6 weeks of disability (60% pay) with no guarantee of my same position back. And I had to jump through major hoops to get that. Luckily my boss is lazy about hiring people. I can't believe some countries give up to a year off...I would kill for that. My heart is gonna break in 4 weeks when I have to go back to full time :'( I think if you have any say in what leave you get, you should ask for at least 12 weeks. Long enough to establish feeding and sleeping schedules.

We get up to a year off in the UK. Up to 6 months off then you HAVE to return to your previous position if you wish to do so. If you take longer than 6 months then your employers don't have to take you back into the same position but must offer you one of equivalent standing/pay. In reality, it would be rare for you not to get your 'old' job back of course.

I thought I would want to go back like a shot but I have given up work for the time being; I love being at home with DS (she says watching him trying to work out why he can't yet crawl - he's 8 months old!)

Originally Posted by cupcakeworld

I'm in the US and my company provides up to 26 weeks of maternity leave, with 12 weeks paid 100% and the rest unpaid (the unpaid portion can be funded from unused vacation time). They also provide short term disability (with supporting medical documentation) that can be used prior to the child being born with 100% of pay up to 8 weeks and 70% of pay for an additional 17 weeks.

Lucky you...that is awesome. I am on the typical--you can take 12 weeks FMLA, but that is unpaid, and the income comes from about 6 weeks of disability partially paid.

Originally Posted by cbrooke

I'm in Canada and work for a government health agency - I get 16 weeks at 80% pay (topped up by my union/employer) then the remainder of the year paid by unemployment insurance at approx. 52% of my pay. Hope the helps and good luck!

Is it true that after the mom takes year off the dad can take a year off too? Does he receive pay too?

Originally Posted by Alexa5

Lucky you...that is awesome. I am on the typical--you can take 12 weeks FMLA, but that is unpaid, and the income comes from about 6 weeks of disability partially paid.

Same here! Headed back to work on July 19... :-/

Originally Posted by mammabyrdie

Is it true that after the mom takes year off the dad can take a year off too? Does he receive pay too?

Something similar is possible here in Germany