Suggested changes to Maternity Leave policies -- your thoughts?

sweeps · #1 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 07:15 AM

According to the columnist, "Maternity benefits... should be paid gradually over time after an employee comes back to work."

Maternity 'Leave' Doesn't Mean Forever

MonkeyMama · #2 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 07:50 AM

Oh agreed. I would hang around message boards when I Was pregnant and 99% of the women would GRIPE they did not have maternity leave benefits even though they were planning to leave anyway.

I understand these women wanted to keep their jobs through pregnancy, and to keep their options open. To be fair, many of them were let go once they became pregnant. So women hanging onto their jobs is often less for benefits and more for job security, from my perspective. I think both sides need to give a little more respect though. Too many of their employers' bent over backwards for them and held their jobs just to find out later they weren't returning (and they knew all along).

Since I was planning to keep my job (sole breadwinner) I was very peeved how these women treated their employers. I knew my boss did not fully expect my return, after being burned as well. I was lucky he held my job- he was not required to in the least.

It's very sticky all around.

For the most part I didn't think very many employers even offer benefits though. ???

cptacek · #3 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 02:54 PM

I like the author's idea...get paid those benefits when you get back to work. Of course, then lots of women would work for that extra year or two years, or whatever the payment period is, and then quit. Of course (number 2), I haven't had kids yet, so I don't know how I will feel about it when I do.

I worked with a woman that had her baby 6 weeks-ish before Christmas and our company had the week between Christmas and New Year's off. She did her maternity leave, worked one day before the vacation started, took the vacation week off (got paid for it), came back to work for one day in January and quit. Our manager knew what she was planning on doing, but no one higher up did. I thought that was terrible.

Caoineag · #4 (**permalink**) 10-03-2007, 10:56 AM

Well, I think this probably depends on the maternity leave offered. At our firm you have to work 2 years before you get it and then you get 6 weeks full paid. BUT, you also lose that year's vacation. So given that, the firm is really only offering 1-3 weeks extra depending on how soon after that 2 years you get your maternity leave. Our office manager has maternity leave right now and its really only an extra week for her.

I mean, don't get me wrong, my firm is very flexible with things like time off but the reality is, they aren't losing money. She is going to take an extra 2 weeks because she had twins via c-section so she wants to fully heal, but she is also working this whole time during her maternity leave from home. (Sides, when you have worked for a man that calls you at home all hours of the day and night for 8 years, you have earned your maternity leave, lol)

Other policies that are more generous I could see being paid later but in our office, maternity leave isn't really a freebie.