Whats the norm maternity leave from work?????!!!!!!! VENT!!!

Fox

Fri, Feb 06 2009, 1:23 pm

My last maternity leave was about five days -- after a C-section. I work for a family business, and no one could put up with my job (the job I've done daily for over a decade with no more than a few days vacation in that time). Whoops! Sorry about that unintended vent!

At the same time, I'm an employer who has one worker out on maternity leave right now, and I've had many more over the years.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Take the attitude that this is a case where everyone is right. You need uninterrupted rest; the company needs the expertise you've developed. Both needs can be met, but you have to be a little creative.

2. Although other posters have discussed legal ramifications and requirements, I really, really, really discourage you from thinking in those terms. The best jobs for mothers are usually with small companies that don't have a lot of policies and procedures for when you're allowed to take days off, etc.; on the other hand, small companies don't have the depth to cover absences for long periods of time. Regardless of your actual job, think of yourself as a professional whose services are needed -- not as a cog in a machine who can be easily replaced.

3. Based on my own experiences -- which means my ideas may not be valid for you -- I found repeated interruptions more difficult to handle than a single daily phone call. Maybe frame it in these terms: "I'm really trying to get back to full strength quickly so I can come back and hit the ground running. It would help me do that if we could set up a single daily appointment to go over the things that you need my help with. Could we arrange to talk every day at around 11 a.m.?" By doing this, you show yourself as a team player, but you also set limits and force the folks back at the office to organize themselves a little. Be available and helpful at the time you set, but don't answer the telephone at other times of the day.

Mothers face a double-edged sword in the workplace: if we work at jobs beneath our skills and abilities, we don't make the money we legitimately need for our families and we often come to hate our jobs. However, if we have special skills as a result of education or experience, we can't simply leave for 6-8 weeks with no repercussions to the company. It's a tough balancing act, and I wish you well!

sky

Fri, Feb 06 2009, 2:27 pm

amother wrote:

OK... well, get a load of this. I'm due any day, and I'm getting TWO WEEKS paid maternity leave. They told me graciously that I'm allowed four additional weeks, and they won't fire me or give my job away, but those 4 additional weeks are unpaid. After 6 weeks, I MUST come back.

Oh, and the school can't get me disability from the government. Exploding anger

TWO WEEKS! I don't know anyone who could beat that! And there are other women I work with who have come back to work after the two weeks were up shock

, because they couldn't go another four weeks without a paycheck!

Be grateful. seriously, don't rolls your eyes. They really don't have to give you anything. They are paying you for no work.

I work for a medium sized company and there is no paid time off for maternity leave. You have a baby and no paycheck for the time you take off. b"h I live in NJ and get 60% of my salary for 6 weeks from NJ disability (up to a roof - so I don't get the full amount). If I would live in a different state I would get nothing.

greentiger

Sat, Feb 07 2009, 1:51 pm

RightOnTarget wrote:

Were talking about a very small business. No official policy. I'm actually the first one who came back to work after a baby. So my boss is not familiar with these laws.

Then I think it would be a good idea for everyone's sake for you to put your foot down and make it clear that you are NOT working now.

Your boss likely does not understand what have a baby entails and he has his company in mind when he asks for your help. I remember working at an office that had one of the workers internationally working from home. About a week after she had a baby, my boss tells me to fax her a work document and as an afterthought told me to write "Mazal tov" on top of the page. shock

Basically make it clear now that you need to be left alone and the next woman on maternity leave will definitely benefit.

chanchy123

Sun, Feb 08 2009, 2:23 am

Make Aliyah. In Israel there is a mandatory 14 week maternity leave (you are not allowed to work and your employer is not allowd to make you work). You recieve full pay from the government for these 14 weeks (they changed it to 16 but I'm not sure that it has started yet). Your employer is required to save your job for at least a year if you choose to stay at home with the baby. When you come back from your maternity leave you work an hour less until the baby is seven months old (presumably so you could nurse the baby). They are not allowed to fire you withing 60 days upon returning from maternity leave (regardless of how long it was), and then you have 30 days of advance notice. So if they fire you upon coming back - you will get, besides severence pay - an extra 90 days worth of salary.
If you decide to leave your job to stay home with the baby within the first nine months of the baby's life (or is it 9 months after you return from leave) you recieve full severence pay (1 months salary for each year you worked for that employer).
I know in Europe benefits are even greater - but hey, would you want to live in Europe?