How did you/will you tell your boss your last day?

FutureMrsW9

If you're planning to go out early, have you given your boss a date yet?  If so, how did you explain it?  Did you need a preliminary dr note even though technically disability doesn't get reviewed until you're already out?  For some reason I'm nervous about having this conversation as things could always change and I'm not sure how understanding she'll be.  Plus, the whole disability/insurance coverage part if it make me nervous, like what if I go out and then come back and don't approve my disability.  Has this ever happened to anyone?  My company gives you 2 weeks before your due date, but my MW said I could go out at 36 weeks.  I haven't mentioned it to my boss yet because I just feel like the whole process is so wishy-washy and I don't have all the info I need yet to have an intelligent conversation.  Maybe I should get a note from my MW with the plan at my appointment next weekend just so that I have it?  It won't be used for official disability paperwork, but at least I'll have something in hand to give my boss and HR if they try to give me a problem...uuugh, idk why I have anxiety about this because I really can't wait to be done working.

bumpuser9343355

My situation might be a little different because I am a teacher, but I basically just told my principal I was planning on taking off the last two weeks of school (due June 7th, will be done with work on May 23rd).  Since it is technically only ten work days, I asked if I needed to fill out paperwork or do anything for maternity leave, or if I could just call in sick.  He told me just to call in sick because it's easier.  I wouldn't be afraid to talk about it, I think most people have reasonable expectations about how long you will be able to work, they know you are going to be taking off at some point.  I would talk about it sooner rather than later so you have time to sort everything out.  Good luck!

hlp2709

I just been keeping my boss in the loop as much as I can. Having a note is always a good back up just to be on the safe side. I could always call and ask the human resources department and ask them.

Pepper6

My situation is a little different since I work for a super small company, and my boss is very flexible, not to mention super excited for me, so my end date is pretty open ended.  The current plan is for me to work up until I go into labor, but I'm leaving the option open of stopping before then depending on how I feel.  It's easy for it to be open for me though since I don't get any paid maternity leave anyways, so there's no benefits to consider...

kd&cd

I was planning on the Monday before I'm due (so one week early) but my OB wrote me off work last week. My work needed her to complete a form. May not be a bad idea to ask Your human resources dept/person what is needed...unless that person is also your boss it's a completely confidential conversation the. You have a general idea of what is necessary.

cspencer85

My boss asked when I was planning on going out and I told her a week before my due date and she was fine with it. But I've been out since 29 weeks because of high blood pressure and it sounds like I'll be out for the rest of the pregnancy.

Taymiller

I am a temp employee and can leave whenever I want. I am going to try and work up until my c/s but I can really leave whenever and I can work from home if need be. I am lucky to have a super flexible job. DH wants me to continue coming into the office because I get more done here but I think I will start working from home once I get super uncomfortable. I really don't want to work at all but I am contributing while I can

k2k2tog

My boss asked me to put my intentions to take mat leave in writing a few months back, so I put my last day in the letter. I've got a pretty good relationship with him, so if that date had to change, it wouldn't be difficult to do. If it makes you more comfortable approaching the topic, I don't see the harm in having a note from your MW. 

flerlgirl

I made up a rap and performed it for him at our department meeting. 

I kid, I kid. With DS, HR just told me to bring a note from my doctor stating the due date and when/if I should go on leave. I gave them the note (I worked at a desk so my OB just sent over my due date and said I could work up to it) and then emailed HR and my boss to tell them the EDD. That was it for me. For maternity leave/STD, HR worked with me and explained it all. I obviously wound up leaving a little earlier than expected so HR contacted me regularly through email and phone calls to tell me what they needed from me to approve the STD, etc. 

Mia081081

I have a special situation since most of my company works remotely. The CEO is in ny, teach team in Seattle and I'm in Miami. We all work out of shared office spaces. Since we're a small company and I'm the only one who can do design work, I plan to work until I go into labor. My last day at my office space is may 15 (35.5 weeks) so I'll work from home after that.

With my last job, I worked until I went into labor but they were also flexible about working from home. They would have been fine with me stopping early since I didn't get paid for leave at all.

If you want to go early, I'd bring that up now so they can plan for it. I would bring a note from your MW if there's a specific reason.

By the end of your pregnancy, most of your work has usually been handed off to the temp replacement and most people ask "why are you still here?" Which is super annoying in its own way.

katekat8721

I have been very open and honest with my boss and HR about everything (my doctor appointments, anticipated time off before/after birth, etc). I knew going into this that they would need to be able to plan as much as possible, since we would have to hire a temp and my coworkers would unfortunately have to pick up a bit of slack until the temp started.

In the end of March told my boss that I was starting to get a bit tired but wanted to hang in there as long as I could. At my next appointment, my doctor put me on a reduced schedule to part time. She wrote a doctor's note and I turned it in to my boss/HR. At that time they set up the disability/FMLA paperwork for me.

I kept working for another 3 weeks and during that time my claim was setup. I called my adjuster and introduced myself and got to ask my questions. The part time hours helped a lot and I was able to keep going until very recently.

Last weekend was really rough for me. It's like my body just took a sudden turn. I had an appt on Tuesday but talked to my boss Monday and just gave her a heads up that I had a hard weekend and I'd probably be going out sooner rather than later. Sure enough, the doctor didn't even wait to see me at my appointment before taking me off. She sent over another note that I gave to my boss/HR and then sent a copy to my adjuster handling my claim.

Everything has been super easy peasy and I think a lot of that is because I kept the communication open.

I wouldn't be super stressed about this. Just talk to someone you trust there and tell them that your MW had mentioned she plans on taking you off at 36 weeks. That gives them the heads up that it'll be a little earlier than they anticipated. As long as you have a note from your MW/doctor, the claim will not be denied. I know some employers will let you out early without notes, but you should certainly have one if you get any sort of disability pay when you're taken off work.

RaeJ004

I'm just waiting for the day they piss me off enough that I can mic drop and walk out....

lest12

I am planning on working until I deliver, but if I wanted to go out, I think I would just have to use vacation time between my last day and delivery date, unless the Dr. gave me a note for a legitimate medical reason to stay home.

Even at this point, if it gets closer and I end up deciding I want to stay home early, I will just have to be honest with my boss.  I've been pretty open thus far and we've got most of everything cross-trained already ("just in case") so I don't think she'd have too much a problem with it.

kittenslove

I have been honest and open since the beginning. I wa originally planning to work until June 20 (EDD June 21). Now I know they will not deliver me later then June 5. Due to the high risk of this pregnancy, I will not be working later than May 30. My boss knows this, and I have began shifting my responsibilities already. 

HOWEVER - since making the plan, others have twice gone out on FLMA at the last minute, without telling us until they missed TWO WEEKS of work. Both of these employee were on the chopping block, and both were set to take over a good amount of my work (while reporting to me, who would be working remotely). I do not think either of them are planning to return (one is set to be back on May 30, has not reached out to the company at all. The other told us today that she isn't coming back until July, but told a coworker that she isn't coming back at all. I'm not telling HR, since its gossip, but geeze, ANNOYING!) 

We already have one temp I trained on the job that girl #1 was doing, who we were planning to shift to my position IF she came back (or hire permanently if she didnt). Now I have to hire and train a second temp, and maybe a third, depending on how things play out. Its all so overwhelming, I am so annoyed. My doctor already wants me to stop working, and I said "no". I am petrified of being told I have to stop, and not be able to get these systems in place before leaving. I can honestly say no one here knows how to do what I do. I created a list of my tasks and reviews with my manager, and she is just as stressed as I am about this.

FutureMrsW9

Thanks ladies!  I guess it's not as big a deal as I'm making it out to be in my head.  Every week when I have a 1:1 with my boss I reminder her about my upcoming leave and the things that will need to be transitioned.  She's a huge procrastinator and hasn't scheduled anything yet.  That said, until a few days ago I was planning to work until June 10th, but now I'm planning only to work until May 27th, again, only decided a few days ago.  So I think at my next appt I'll get a note from my MW about going out sooner than originally planned and take it from there.  It would really only be for courtesy, because as far as disability goes my boss and HR really have nothing to do with that process, I work directly with our insurance company and they let my company and boss know what's going on, etc.

rastrau

When I asked our payroll dept on how to file maternity leave time sheets, they volunteered the info that I'm allowed to leave two weeks prior to my due date on short-term disability, even without a doc's note. I'm worried that LO will come late and I'll have extra time off in there not covered by either short-term or maternity and I don't want them dipping into my sick/vacation time, so I'm working until a week before my EDD. Luckily, I work for a pretty flexible company and we've seen a lot of babies in the last few years, so I had plenty of co-workers with helpful info for me, too.

izzetoot

Im working almost right up to the day.  I told my boss my last day would be 5 days before my scheduled induction.  My situation is weird too though because I work off commission and from home and not receiving any paid time off.  He was more concerned about when I'd be back! I told him 6ish weeks but that I will start to work again from home a bit around 4wks.

irenewslee

I will take off at 36 weeks. Since I told my boss at week 12, he has been asking me to plan out my leave and have a transition plan.He is pretty open to whatever I need as long as I let him know ahead of time. I would recommend starting that conversation as early as you can so no one is surprised or feels screwed. I had a coworker who didn't transition her work very well and in Europe they get like 9 months to a year off. The whole team felt jacked because she didn't tell anyone what she was working on or where things were standing. It just looks bad on you if you don't plan ahead.

FutureMrsW9

@izzetoot said:

Im working almost right up to the day.  I told my boss my last day would be 5 days before my scheduled induction.  My situation is weird too though because I work off commission and from home and not receiving any paid time off.  He was more concerned about when I'd be back! I told him 6ish weeks but that I will start to work again from home a bit around 4wks.

OY VEY only 6 weeks???  Good for you!  There's no way I could do that.  I'm taking the full 18 weeks after baby is born that we're entitled to (20 if we end up having a CS).  Some of it will be unpaid, but I'm going to use savings to cover expenses for those weeks.

izzetoot

FutureMrsW9 said:

@izzetoot said:

Im working almost right up to the day.  I told my boss my last day would be 5 days before my scheduled induction.  My situation is weird too though because I work off commission and from home and not receiving any paid time off.  He was more concerned about when I'd be back! I told him 6ish weeks but that I will start to work again from home a bit around 4wks.

OY VEY only 6 weeks???  Good for you!  There's no way I could do that.  I'm taking the full 18 weeks after baby is born that we're entitled to (20 if we end up having a CS).  Some of it will be unpaid, but I'm going to use savings to cover expenses for those weeks.

Well... I say that now, but I have no idea what i'm getting into (FTM) so I may take longer if needed. Im blissfully (and ignorantly) thinking that the baby will sleep a lot and ill be able to get to my computer do so some work here and there around 4-6 weeks.  My job is not very demanding, mostly emails, texts and phone calls.  We've got a little saved, enough to cover at least 2 months of rent, but we rely on my paycheck just as much as DHs so I can be out too long!

FutureMrsW9

@izzetoot said:

FutureMrsW9 said:

@izzetoot said:

Im working almost right up to the day.  I told my boss my last day would be 5 days before my scheduled induction.  My situation is weird too though because I work off commission and from home and not receiving any paid time off.  He was more concerned about when I'd be back! I told him 6ish weeks but that I will start to work again from home a bit around 4wks.

OY VEY only 6 weeks???  Good for you!  There's no way I could do that.  I'm taking the full 18 weeks after baby is born that we're entitled to (20 if we end up having a CS).  Some of it will be unpaid, but I'm going to use savings to cover expenses for those weeks.

Well... I say that now, but I have no idea what i'm getting into (FTM) so I may take longer if needed. Im blissfully (and ignorantly) thinking that the baby will sleep a lot and ill be able to get to my computer do so some work here and there around 4-6 weeks.  My job is not very demanding, mostly emails, texts and phone calls.  We've got a little saved, enough to cover at least 2 months of rent, but we rely on my paycheck just as much as DHs so I can be out too long!

We do, too, right now.  DH and I both bring in about the same, and my paycheck actually covers our insurance benefits, so I totally hear you.  Luckily I have pretty decent disability benefits and I'm eligible for 13 weeks of 100% pay, plus a week of paid leave, whatever vacation time I have, and then whatever NJ disability insuranace pays (I think that's only like $500/week for 6 weeks though, so not much), and hopefully we'll have enough saved to cover the delta.  It sucks and we'll probably struggle a bit toward the end, but I decided that it's more important to me to be out with baby for as long as possible, and if we have to ask our parents to float us a loan or two then that's what we'll do.  I just couldn't imagine leaving baby after only 6 weeks *sigh* Maternity laws in our country seriously SUCK the big one!

mrscbrad

I'm in such a weird spot with this, too. I've wanted to take a few days before my due date just to rest and spend some time finishing up things at home, but I have a pretty easy work schedule and I work at the hospital I am delivering at which means I would be so much closer than the 45 minutes that it would take to get from my house to L&D. I tentatively told them my last day would be June 27th (due June 23rd) just as a "cutoff" since I probably shouldn't be driving myself 45 min each way at 40 weeks plus.

Susanrush13

b48kate

I work for a 13,000 employee healthcare organization so we have a monthly expecting parents workshop where they guide us through the leave process.  I am a full time registered nurse doing acute bedside care and will be leaving at exactly 36 weeks (June 1).  Just sent the email to my supervisor today!

Lately, I have been pretty miserable at work (I work 3 twelve hour shifts a week) but have been trying my best to hide it from the patients and other staff.  It is a high stress environment for all parties and I don't want to drag everyone down.  The physical demands are definitely catching up to me, so expect a couple of really whiney posts in the next few weeks…I apologize in advance.

I am lucky in that I have worked for my organization for almost six years and have a boatload of our internal short-term disability saved that will cover my salary for the whole month before delivery.  After the baby is born I'll be using  a combination of CA state disability leave, PTO and private short term disability which will provide for enough paid leave to cover me until Nov 1 - so I won't return to work until then.  Crazy to think I'll be out for 5 months!

scrouch7

I work for a tiny company so I start work from home on may 22 and will work up until I deliver. After that, I have six weeks off on disability (NJ benefits) and will work from home six weeks after that.

The boss was kind of understanding. He isn't happy but in as much as I am trying to stay on as long as I can he is accepting it.

tinyangel12

d

ddd2

I finally decided to take all of June off. I'm already on bed rest but couldn't afford to stop working just yet. As a hairstylist it's physically demanding and calm days mean no money so I'm best pulling out before I can hardly walk/move. This week set the tone for me. My body is crying for a break and I only work 3 days a week! I told my boss today and she seemed shocked I was leaving so early ( 36 weeks) but I just can't. This job requires energy and a good game face. The struggle is real right now!