Did you not come back to work after LO was born?

azaretsky

Hi ladies - 

I'm considering not going back to work (or at least to the company where I currently work) after LO is born. Nothing has been decided - but that is an option. If you have done that, I'm wondering what would happen. Do you have to 'pay back' whatever the company pays to cover maternity leave? How did you handle the conversation in general? 

TIA!

ASmallWonder

Truly, no one else's experiences matter here because it 100% depends on your company's policy.  I think they SHOULD charge you back anything they paid you or or you (like insurance, 401k, etc) if you don't come back because in essence, you've quit when your baby is born but tricked them into thinking they were offering to a benefit in order to allow you to enjoy your time with your baby and then come back as a  dedicated employee.

azaretsky

My intent is obviously not the "trick" anyone - I will tell them my plans as soon as I know what my plans are. I did find out that the maternity leave benefit is a disability payment that I pay into (those are part of the deductions from my check) - so that's my hard-earned money. I get your point about insurance (the employer's part), though. 

mamasoup030

I recently switched jobs after my maternity leave. It was not planned but an opportunity arose and I grabbed it . I returned to my job for 1 week to pass on my duties before starting my new one. I had to pay my health care costs but otherwise there were no bad feelings on my employers part. I will admit my decision to move was based on the poor support I received from my organization during complications during my pregnancy and after the birth, but I simply told them that after having a baby the long commute was my deciding factor.

olga1311

I did not go back to work after maternity leave and didn't have to pay back anything. The only thing I would have been on the hook for is to pay back the cost of health ins but just in case I decided not to come back I went on DH's insurance prior to going on maternity leave. I sent my boss an email a month before I was due back saying I am sorry but I decided to stay home with my baby. That was it pretty much.