Maternity Leave

LoriLockhart

hi band of women.

i was just looking over my maternity leave paper work and read that i have up to 11 weeks. is that pretty average? seems long to me...but i like it!

also, my boss has already been fishing for info on my plans after baby is born. i am not planning on returning but am afraid that if i tell him that now, itll effect my time here. what is proper time or notice on something like this? ive read different opinions on diff websites and some say you dont have to tell them until right before your leave is over...seems kind of rude to not give long notice....i dunno.

 

christie.h

I dunno. I get up to 12, but it's unpaid... I'll probably take 8 and then 4 PT before I come back FT. Boss said that plan sounds good to him.

blendedfammama

The FMLA states you get 12 weeks, this is by the federal government so your employer is required by law to keep your position or a similar position open for you while you are out.  Working in HR I can tell you what I have seen.  Most women out on maternity leave that chose to not come back give us their notice approx. a month before they are expected to return.

GL!

oliviasprettymommy

I have 12 weeks and I'm pretty sure you only have to give 2 weeks notice if you are planning on leaving

ZaraLou

I would talk to HR..if you have paid maternity leave then your pay may be affected depending on when you give your notice. I've also heard you may need to pay back benefits. I will probably give a 2-3 week notice that I do not plan to return.

aawilson

I'd give them a heads up (2 months before delivery I'd say), but that's just me.

However, when I talked to my HR rep he was going over maternity leave and threw in at the end "of course in the company I used to work for it was not uncommon for women to expect to come back and decide after they were gone that they enjoyed being at home". So... doesn't sound too uncommon to suck up any paid maternity leave and bail at the end.

The_Jen626

FMLA is "12 weeks unpaid and they have to hold your job for you", but you only get FMLA if you have been working full time (or close to it) for 12 consecutive months prior to going on mat leave. This really varies company to company, you need to ask your HR person, they will give you specifics. Ad if you KNOW that you aren't going back to work, then feel free to tell them that before you leave. But the general consensus is that you never know what may happen during your mat leave, so it's better to have them hold the job for you just in case. Good luck!

Kerrbearr75

That is great leave, especially if it is fully paid!  As far as not returning after, it is really a question of what you are comfortable with telling or not telling them.  I have had bosses in the past that I wouldn't care about, but I couldn't do that to my current one...would feel bad about taking the benefits just to leave them high and dry at the end. 

However, it may be determined in your benefits.  For example, it may say that you need to return for X # of days after your leave or you will owe something back (usually the insurance premiums).  It's not usually a huge cost but when a lot of people do it, it leaves a company feeling burnt and they tend to change the rules for future employees.

librarianlisa

Candi&Nate:

The FMLA states you get 12 weeks, this is by the federal government so your employer is required by law to keep your position or a similar position open for you while you are out. 

Certain rules apply. https://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/fmla/

For example, I think only employers that employ at least 50 people are *required* to offer FMLA. And then you usually have to have been employed for so long. My friend is due in April and will not be covered by FMLA because her one year anniversary with the company isn't until May.

chinitalia

In Canada we are required to provide 1 month notice if not returning to work but we are entitled to 1 year mat leave.  In US since you only have around 3 months I would say providing 2 weeks.  My thoughts.

ZaraLou

No matter what I wouldn't tell them you are not planning on coming back until after the baby is born for several reasons. You want to make sure your delivery goes as planned before just up and quitting your job and also you just never know how you will feel staying home if you have never done so before. If you want to give you work proper notice.. I would at least give it 4 weeks after delivery before telling them you don't plan to return.

nuttybunch

I wouldn't risk it. I'd be worried that if I tell them I'm not coming back after the baby is born, they'll say that my last day before my maternity leave is actually my last day of employment. I wouldn't want them to not pay me for my leave because I don't plan to come back.

Andrea&Mike

If you have benifits through your company and it is a paid leave you have to at least come back for 1 day or you will have to pay them back.

vhab

Based on all of the answers here, I'd say it varies by company, and to check with your HR department.

chudek

I dont even have a plan yet!!!  I am so far behind!  I want a leave but my company is small and they dont have procedure for this - i dont think anyone has ever worked here and been pregnant before.  I dont know where to start

kjlrs

depends on paid or unpaid. i get 5 weeks paid by STD, none from the company. but they'll let me take vacation or sick for the balance.

 

as for giving notice... before i had my DD i would have said - let them know before you go on maternity leave - because that's what feels most ethical to me. however, i have found that people tend to assume women wont be returning. which is actually sort of annoying if you are returning and are dedicated to your career. i'm fairly high up/important or whatever and extremely dedicated and after i said that i would be returning, a TON of people made comments like "yeah, well, we'll see." so based on my experiences i told my BFF who is now a SAHM that she should just say she's coming back - clearly people sort of assume that about pregnant women anyway, so she may as well take advantage and have the option to change her mind about SAH, etc.