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December 2011 Moms
Liz17860
member
Punished for being at work...? Vent
Liz17860
member
So there is a leave transfer program at work. People can donate leave to you if you are approved by HR for medical reasons and you can use it as your own. I submitted my application and have been (im)patiently waiting to hear back because quite a few people that I work with are excited about me having my first baby and want to donate a few hours here and there to help me out! Exciting right!?!?! WELL- HR guy FINALLY called me back today and said "sorry you are denied. You (chuckle) have too much leave saved up already." I'm sorry did you just laught at me? Well- yeah I've been saving for a WHILE b/c we were TRYING to get pregnant, its my first baby, I want to BF, DH won't get any time off work (currently working two temporary jobs with no benefits) so I've come to work through thick and thin for the last 2 years to save up as much time as possible so when we finally have our little bundle, I can be with her a much as possible and delay having to put her in daycare as long as possible (not to mention the whole BF thing, HR guy I know you don't understand).
If all goes well and I don't get put on bedrest between now and Dec 14th (EDD) I'll have 10 weeks saved up. 10 weeks!!! That's too much!?!?!?! WTH?!?!?! FMLA is 12 weeks!!!! A woman who works here used all her leave time up before she was preggo, then applied for the program and was donated 4 MONTHS!!!!! Which they let her take and use! I feel like I'm being punished for planning ahead and being healthy and avoiding taking vacations, etc, etc, etc.... My supervisor is even on board with me being gone as long as I want because she knows I'm a great worker and I do so much extra stuff for her and our unit.
Isn't there a stereotype out there that pregnant woman are crazy and hormonal and watch out? Doesn't this guy KNOW (because of my paperwork) I'm pregnant??? Watch out buddy! I will unleash on you!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Punished for being at work...? Vent
We have the same program at work and you have to have no sick leave or vacation leave, not be on disability, and you have a catastrophic illness.
If someone at your work has already received leave for the same thing, I would apply again after you have used up all of your time.
That's going to be my backup plan. My hubs said "take the next month off then reapply because you won't even have the physician prescribed 6 weeks off for recovery" which is also a good idea, but then I worry that I won't get enough donated to cover the time AFTER baby-girl arrives and I'll get even less time to spend with her. If it falls through I think i'll have all the paperwork ready to file and leave with a trusted coworker then have him drop it off for me at HR while I'm gone with the forms for all the donated leave that people are offerring. Only problem- it's the end of the year and people have leave they are willing to donate it because if they don't use it, they lose it. After January first, they may not be willing to donate leave, especially if they have already "lost it" and are essentially donating leave that they won't even lose. I don't know. stressing me out tho!!!! My coworker keeps joking I need to calm down or I will go into labor early and need the extra leave as a medical emergency.
Can I just say that I'm jealous you have 10 weeks after 2 years? It would take me 5 years of not missing a day of work to reach that... our leave policy sucks.
My boss actually freaked on me when she found out I filed for the entire 12 weeks of FMLA. She assumed I would be back after 6 weeks (since that is all that is paid) and has been giving me crap for wanting to take "that much time off".. sorry, 12 weeks isn't that much time and it isn't time you are going to get back with your baby either.
Hope it works out for you! I'd be talking with HR to see if there is anything you can do to get around the denial.
I could really make you ill with the time I have built up!!!! I have rarely called in sick for work until we were trying to get pregnant. My doctor wrote me out of work right away but I have to use up my sick leave before my disability can start. I started taking my sick leave May 1st and it runs out Nov 8th., then my disability will take over. And I had used about 20 sick days in March.
I do love my job, it's a shame I'll be letting it go after my maternity leave runs out. There is no way I can leave my baby.
I have 16 weeks of sick time on the books and can only use 6 of them, then I have to use vacation time to cover my leave. Thankfully I have enough banked to take 16 weeks total.
We have a similar program at work. I can't believe they denied you. I'd totally follow up with HR and share your concerns- specifically that someone in a similar situation was granted leave time.
Okay, this is a total derail from the OP, but I can't let it pass by without a comment. Really?!?! You are going to take your full maternity leave and then not return to work? Isn't that taking advantage of your company quite a bit? They extend you that leave because they expect you to return. They leave your job open for all of that time because they expect you to return. I can understand last minute changes of heart, etc., but to go into it taking all of the benefits while knowing you are not going to return...that seems horribly unethical to me.
ETA: I just realized you haven't worked since May. That adds to my shock and dismay. So basically, your company is paying you for 7 or more months without you doing a single bit of work, and you are willing to let them do that and then leave them high and dry? I get that you earned the sick time. But at most companies you staying employed there is a condition of redeeming that time. I'm just shocked. Wow.
I am an HR Director and I have to say that I agree. I have had employees come to me in the past to tell me they don't intend to come back to work after their leave, and I have so much more respect for them for being honest up front if you know this is what you are going to do. Since you did not say if you had already told them of your intention not to return or not, I am going to reserve judgement, but if you are planning on not telling them until your leave is up or close to it...that is extremely unprofessional. Not sure what your company policy is but at our company, we look at any benefits as "earned" and so we will still pay the maternity leave and then the employee separates employment as of the day they would have returned. But we have been able to plan for it and arrange/find replacements, etc.. Any other way to me is just bad practice and not professional.
Will baby #3 be another girl?
]
Dayum.... all this for sure!
Hope you don't ever need a job reference from this place because I am willing to bet all your bridges will be burned! If I was you co-worker covering for you for 7 months only to find out you were bailing, you'd be dead to me both professionally & personally.
I'm a flight attendant, my work doesn't want me to work while I'm pregnant. All the time that I have been taking I have already earned. I am following their protocol. I told them the day I found out that I was pregnant and they told me what to do and what paperwork to file. They are not "holding" a position for me. We were in the middle of a furlough when I got pregnant. So as soon as I went out they were able to bring someone off furlough.
There is nothing to pay them back for b/c I have already earned everything that I am using. My maternity leave, that I get for one year, is unpaid. If I were to leave right now, then they would have to pay me for all my unused sick leave and vacation time. Once I go on maternity leave, I have to pay for the portion of health insurance that they normally pay for. This is just how it is done in our industry and the company walks us through it. They don't expect me to know whether or not if I would want to come back a year from now. If our finances suddenly change from now to then, then I would need to go back to work. We have had several people at work who had no intentions of returning but by the time their maternity leave ended, circumstances changed and they needed to return to work. Our Company hasn't hired flight attendants for 6 years. We are currently over- staffed.
In reality, more than likely I will get furloughed in December with 150 other people.
I think I answered all the questions that were raised.......