26 Weeks Pregnant and Job Offer - advice?

Re: 26 Weeks Pregnant and Job Offer - advice?

• Frogger5 member

  March 2015

  My thought is to make sure that you can quit your current job right after your maternity leave without having to pay it back. That would be an unfortunate surprise.

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• vamaca member

  March 2015

  How would I possibly find that out? It's not like I can walk up to HR and ask...
  

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• moz3518 member

  March 2015

  Could that info maybe be on your employee handbook or STD paperwork?
  I know at my job it states underneath our leave policy that the employer reserves the right to collect any STD or maternity leave pay that was paid out if I don't return to work or if I leave within 30 days of returning.
  
  If that info is not readily available, Could you possibly ask HR that although the you are planning on returning what would hypothetically happen if you decided that you wanted to stay at home and not come back, without mentioning a new job?

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• Frogger5 member

  March 2015

  vamaca said:

  How would I possibly find that out? It's not like I can walk up to HR and ask...
  

  Why not? That's why they're there. They know the answers to those kinds of questions. I'm sure they are used to new mothers not returning, it's pretty common. It's not like it's a discretionary policy; you're either entitled to the money or you aren't.

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• vamaca member

  March 2015

  Yeah I just think they might seem suspicious or weird about it...

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• Frogger5 member

  March 2015

  vamaca said:

  Yeah I just think they might seem suspicious or weird about it...

  I don't think it would be weird to ask for their leave policy in writing (if you don't have it in an employee handbook or something), really. It is a smart thing to understand what you're agreeing to; it really would stink to have to pay it back when you weren't expecting that. Anyway, there are other details you would want to know that would be in the policy, like how their paid leave interacts with any state or local policies (or your PTO or STD if you have that), how your benefits are dealt with during your leave (do they keep paying your health care premiums?) . . . have you gotten the forms you/your doc need to fill out for the leave? If you haven't done that yet, that would be a good time to ask for the whole policy (or they'll just give it to you then anyway).

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• bowloforanges1327 member

  March 2015

  I am not sure where you live but in the US businesses aren't required to grant FMLA to new hires, often times you need to be in the position over a year to qualify. So you may only be able to take the minimum 6 weeks off. Also another thing to keep in mind Is how you are billed for your delivery expenses if you don't come back from maternity leave. I work for the county government and their policy is very flexible with time off however if you don't come back at a certain point you have to pay back insurance premiums as well as the cost of the delivery.

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• vamaca member

  March 2015

  bowloforanges1327 said:

  I am not sure where you live but in the US businesses aren't required to grant FMLA to new hires, often times you need to be in the position over a year to qualify. So you may only be able to take the minimum 6 weeks off. Also another thing to keep in mind Is how you are billed for your delivery expenses if you don't come back from maternity leave. I work for the county government and their policy is very flexible with time off however if you don't come back at a certain point you have to pay back insurance premiums as well as the cost of the delivery.

  Where do you get the "minimum 6 weeks" from? Is that from somewhere? The job is with the federal government so I hope that they will be generous but who knows. I will have to negotiate when I hear back from them with the final offer.
  
  Definitely the concern about having to pay back the paid leave that some of you have brought up has been really helpful - I need to look into that for sure.
  
  Thanks for your thoughts
  

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• Frogger5 member

  March 2015

  vamaca said:

  bowloforanges1327 said:

  I am not sure where you live but in the US businesses aren't required to grant FMLA to new hires, often times you need to be in the position over a year to qualify. So you may only be able to take the minimum 6 weeks off. Also another thing to keep in mind Is how you are billed for your delivery expenses if you don't come back from maternity leave. I work for the county government and their policy is very flexible with time off however if you don't come back at a certain point you have to pay back insurance premiums as well as the cost of the delivery.

  Where do you get the "minimum 6 weeks" from? Is that from somewhere? The job is with the federal government so I hope that they will be generous but who knows. I will have to negotiate when I hear back from them with the final offer.
  
  Definitely the concern about having to pay back the paid leave that some of you have brought up has been really helpful - I need to look into that for sure.
  
  Thanks for your thoughts
  

  The 6 weeks is the magical number of weeks they've decided women need from a medical standpoint to safely return to work after a vaginal delivery (I don't know exactly who "they" are, and it certainly isn't a universal thing). That's how much time generally your doctor would say you need to be out if you don't have any complications (and 8 weeks for cesarian birth). That would be part of your company's medical leave policy, not specifically maternity/parental leave.
  
  I'm sure there are women that don't even get the 6 weeks though, they just get fired if they can't make it in to work (no medical leave/FMLA/anything else).

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• virginiaunicorn11 member

  March 2015

  My only thought not represented here is trying to negotiate something with your new employer. Women are notoriously bad at negotiating and feeling like we don't deserve "extras." I just went through a job negotiation (very different circumstances) and, under the counsel of a great friend/mentor, negotiated hard for more maternity leave. I was surprised how easy it wound up being - the hardest part was asking and not immediately bargaining myself down, out of fear of losing the offer.
  
  Also, do NOT let HR treat you badly for wanting to know the leave policy at your current employer. Stay professional, do not get emotional or defensive, and state you find it normal and responsible to want to know the terms of your employment and benefits. It is their job, and it is your right. You owe zero explanation.
  
  Congrats on the new job! Sounds fantastic! I'm sorry for the stress, though. I find the US parental leave policies unconscionable. Wishing you lots of luck!!

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• ChrisLipstick member

  March 2015

  I was worried too about approaching HR. So I came with a list of questions about maternity leave (some of which I already knew the answers to), one of which was how long I needed to stay with the company to avoid having to pay anything back should something happen and I had to leave. They didn't even blink at the question so I guess it is quite a normal thing to ask. My employer "doesn't bind people" (their words) so there is no minimum time you have to return to work for which is great. Ask! 

   
  

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