Negotiating maternity pay

[guinea36]

I'm six months pregnant and worked for my company around five years.
As I've been there a while I get around three months pay at around 90 % and then statutory mat leave.
It never occurred to me that it might be possible to negotiate extending the amount of paid mat leave until the other day - when someone mentioned it to me.
I'm wondering whether even at this late stage it might be possible to persuade my boss to add an extra month on a more enhanced rate.
If so how would I go about it?- I'm not the world's best negotiator!
As background I get excellent performance reviews.
I regularly work 12 hour days, have barely taken a sick day in five years.
I received a modest promotion earlier this year with a small pay rise.However this was more of a consolation prize after missing out on another far higher paying job for which I'd been encouraged to apply and was really upset not to get. I'm now regularly covering for the person who got that job for various reasons.
I'm planning to return as full time as possible and am probably not going to take the full year. I haven't as yet given a date for mat leave to start or been asked for one. Do you think I have any chance of using my commitment and the extra responsibilities I've taken on, to negotiate a month or so of extra paid leave? Has anyone tried and if you were successful how did you do it? What kind of arguments could my boss make to refuse this and is there any way of countering them? I'm also being slightly paranoid but could requesting this make me more vulnerable to being made redundant, ie I might be more likely to be selected because I they might consider my circumstances might make me more likely to accept the payout? Any advice would be much appreciated

[Stillunexpected]

I don't think you have any chance of negotiating extra, particularly at this stage, sorry. You are already getting enhanced pay and while your past performance may be excellent, the company will be looking to the future for reasons why they should give you more maternity pay at the moment. All of the reasons why you have given - good attendance, covering for another person - would all have happened regardless of whether you were pregnant or not. I know your intention is to return soon after the birth and work almost full-time but neither you, or your company, can possibly know if that will happen. I don't think asking will make you more vulnerable to redundancy (do you have reason to think you will be made redundant?) but I don't think it will endear you to your boss to ask for even more enhanced benefits, particularly at this stage.

[IamNotDarling]

Wow Still that's a bit pessimistic! It's not like she's going off next week.

OP - no harm in asking. Nothing ventured, nothing gained! I'd set out your long term aspirations within the business, talk about your plans to return after X months and say it would really help if you could have Y number of months at Z% pay.

I would talk about how you plan to cope on your return to work to maintain your performance (but recognise that as soon as new baby goes into childcare they will get sick, a lot!). Some businesses do a return to work bonus for returning mat leave.

If you don't ask, you don't get! Good luck.

[BikeRunSki]

Bear in mind that 3 months at90%is already pretty generous. But you know,shy girls get nowt.

[CartwheelGirl]

How could your boss justify the extra pay? As Still says it would have to be something that you bring to the company, following the maternity leave, but no one really knows what will happen after (and if) you return. Some mothers don't return, some go part time, etc.

Also, why would you deserve the extra pay that other mothers in the same company don't? As a boss I would struggle to see how I can negotiate the extra pay for you unless there are some exceptional circumstances.

Three months pay is quite generous already.

[IamNotDarling]

Cartwheel this isn't about other mothers. This is about retaining a good worker and wanting them to return to work.

When negotiating your pay do you consider if everyone else needs a pay rise?

[2014newme]

What would be the benefit to the business?
None. You won't return earlier if you get more money in fact it's likely to be the opposite. Paying you more won't really retain you, if you want to leave you will do so regardless of extra payment you have had.
It sets a precedent as well.
We would say no where I work. Nothing personal but a business decision.

[2014newme]

Just to add I work in hr and would need a business case.

[CartwheelGirl]

IamNotDarling - from business point of view it is. It's about other mothers in this company too. You can't give more maternity pay to some people for no reason.

Same with payrise, people don't just get payrises for no reason. There are grades, job roles, benchmarking, all sorts, to justify what the company is paying their employees.

[BreatheDeep]

I'm with 2014newme - what would the company achieve by offering you this? There is no benefit to them. I enjoy never heard anyone negotiate maternity pay before.

[sparechange]

Isn't it problematic for a business to offer maternity pay based on individual negotiations? If the policy forms parts of you contract via the staff handbook, they could potentially set a precedent by allowing you above-usual pay

Are there other areas you can negotiate on?
For example, do you get a bonus?
Some companies will pro-rata your bonus based on how much of the year you spent on maternity leave
If your company does this, perhaps you can negotiate to be paid a full bonus rather than pro-rata?

[PigletWasPoohsFriend]

Your package is already generous.

I don't think you will get very far with asking for more.

[greenfolder]

in my view, they would be made to accept. This would create a precedence.

[Stillunexpected]

And exactly how do you think they will be "made to accept" Greenview?

[Stillunexpected]

Greenfolder not Greenview

[ZoFloMoFo]

I think green meant mad to accept.

[sparechange]

I think she meant 'mad' rather than 'made'?

[ZoFloMoFo]

I guess if you don't ask you don't get.

Don't hold your breath though.

[LadyLapsang]

What working mothers intend to do and actually do can be two different things as is evidenced by many of the SAHMs on mumsnet - many would have told their employer they intended to return. I wouldn't try to negotiate extra but would concentrate on showing you employer you are serious about your career, arranging KIT days etc. Also, you never know if you will need your employer's goodwill in the future, for example if your child had any disabilities or special needs. If you think about it, it would be like every worker trying to negotiate sick leave individually - there are good reasons why workers have collectively negotiated (to good effect) in the past which people often forget.