Poll: What do your company offer you as part of their maternity policy?

[Bouncingturtle]

Would just like some info on whether people just get the minimum or are they lucky enough to get a bit extra on top.
I'm writing to my HR department (as is a fellow colleague) because my company (heavily male dominated) only pay the minimum. Both my colleague and I work in very key positions for quite a number of years and we think it is a shoddy way to reward loyal service.
I know a few people who get half pay and the like and would just like to get a few more. It would be helpful if you could mention what sector you work in, i.e. retail, law, manufacturing etc. I work in the waste management industry, so would be veryb interested to hear from people who work in that industry also.
Many thanks for your help!!!

[beansprout]

I work in the voluntary sector and after you have been at my charity for 2 years, you get half pay for a year, (or full pay for 6 months). You have to go back for 6 months full time (or equivalent) though.

Also, they are v good at allowing previously FT staff to return on a PT basis. By doing this they have retained some key members of staff. As retention policies go, it's a good one!

[LIZS]

Retail, 10 years service. Got the statutory minimum but because the weeks in the calculation included an annual bonus it bumped up the 90% considerably. Also I was taking cash in lieu of a car etc so had that paid for 6 months and kept my discount card. At my grade I could apply for a career break which kept my pension open for a couple of years but I never went back.

[fillyjonk]

i worked in the voluntary sector (but a big local charity) and they matched the local government terms and conditions in everything (pay/maternity rights etc). Not sure WHY, they were more than capable of drawing up a contract but-they did.

This was 2 years ago but IIRC it was 4 months full pay then 2 months £100 pw, then 6 months at nowt. Didn't have to repay though. And they were very very good about sorting PT work, and also getting people BACK to FT, when they wanted to, whcih is mahoosively important IMO.

[daisyboo]

bouncing turtle.....i'm a structural engineer in a reasonably senior position and work for a private consultant.....also heavily male dominated, and I also just get SMP...no top up. It's a bit crap really.

[oooggs]

I'm a civil servant (10.5 years) currently on mat leave and I get 6 months full pay and 13 weeks stat. mat. pay (then taking 11 weeks unpaid and 8 weeks holiday)

[daisyboo]

oh, and i think i will struggle to get them to agree to part time, although one of my (male) colleagues works a four day week so that's the very least i'll get.

he does have a slightly different job though so they may use that as an excuse.

[lucykate]

i was a needlecraft designer & key account manager for both of my maternity leaves, was only paid the govt minimum. the company i worked for were part of the coats viyella group.

[fillyjonk]

mothercare, apparently, are VERY crap...

[chocolatekimmy]

Distribution for a high performing supermarket.

For over a years service its an extra 8 weeks at 90% (rather than the statutory for that time). You have to pay it back if you don't return for at least 12 weeks after the end of leave.

Thats it

[mumto3girls]

I work as a civil servant and got 6 months full pay..and you do not have to pay it back if you don't return.

[Sixofone]

I work in the NHS, and get 8 weeks full pay (inc stat mat pay) followed by 18 weeks half pay (plus stat mat pay).

[Sixofone]

You have to pay back your mat pay if you do not do 3 months service when your mat leave ends, but you have like a number of years to complete it, and it can be anywhere in the NHS, not just in your old job.

an insider tells me that the HR department do not have the resources to check whether or not you've done your 3 months so in practice they wouldn't be able to reclaim.

[ejt1764]

I'm a teacher (14 years service) and get:
4 weeks 100%
2 weeks 90%
12 weeks 50% + SMP
21 weeks SMP

You have to go back for 3 months (13 weeks) or pay back anything over SMP.

At my level (Head of Department), it's almost impossible to get them to agree to you going back pt - if you do, you have to step down as HoD - that may just be my school though ...

[cathcart]

I work for a government funded training provider and get the bare minimum - it sucks!

[lemonaid]

Bare minimum (large IT company). If I worked for DH's employers (another large IT company), though, I'd have got 6 months full pay (gone up to 9 months now, I think). Ho hum.

[BetsyBoop]

18 weeks full pay

I work for a large IT company - but I only get this as I'm a TUPEd ex-civil servant - their standard employees only get the statutory minimum

[barbamama]

I work in IT for a large US investment bank in London and am lucky to get 6 months full pay then 3 months statutory. It is the only reason I am staying there at the moment as otherwise it is a crap company to work for. Pension and annula leave acrue while away too (pension just for the 6 months I think).

[Menarefrommars]

SMP

Shite

[aimeesmummy]

Railway industry.
6 months full pay then 6 months off and the right to return to your old post or similar one at same grade/pay etc when you come back. Don't have to repay if you leave.
It's excellent but opportunities for reduced hours/part-time are rubbish.

[elkiedee]

local government

There are national terms and conditions in local govt but my own employer is better though I don't know whether that will last.

16 weeks full pay

then 12 weeks full and 11 weeks SMP
OR
24 weeks half pay

can take the rest of 52 weeks with no money

anyone who has worked for the Council for less than a year gets a bit less, there are three levels of maternity leave entitlement in total depending on service, and previous local government service doesn't count (though it does for annual and long service leave etc).

They have just decided to incorporate SMP in the provision instead of paying it in addition to the half pay, so I've lost out, plus I didn't know that I would have got it had I taken the extra 12 weeks full pay, so I made my decision on incomplete information, and I'm a trade union rep! It simply wasn't written down anywhere and I only found out the details right at the end -Personnel contacted me 2 days before I went on leave.

We have to return for 6 months afterwards or pay back anything over the 16 weeks. However, that could be pt/js instead of ft without having to do longer.

I am taking 16 weeks + 24 weeks half pay, and had 2 weeks holiday including Easter and outstanding annual leave between finishing work on 5 April and starting ML on 23 April (EDC 24/4). I will also be taking most/all of next year's annual leave including a week carried forward from this year before I go back to work, and might take a couple of weeks of unpaid ML.

Aren't rights to return to old post or suitable alternative legal entitlements not employer policy?

[bilblio]

I work for the NHS.

8 weeks full pay
then 16 weeks half pay + SMP
then 12 weeks SMP.

The pay is based on an average of the last 15 weeks I worked. Hopefully I'll do quite well because I had to use up all my annual leave before starting maternity leave so I took a few hours annual leave every week then got paid overtime rates for any extra shifts.

[TheDuchessOfNorks]

Full pay throughout. Did an hour or two's work in the evening, from home, when I felt like it.

Oh, but I'm the CEO.

And all our employees are male so I haven't been able to extend the policy. Although we do tell them to bugger off for a month or so on full pay when their partners have babies.

[Bouncingturtle]

Thanks for all your replies, this has been very useful!! It is interesting how it tends to be the traditionally male dominated industries that are the worst payers of ml pay. You'd think they pay a bit more since they won't have that many people on maternity leave!!!
at Mothercare!
I was in B&Q a few weeks ago and there was a sign up saying that their employees get half pay when on ml, the lucky sods...