New Maternity Laws

[Meanmum]

Has anyone had time to review the new maternity laws which come into effect today? Has anyone considered putting in for flexible working yet based on the laws?

I'll be interested to know how your employer handles your request.

I'm seriously considering putting in for flexible working but as we are undergoing our third redundancy programme in 12 months am concerned about how this will look.

I struggled when I went back to work as our company merged with another whilst I was on maternity leave and I came back to a whole new team who I didn't know, had never worked with and who had all worked with each other in the past.

I have been back now for nearly 12 months and am still feeling like the complete outsider with far too much in the way of politics happening. I am the least political person around I think. I couldn't play the game if I tried.

I have a boss who doesn't like me and a team who are all fighting for their bit of territory and on top of that I sit in an office miles away from anyone in my department and which no one comes to visit. Isolation isn't the word for how I feel.

I'm moaning now I know. Don't get me wrong I've tried everything I know to get on with the team (all girls except my boss) but I have a tendency to speak before I think which has severely aggravated all of them at one time or another.

Anyway, back to the issue at hand, I feel like I may be selected for redundancy in the next round but don't want to be as we have an excellent maternity policy at work which I would like to make use of for the next baby. We're trying at the moment but no luck so far.

I don't want to put nails in my coffin by now asking for flexible working. Any views.

[kaz33]

Gosh meanmum, you do have a lot of issues to deal with.

Like you I am thinking of requesting part time working when I return from maternity leave. I have raised this issue and have been told that there is soon to be a firm wide policy on flexible working - big city law firm. Have yet to recieve it but am interested to see what they say.

However, my position is different in that I positively want redundancy and am interested in doing anything to get to the top of the list.

Although not an expert, I think that they have to take your request seriously and at least jump through the hoops. Things in your favour would be if other people in your department worked part time. Would anyone else be interested in doing a job share ?

When you put in a request I think it is important to pre-empt any objections that they might have. Think how your job would work in practice and show them how it could work. You could also offer to go part time on a probabtionary period.

[miriamw]

I guess it depends on what aspect of "flexible working" you want - ie shorter hours, different hours, term-time only etc.

At present my experience in my firm and with a couple of others is that anything that reduces the wage bill is seen to be good news. 2 members of Dh's team (both men) have gone to a 4 day week, my SIL at BA has gone to term time working, and I'm on a career break for 3 years with Shell (timed to co-incide with the retirement of the current head of department as I don't really see eye-to-eye). Obviously the maternity policy is one of the things to take into account, but be aware that the rules on maternity allowance have also changed - even though I haven't been in the office since the start of April last year it appears that I am entitled to claim maternity allowance for my current pg - so I will get £2,600 over 26 weeks, which I didn't think was too bad (peanuts compared with company deal of course but I have had a year off so far....).

I suspect that, if anything, approaching your boss now would make them think carefully in choosing you for redundancy - the whole area of discrimination is an absolute minefield.

Sorry that you're not enjoying work at the moment - it sounds fairly similar to what I went back to (though I also had the challenge of doing a full time job in 3.5 days!).

[Meanmum]

Maybe today is just a bad day. The problem I have is that I love my job just not the company or the team. Believe it or not I actually work in HR but that doesn't actually make things any easier as you see everything that happens behind the scenes just a little too clearly.

I'm well aware of the ethics of our company and the value they place on employees. Considering our staff are our asset it makes it even harder to go into work knowing what they consider doing to them.

I too consider redundancy as a godsend, unfortunately it's not enough at the moment as we have just bought a house and are now trying to do some work on it.

Thanks for the tips about looking at it from their aspect. I'll bear that in mind. I haven't made up my mind if I will ask for it or not. There are others that already work part time but there isn't really anyone I could job share with.

I am really struggling at the moment with what to do. I'm very lucky that I have an understanding husband. I love my son dearly too but realise I am not a stay at home mum. To be honest I feel completely in the doldrums and just don't know how to get out. One of those moments and naturally it is that time of the month which just adds to everything.

Does anyone else ever feel like they aren't managing to be wonder woman. I never have been but even so I find it hard to come home to dirty dishes that weren't washed the night before, playing with my son, dealing with bath time and bed time and then just trying to have a life when in fact I should be doing something mundane around the house like stripping wallpaper.

To be honest the couple of hours each evening I have with my son are my saviour what with work at the moment being so pants. I'm really not making any sense at all now. I'm putting it down to pure emotions and I'm sure I'll be fine in a couple of days.

I used to work at Shell but not here in the UK. Good news about you being able to take a 3 year career break.