Calling all private sector employees - Maternity Leave

[Applemuncher]

I work in the private sector and my maternity leave is rubbish!!! 6 weeks at 90% then stat.

I'm planning on writing a letter to the HR manager to say how bad this policy is in line with other similar companies. I know the Public sector are mostly well catered for (having previously worked in the public sector)but I was just wondering what everyone elses entitlement is (all ammunition for my compelling atgument ).

Is anyone willing to let me know what their policy is? (thanks in advance).

[bumperella]

Ours is the same as yours - just what the law demands and no more.
The reasoning given is that we're not a huge company so lots of maternity leave would be really tough to deal with - I can see their point, to be honest.
It's very sickening in comparison to public sector entitlements though!

[websticks]

Same here

[Overtiredmum]

I work in the private sector too, and have worked for the same company when pg with both my DCs. With my first, I only had the same as you, with my second, I was just lucky they had improved their maternity benefit, so I had 20 weeks full pay and then the statutory £120 a week or whatever it is.

Private companies are under no obligation to offer enhanced maternity packages unfortunately, as long as they provide the staturoty legal minimum.

Its a shame I know.

[Applemuncher]

I know - I can almost see their point but it's not like my employer has women in their droves going on maternity leave. It's also not a small company, it's a major private sector company. I just thought it was worth a letter.

[Applemuncher]

If anyone is willing to 'name' their employer with the good benefits then that would help me - you can PM me if you don't want to put it on the forum.

[buttonmoon78]

It's the same old. There's another thread on here at the moment started by an NHS worker where they're all down about their miserable pay. Read into that what you will - I'm already in enough trouble!

[applecharlotte]

Yep..I work for a small architects firm and only get SMP. I feel your pain!

[LadyBiscuit]

Mine was 12 weeks on full pay but that is quite unusual. I suspect that yours won't change their policy unless you can show that employers who are direct competitors have better ones.

[Sam100]

HR will probably just tell you that these are the terms and conditions you signed up to when you took the job, so tough.

What is their sick pay policy - do they only pay SSP or do they have a more generous sick pay?

If it is a male dominated sector then you could try the discrimination angle - company pays out for full sick pay which affects both men and women but not maternity pay which only affects women. But could be stymied by the paternity pay - presume they only pay statutory paternity pay too!!!

[trixie123]

same with me. Public sector not always better either, LEAs tend to give only the minimum to teachers. Bottom line argument is that the money has to come from somewhere and you don't have to have children (ducks for cover). Obviously I would love to have a year off at full pay but its not a realistic expectation, especially now. Our parents generation didn't get any and managed to produce and raise us. What I do think is that it should be transferrable between the parents so that it is not automatically womens' careers who suffer.

[preghead]

I work for a large bank (can't name it, sorry) and it it truly is a hellish place to work, trust me. However, the only reason I have stayed is that the one good thing they do do is that I get 6 months full pay then 3 months statutory and the rest of the year unpaid with job protection if wanted. This is pretty standard for all investment banks, law firms etc in the City and I think the only reason they offer it (is discretionary and can be withdrawn) is that all of their direct competitors do and so they have to offer it as part of the "package" so they can recruit from the same pool of people.

They treat you like shit when you go back but, still, I feel your pain!

[mrtumblewhereareyou]

Am a TA in a state school. We get 2 months full pay 1 month at 90% pay 3 months at 60% 3 months at 40% and 3 months 0%.

[bumperella]

I do agree that for a big employer having good maternity benefits can be massively beneficial. I guess it's all part of the cost of employing someone though, and it does make Average Woman more expensive to employ than Average Man.

It's a pretty well hidden benefit, too: like pensions and SSP a lot of folk don't factor it in when weighing up salaries!

[Applemuncher]

No, I didn't 'have' to have children but I am where I am. I have a friend who works for United Utilities who gets maternity leave for 6 months at a decreasing rate.

I just wondered how this measured up comparitively - I just think there's a farer way it could be done. I would be happy to have more maternity leave and then make it up over the rest of the year with less pay.

I'm not all out to rip off my employer, I just think there's a gentler way to deal with maternity leave requirments.

I'm the main wage earner in our family so it's difficult to reconcile the costs somethimes.

[nymphadora]

Public sector- 90% then stat pay. Local council so most people are the same. paternity pay is 1 week full, 1 stat except teachers who are 2 weeks stat.

[Floopy21]

6 weeks at 90% then statutory. I don't expect anyone to pay me to have babies.

[lucielooo]

I work for a large city firm and I get the same as preghead. Pretty good on the whole.

trixie123 our parents didn't get maternity pay but there wasn't the same financial necessity for both parents to work. As it's more common for both men and women to work so the cost of living has adjusted accordingly (house prices etc) so it's now very difficult to live on one salary. My mum took 10 years off with my sister and I and I would love to be in a position to do that but it's very rarely possible these days.

[LisMcA]

I miss on getting the "enhanced" package, kicks in if you have been witht he company for 2 years 10 weeks before edd, by a month :(

Not that it is enhanced by much. 13 weeks @90% then stat. Wowee

I work for a company who have just annouced huge profits and live off the claim of being recession proof.

Saving like mad now!!!

[preghead]

So you'll be donating your 6 weeks SMP to charity will you then floopy?

For city firms it is a retention theing as well I think - supposed to encourage you to go back so that they don't have the significant hiring and re-training costs associated with replacing you. I suppose for a large private company they cna justify it as the costs are hidden or absorbed - they nearly always replace people on mat leave with contractors which they much prefer as it comes out of consumables budget etc not staff capital costs of whatever it is (which they actually reduce by 6m by having you off) which isn't monitored by the ratings agencies etc. Not sure of the details but you know what I mean.

Someone in HR once told me that for a large co with large payroll the cost of the admin of stopping paying people and processing the SMP is actually the same or more than just cointinuing to pay them for the 6 months.

Economies of scale I guess. I do sympathise with people who only get SMP and I do understand the small companies can't absorb it as well argument but, I have to say, I specifically chose to work for a large organisation before I had children (and made sure I worked there for a good few years before I did) for this very reason - an option open to everyone.

[spilttheteaagain]

I work for a multinational pharmaceutical company (FTSE 100 beast) and we get 18 weeks full pay, then statutory.

Plus they keep up our death in service insurance payments and things for us.

HTH

[Stroplet]

Six weeks at 90% here too. I remember reading something in the Times best companies to work for that Ford offered one year full pay. Also heard Land Rover / Jaguar has a similar policy.

Might be worth having a look here www.topemployersforworkingfamilies.org.uk/winners-2009.html

Good luck!

[Poogles]

Ford give 52 weeks full basic pay! Best in country I think!

[detoxdiva]

My large retailing employer pays 12 weeks full pay, 12 weeks half pay then the rest at SMP.

[FloraFinching]

Just for comparison I work in the public sector, and get only fractionally more than stat - 6 weeks 90%, then 6 weeks half pay, before stat pay. Better than nothing but less good than many private sector organisations.

[MiniMarmite]

18 weeks at 100% then SMP. Things like car allowances continue for the full 52 weeks.