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Original poster

New employee getting a better maternity package than everyone else

62 replies

Mlos · 04/07/2024 15:06

I work for a small private bank, we are expanding our in house wealth management so hiring.
I've recently found out the newly appointed team lead has been offered a better maternity package than everyone else as an incentive to join.
Our default maternity package is 39 weeks full pay from a year of service, then 13 weeks statutory pay.
The new employee will be getting 52 weeks full pay and then 26 weeks of 50% pay. As someone who is trying for her first child it's really annoyed me.
I'm not sure why but this new employee is getting a lot of benefits we don't usually see (enhanced pay, flexi hours that we don't usually see including 2 days of finishing at 1 and starting again at 8 for 2 hours).

AIBU to question if this is fair? Can one employee be offered a different maternity package than everyone else?

OP posts:
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PedantScorner · 04/07/2024 17:48

Maybe the chopsy colleague told you a tall tale to see if she could land you in trouble.

Lifechanging12 · 04/07/2024 17:37

18 months of paid maternity leave - are you sure this is true?!

Your maternity leave is very good! 39 weeks of full pay. I am incredibly jealous !

LIZS · 04/07/2024 17:32

Statutory pay is 0 after 39 weeks.

Testina · 04/07/2024 17:29

Good for her!

Catnipcupcakes · 04/07/2024 17:26

I could just be being daft here but it makes no sense to me that a company would offer an impossibly great maternity leave to a new employee as an incentive to join. Isn’t it just asking for her to take it, ASAP and as many times as she likes and never actually be there to do the job they are apparently desperate for her to fill?

Maybe the job’s not that vital, the employee isn’t that great, and its pure nepotism?

circular2478 · 04/07/2024 17:20

Your existing package is amazing. Her package- 18 months off work full pay for a year and half pay for ) months is unheard of.

FTPM1980 · 04/07/2024 17:08

This is the first time I have heard a "head of" or "chief" be called a "team lead"
OP definitely downplayed the seniority of the role in the first posy.
A role like that will have been head hunted in which case not surprised she could name her package. And if she is the only woman at the level I am not surprised they gave it to her.

But I still think the idiot who typed up the contract is probably mistaken or exaggerating. They obviously aren't the sharpest tool.

Beekeepingmum · 04/07/2024 16:51

Wow you've got to respect someone coming in with the confidence to negotiate maternity leave! Good on her.

TemuSpecialBuy · 04/07/2024 16:50

JurassicClark · 04/07/2024 15:22

Good for her!

Time for you to start looking for somewhere new, and negotiating a similar package for yourself, perhaps?

Yep.

I’m the sort to negotiate and encourage other women to do the same.

FuzzyStripes · 04/07/2024 16:36

Good on her for negotiating this. The company value her enough and agree she is worth this.

Different contracts are perfectly legal. Benefits and salaries are often negotiable.

ThreeEggOmlette · 04/07/2024 16:33

Emptyandsad · 04/07/2024 16:02

I wonder if this woman, who is obviously planning to conceive, is on MN? If she is, she will certainly recognise herself here. There can't be sooooo many small private banks currently offering enhanced maternity packages to a senior new recruit

And I'll bet there's only one person in the small private bank who typed up the contract too, so they've been chucked under the bus!

Ghostgirl77 · 04/07/2024 16:28

Yep, this can happen. My employer has offered better contracts to people who started after me and are less good at the job, they just happened to apply at a time when they were desperate for staff and willing to offer over the odds. It sucks but it’s allowed.

Wonderfulstuff · 04/07/2024 16:26

Mmm I'm sceptical. Even the best companies would struggle to be without someone for 18 months.

PlanningTowns · 04/07/2024 16:25

Wow - the person who told you will be up for (most likely) gross misconduct if you do anything with this information.

so what can you do - go to your union (because of course you are in one) and raise it with them… ask if they can negotiate a change in policy for all staff. But see the point above because they will want to know where the info has come from!

PedantScorner · 04/07/2024 16:15

If she's on that good a deal, she'll be having a few children at evenly spaced intervals.

Feelsodrained · 04/07/2024 16:15

So she gets a year and a half off? That’s longer than what they need to keep her post open for though so a bit of a risk I’d have thought.

Epicaricacy · 04/07/2024 16:09

It's a great lesson, negotiate, negotiate.
if you don't ask, you don't get!

It often makes you look more professional and interesting as an employee if you bother negotiating hard.

thecatsthecats · 04/07/2024 16:08

I negotiated extra holidays at a previous role.

I was bloody worth it, therefore they were granted.

In my experience, there are people who argue that they should get the same as other people, and people who prove they're worth more than other people.

Very rarely the same people...

PickledPurplePickle · 04/07/2024 16:07

Mlos · 04/07/2024 15:19

No and it's hard to compare by level as the other "head of's" and C-suite roles are all held by men.
The person who had to write up her contract told me.

Show quote history

This is not only unprofessional but a huge breach of GDPR - this person could be fired for gross misconduct if this breach is discovered

You have a very impressive maternity package already

Sounds like she has negotiated, but it is not discrimination

Emptyandsad · 04/07/2024 16:02

I wonder if this woman, who is obviously planning to conceive, is on MN? If she is, she will certainly recognise herself here. There can't be sooooo many small private banks currently offering enhanced maternity packages to a senior new recruit

ChopSue · 04/07/2024 16:02

Hoppinggreen · 04/07/2024 15:23

Thats very unprofessional

Show quote history

And worrying as he/she works for a bank. What other data breaches might they be making?

PedantScorner · 04/07/2024 16:01

Shoot the messenger.

MrsSunshine2b · 04/07/2024 15:59

It sounds like both of you have an excellent package and way over statutory requirements. You should not have been told and the person that told you could lose her job and face legal repercussions, because it's not actually any of your business. If you feel like you could get a better deal elsewhere, find another job and then see whether your current employer raises their standards to meet it or lets you go.

paristotokyo · 04/07/2024 15:58

Your current package is amazing.. I only get SMP. But anyway good for her, she's clearly made a great impression and they want her on board. If it really bothers you, negotiate. But not sure how you'd do that without putting your foot in it considering the date breach of you finding out this confidential information. Yikes.

pontipinemum · 04/07/2024 15:52

Your package sounds pretty good from where I am. But anyway, I'd say she just negotiated better/ they want her more