Crap mat policy

[peppe]

Any sound advice appreciated! Also apologies if I've posted in the wrong thread.

I've just started a new role (2 months in) and unknowingly (for obvious reasons) they aren't aware that I plan to start a family within the next 3 years or so. Now obviously, before you accept any job offer you wouldn't ask to view the mat policy so of course I wasn't aware (I do think this should be made available however!)

Anyways I've now started and have found that they offer only stat minimum - I'm quite shocked tbh as they offer alot of other benefits so it seems mat is just insignificant, really doesn't match the rest of the company branding. So now I'm starting to wonder if I should jump ship for another employee in the hope they have something better? We don't plan to start a family for a few years but I am always ahead of my game hence already thinking about it.

Any help would be appreciated.. am I being irrational? Others benefits such as 25 days hol exc bh, office hours, generously paid however no parking. I appreciate you can't have everything but I suppose what I am asking is have others felt the same?

Thanks

Honestly I would. It's not uncommon to need to have been working at a company for some time before being entitled to their full maternity entitlement so the sooner the better. Ie pulsing just chance it though, make sure you get googling, hopefully you can check there rather that finding out once you get started.

Many workplaces only offer stat so unless you work in a sector which traditionally offers really good mat leave (public jobs civil service etc) then if the other benefits are good you might just have to swallow this one? Are you sure the stat minimum is only in the first year of employment? After which you usually get more??

Don't get too excited about public sector possibly having very good mat benefit, I think for local authorities 12 weeks at half pay after the 6 weeks at 90% is reasonably standard.

I know that's still much better than just SMP but it's not the gold plated mat pay lots of people seem to think we have.

I would seriously think about looking around for a better job if you can find one. If not use the three years to save to supplement your pay. If this company offer many other perks these might be better for you long term than short term maternity pay.

I would consider the overall offering of this role before jumping ship in search of a better maternity policy. For example, are you someone who uses all your annual leave every year? Does the company let you roll over day? What is their sick leave policy like? Is the pay better than you'd get elsewhere? If so could you save more there than in another job? Do they offer flexibility that would be hard to find elsewhere? Maternity pay is important but if the other benefits are good they may balance it out - especially if your industry isn't a sure thing for good maternity policies... Where I worked when I was pregnant with my first dc, you got 12 weeks full pay then 12 weeks half pay followed by statutory. So, a lot better than nothing but by no means worth moving jobs for if you otherwise liked your job and had capacity to save to cover maternity leave. In fact I left that job after my maternity leave with dc1 and ended up taking a role a little later (before getting pregnant with dc2) that only offered statutory mat leave because it offered flexibility that was more valuable to me.

I was in my last job 2.5 years. Great MAT policy. Actually got improved while I was there. Found out I was pregnant in October. In November I was made redundant. (Work didn't know. Redundancy was totally out of the blue). Started a new job at the beginning of the year. But I don't qualify for MAT pay, will only be able to claim mat allowance.

My point is, you can plan everything and life throws a spanner in.