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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask what your maternity package was/is?

142 replies

JustStirItUna · 28/01/2015 14:12

I work for a fairly large firm (250+ people) and it's very 'male' heavy with a lot of engineers. One of the directives for this year is for the company to employee more women in engineering roles.

This is great, but it bothers me that the maternity package is shite (6 weeks at 90% then straight onto SMP). We have a forum where we can ask questions anonymously, but as we're so short of women (especially ones of child bearing age) it might be obvious that this question has come from me or someone in my (female heavy) dept.

So can I ask what your package was/is? And whether I should raise this as a concern for a company actively trying to recruit young (graduate) female engineers?

OP posts:
Figster · 28/01/2015 21:14

Work for a private sector employer 10,000+ employees in UK we have 12 weeks full pay then on to SMP

Usernamegone · 28/01/2015 21:22

Unfortunately in male dominated industries they don't seem to see paying any kind of an enhancement to SMP as a priority. This is a shame as since they have such a small female population that it would probably cost them a tiny amount of money overall. I've worked for several manufacturing companies and a construction company and they have all just paid the statutory minimum Sad

HerRoyalNotness · 28/01/2015 21:25

In UK I got the standard 90% of pay, then SMP. Working for a very large, international engineering company.

The engineering company that I work for now offer nothing, we travel as expats and tbh they treat us like contractors rather than employees. We get what the country we are in offers, and if that is nothing, then that's what we get.

I did hear of an oil exploration company here that has an onsite creche. Now that would definitely make me interested in going to work for them. It could cater for 0-3yo, then at 3 they could go off to preschool. Even if I was paying the full fees for it, just the company providing the space and an outside childminder coming in, it would be wonderful.

TweedAddict · 28/01/2015 21:32

I get 9 months at 90%. Then 3months at 50%.

I work in a doctors, they haven't have a baby born (by staff) for about 10yrs so the package is very good

a2011x · 28/01/2015 21:37

I worked for greene king and it was standard, I now work for the NHS which is much better

RigglinJigglin · 28/01/2015 21:44

Small telecoms company 16weeks full pay, 23 weeks SMP and then 13 weeks zero - we do get our annual bonus award when it's due too in the autumn which worked out pretty well for me last time just as I went down to zero payment!

Degustibusnonestdisputandem · 28/01/2015 21:46

Oxbridge.... 4 months full pay

bedraggledmumoftwo · 28/01/2015 21:53

Another civil servant

28 weeks full pay, 11 weeks smpGrin then 41 days leave to come back to (basically another two months full pay!) Grin

oneowlgirl · 28/01/2015 21:54

Large FTSE 20 engineering based company & we get 6 months full pay, 3 months SMP & 3 months unpaid. Plus you accrue your holidays & bank holidays which generally means there's another month on full pay thrown in (depending on how you choose to take it obviously).

LuluJakey1 · 28/01/2015 22:47

Most of these are better than the one in teaching. I had no idea.

Tulipblank · 28/01/2015 22:56

I work for an enormous engineering company. They are great with flexibility, part time hours etc (I'm not an engineer). Maternity package worked out at around 6 months full pay (although that included the SMP element).

Not read the read yet, so apologies if it's moved on!

DragonRojo · 29/01/2015 07:09

11 years ago in large company: full salary for 6 months.

hettie · 29/01/2015 08:34

SMP only.. (Third sector Sad)...

CommanderShepard · 29/01/2015 09:21

Previous job in large publishing firm: SMP only.

New job in very small IT firm: they're deciding now, since I'm the only female employee!

BlueKarou · 30/01/2015 12:49

I've just checked (not pregnant, but hoping to be sometime this year)

I work for a national charity. We get 18 weeks at 90% and then 21 weeks at SMP. (Can take 52 weeks off, but the last 13 weeks would be unpaid.)

Interestingly they also offer a Childcare Allowance for mothers returning from ML which is an additional £175 per month for 6 months (less tax & NI).

RabidFairy · 30/01/2015 13:00

My current place of work is a small business (9 employees) so I will get 90% for 6 weeks, then SMP. I can take a total of 39 weeks of paid leave and my employer can claim 100% of the costs so she won't be out of pocket and can afford to cover my role while I'm off.

My former place of work was in the public sector so for my DD and DS I got 6 months full pay, then 3 of SMP. This third baby was not planned! Wink

850Pro · 30/01/2015 13:15

As an employer I only pay the 90% for 6 weeks then SMP,

I could pay more but it will cost money out of my staff budget, I prefer to use this to pay all my staff a higher wage.

whatsoever · 30/01/2015 13:24

Big 4 accountancy firm

4.5 months full pay, 4.5 months SMP, 3 months unpaid.

TeaandHobnobs · 30/01/2015 13:38

Very large engineering consultancy - 12 weeks full pay, then SMP until 39 weeks.

I seriously doubt that female engineering graduates are going to be looking at the company's maternity package as part of their decision whether to apply? Much more important to ensure that women have the same career prospects / leadership opportunities as the men from the start, before you even get to the having-children stage (assuming that most female engineering graduates would probably wait a few years before having a family - at least that is what I have observed in my company). That's the point where you need to support them to come back, as fiorentina says.

Clarinet9 · 30/01/2015 13:47

Completely irrelevant when their action was to advertise my job, hold interviews and give it to someone else.

then they wrote to me saying that person didn't want to start for 3/4 months and would I mind coming back and working until they wanted to start.

Needless to say they didn't offer me a pay off redundancy etc they did take several aggressive and threatening steps to try and make me pay my maternity pay back though.

PterodactylTeaParty · 30/01/2015 14:00

Completely irrelevant when their action was to advertise my job, hold interviews and give it to someone else.

It is really maddening how many employers try to pull this sort of thing. I spent months of a hellish pregnancy fighting with my employers about my right to return to work - they saw no problem at all with making me redundant and paying someone else to do my job instead. They still maintain they did nothing wrong, although mysteriously managed to cough up the maternity package cash and let me keep the job when the union started talking tribunals Hmm

Clarinet9 · 30/01/2015 14:11

Agree sadly my union prevaricated to put me 'out of time'

They are well known for being useless

MaidOfStars · 30/01/2015 14:20

University/academia.

6 months full pay, 3 months statutory, 3 months unpaid. Holiday accrual means that most of my friends have returned to work at 11 months and taken the 12th month off in holidays, while getting full pay.

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 30/01/2015 14:24

Public sector, 1 year to qualify, 26 weeks full, 13 weeks SMP, 13 weeks unpaid, have to return for at least a month to avoid repaying.

ItalianWiking84 · 30/01/2015 14:34

52weeks full pay and dp 12 weeks full pay

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