To expect Christmas pressie from work when on maternity leave?

[Stilldreamingofsun]

Currently on maternity leave. My company pass around a list before Christmas with a list of gifts e.g. Vouchers, cases of wine. I seem to have been left off the email chain. WWYD? I am thinking of emailing and saying that I would like the department store voucher please!!!

[BlueBlueSkies]

I have always sent staff on mat leave the Christmas present, invited to the Christmas party and any other event too. They are still employed and part of the team.

[BdumBdummer]

YABU.

[viques]

Are these gifts that clients send in which are then distributed to staff? In which case I think bad timing on your part. If however the company has paid for them then an email asking if you are on the list this year would be fine, though it might raise a couple of eyebrows!

[morningtoncrescent62]

If it's intentional, then I think it's a bit mean of your work. But as pp have said, it's a bonus and not an entitlement, so you could look grabby if you say something 'formal' about it.

Presumably, however, your employer doesn't just give presents because they're generous, but because it makes good business sense in terms of staff morale, commitment etc., and as a staff member who's due to return, it's in their interests to make the generous gesture. So that's making me wonder whether it's an oversight. Is there something you can do to check this out informally? Someone at work you have social contact with in any case who you can have a face-to-face conversation with, and then ask them to find out?

[NathanBarleyrocks]

I love this sort of shit...people don't want to be contacted by work when on maternity leave...except when it comes to pressies! Hilarious.

[TheCompanyOfCats]

See what happens.

I've just put together the list of gifts for my colleagues and I left our three maternity leavers out because I wasn't sure of the protocol of contacting them during leave. It's a bit of a grey area. Plus, it was all a bit last minute and I didn't want to be hanging about waiting for people who may or may not contact me to get back to me. However! I have bought them a small gift each and people who live near them are going to drop them off.

[Stilldreamingofsun]

Nathan- you're being presumptious. I'm in contact quite a bit with work and have helped my replacement a lot. It's keeping me sane from underneath a mountain of nappies and milk.

[quirkychicken]

anything you're entitled to as per your contract while at work you should also be getting while at home, that's the law - in this case YANBU

if this isn't in your contract but something nice the company does or colleagues do then unfortunatley you can't do anything

[KathArtic]

Is it you with another post from September : ^DH works in Canary Wharf so we want the commute to be no more than 1 hour 15. We need a family house and our budget is around £900,000. I have taken a couple of years off to be SAHM so would like a village or town that has lots going on. Would also be important that there are good schools nearby and nice countryside.

[VintagePerfumista]

You are in Italy OP I believe?

Frankly, you're lucky to be entitled to maternity leave, let alone the perks.

[TiredBefuddledRose]

In another couple of years you will be lucky to get any maternity leave at all, let alone paid, let alone a gift!

I realise that isn't really relevant to the thread but thought I'd chuck it in for a bigger picture thing.

[VintagePerfumista]

Or perhaps they've read your other post about having your maternity leave, wanting your next year's summer holiday pay but then not going back after because you're leaving the country.

Maybe that's it?

[unicornpoopoop]

I feel for you!

I'm on maternity leave and despite my work calling me repeatedly every time they need help, I've not been invited to the xmas party

You still technically work there so should be included!

[spacefrog35]

I haven't even been contacted by work about the fact I start back in 3 weeks let alone about Christmas

[Osirus]

I'm on maternity leave and received a gift last week - a £150 voucher. You still qualify for perks on maternity leave.

[AHedgehogCanNeverBeBuggered]

OP can you please answer the question about SMP vs full pay? That's the only way to determine if YABU or not.

[MilkTwoSugarsThanks]

Hedgehog - the OP (based on recent posts) appears to live in Italy so UK employment laws are irrelevant and SMP as we know it won't exist.

[Stilldreamingofsun]

Thank you for the replies everyone. I think I will leave it- its quite petty in the scheme of things. Blame it on the sleep deprivation.

[Heatherbell1978]

I think I'd just leave it if I were you. But then for my first mat leave I never heard from my team the whole year and didn't get invited to Xmas party.....
I'm about to start second mat leave in different department and boss has been so busy she keeps forgetting I'm leaving next week, hasn't done any of the company 'checklists' (I notified HR) and I'm 100% certain no leaving pressie will be coming my way as she's been on holiday for last fortnight and rest of team are all young males who won't be thinking about it! Oh well....

[CaraAspen]

You are not actually at work, to do
the work so yes, you are being unreasonable.

[MovingOnUpMovingOnOut]

She's not at work but still accrues holiday and other employee benefits. That's the law in England and Wales (and I'm almost certain without looking it up NI and Scotland too).

It doesn't matter whether she is going back to her job or not, where she is living (even abroad) or what other threads she has posted. It also makes no difference if she is getting SMP or OMP. So long as she is employed in this country she is entitled to the legal provisions and protections offered by the law here.

It would make a difference if she worked in Italy although the law came from an EU directive so it is likely she would have similar protections.

[user1480946351]

If you would get the benefit if you weren't on maternity leave then you should get it on maternity leave.That's been law since 5th October 2008

Not true. You don't get everything when you are on leave, and certainly discretionary things like gifts are not included. No-one is entitled to a gift.
This is like saying that if the boss brings cakes in on a friday, someone needs to drive round to the OP's house with a chocolate eclair, cos employment law.
Nope.

[MovingOnUpMovingOnOut]

Don't be absurd user. I clearly meant employment benefits and this, according to op appears to be a regular benefit people are her workplace enjoy

Discretionary things like friday cakes are not employment benefits.

[user1480946351]

Neither are christmas presents, which I think was very clearly my point.

Are they written into the contract as a benefit? I'm guessing not. It's called a gift for a reason.