Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask employer for extra financial support

93 replies

girlsallowed21 · 12/05/2021 16:15

I'm currently pregnant in my 3rd trimester (27 weeks) and looking forward to a nice maternity leave...

The company I work for just dropped a massive bombshell on us and basically there's going to be lots of job cuts.
I'm devastated. We don't know who's affected yet but it just really sucks!
We'll find out in a few weeks but in the meantime I'm just keeping my fingers crossed I'm safe.

I've been with them just over 3years and the maternity benefits are really good. You get 32 weeks fully paid (the normal 6 weeks plus 26 weeks additional as employee benefits).

If I get made redundant I will lose all of that. Which is a huge difference!
So I've gone from feeling relaxed to now stressing tf out about the future. Last thing I needed was to worry about finding work immediately after having my baby.

DH and I already have a toddler and this would be baby number 2. So it's such a huge financial strain on us.

Has anyone ever been in this situation before? What can I do? What are my rights?

Would I BU to ask my employer to provide some extra financial assistance in case I'm one of the people being made redundant??
So stressed and honestly frustrated as nobody saw this coming.

Thanks all 😔

OP posts:
GreenTreeLeaves · 12/05/2021 17:22

Extra money for what?

You beginning mat leave early shouldn't have an Impact on your chances of redundancy as it is the position made redundant, not the person. There are stringent employment laws surrounding redundancy, although discretion can be exercised around severance pay.

I understand you're worried, but I don't think you can ask for preferential treatment simply because you are pregnant again.

JustCatting · 12/05/2021 17:22

I'm sorry op, that's tricky.

But you definitely can't ask for preferential treatment for being pregnant.

Original poster
girlsallowed21 · 12/05/2021 17:23

@osbertthesyrianhamster

So you want preferential treatment in the form of financial compensation because you're pregnant or it's discrimination but it's not discriminatory to other employees to do this? Hmm
I'm not asking for preferential treatment. I'm assuming whatever they offer me when I ask would be what every other pregnant employee would be getting . There wouldn't be a special package just for me lol! I'm just wondering if this is the done thing seeing as I've never been in this situation before
OP posts:
Original poster
girlsallowed21 · 12/05/2021 17:27

@WhiteVixen

My company did a round of redundancies when I was pregnant with my second, two years ago. Luckily I kept my job but as part of the consultation process it was agreed that any pregnant woman who was more than 25 weeks at the point of being made redundant would also receive the full maternity pay they would have been paid over the course of their maternity leave, including any additional maternity pay offered over and above the statutory. So if I had been made redundant I would have walked away with nearly a full year's salary. So I would be asking, as part of the consultation process, what they are able to offer in terms of maternity pay, as you are now 27 weeks.
That is very generous! it gives me hope to know some companies do this. We'll find out more in the next few weeks.

Was this just for pregnant employees or did everyone get this?
Many posters seem to think it's discrimination or preferential treatment which I really don't want to come across as if I mention it 😩😩

OP posts:
SecondGentleman · 12/05/2021 17:35

Being on maternity leave gives no added protection.

Yes it does. It means that if her role is made redundant then she should be offered any suitable alternative vacancy.

OP you can start your mat leave from 29 weeks. If you think that it might be a situation where people will be interviewing for remaining roles, I'd seriously consider starting mat leave early enough to get this extra protection.

TakeYourFinalPosition · 12/05/2021 17:44

I wouldn’t ask for anything specifically. I’d wait and see what they propose; and if it’s not forthcoming, ask how your maternity pay will be determined. They’ll have a policy on this to make it fair.

ThatIsMyPotato · 12/05/2021 17:50

@JustCatting

I'm sorry op, that's tricky.

But you definitely can't ask for preferential treatment for being pregnant.

You can and you should. Eg. If there is a team of 5 being cut to a team of 3 then OP should be offered one of those roles over anyone not pregnant
NavigatingAdolescence · 12/05/2021 17:54

@Camomila

I googled this last year (my company had a round of redundancies while I was on mat leave), and read that while your role can get made redundant while you are on mat leave they should give you priority for any other suitable roles in the company.

We used a points based system so I got excluded from consideration as I hadn't been in for ages at that point, but I'm not sure that would help the OP.

If you’re on maternity leave you have additional rights that you don’t have while pregnant.
KizzyMoo · 12/05/2021 17:59

Wouldn't be fair on everyone else would it.

osbertthesyrianhamster · 12/05/2021 18:03

Wow, how discriminatory against those who aren't pregnant.

Flackattack · 12/05/2021 18:17

It is so unhelpful when people chip in with mean and incorrect advice. Being pregnant is a protected characteristic and does have protections.

Just ring ACAS or maternity action for factual advice.

I think you potentially get more money before starting maternity leave due to how they calculate notice etc so worth finding out the actual facts.

You get preferential treatment on any available jobs but fundamentally it is the role not the person but if you had reason to believe they chose your role over a non pregnant person then that would be unfair dismissal.

I was made redundant on maternity leave - it was really rubbish at the time as I had the same fears as you but honestly all worked out really well in the end. I heard this from lots of people too! I got my dream job part time during a pandemic so good things can happen!

Bluntness100 · 12/05/2021 18:25

Yes it does. It means that if her role is made redundant then she should be offered any suitable alternative vacancy

She has to be offered that anyway. All employees are. It does not mean she leap frogs everyone else and becomes the most suitable.

Pinpointer · 12/05/2021 18:32

She should be entitled to the full SMP amount on top of redundancy and notice pat if made redundant while already on maternity.

cat8986 · 12/05/2021 18:32

I wouldn’t be worried at all, and don’t ask for anything extra.
As PP said, being pregnant is a protected characteristic and they should be doing everything they can to avoid any potential employment tribunal from you.
ACAS are great for advice and support. Start with them. Don’t engage in any communication with your company without consulting them first.

SecondGentleman · 12/05/2021 18:35

@Bluntness100

Yes it does. It means that if her role is made redundant then she should be offered any suitable alternative vacancy

She has to be offered that anyway. All employees are. It does not mean she leap frogs everyone else and becomes the most suitable.

It literally means exactly that. Here you go: workingfamilies.org.uk/articles/redundancy-while-on-or-shortly-after-maternity-leave/

"You do not have to apply or be interviewed for any suitable alternative vacancy but should be offered it over your colleagues."

headintheproverbial · 12/05/2021 18:35

Absolutely ask.

Doghead · 12/05/2021 18:42

YABU. Your needs are no more important than anyone else's

ballsdeep · 12/05/2021 18:44

@Fairyliz

The same thing happened to me when I was pregnant but I got my maternity pay and redundancy money, although that was a few years ago. Anyone in hr you can talk to?
I was the same. I had my mat money paid for 9 months as a lump sum
RaspberryCoulis · 12/05/2021 18:51

I think when people are talking about "preferential treatment" they mean that the OP is looking for preferential treatment over their colleagues who are not pregnant. And she absolutely is.

Jeschara · 12/05/2021 18:51

You should get what you are entitled too. Do not ask for anything else.

Bluntness100 · 12/05/2021 18:55

You do not have to apply or be interviewed for any suitable alternative vacancy but should be offered it over your colleagues."

Wow, I didn’t know that and that’s shocking, it’s a law I find fundamentally wrong. The best person for the job should be given it, male, female, able bodied, disabled , any nationality, any religion, anything. The last to have a baby should not jump the queue.

Definately · 12/05/2021 18:56

@osbertthesyrianhamster

Wow, how discriminatory against those who aren't pregnant.
It's to level the playing field. Employers got away with dismissing women for getting pregnant for a LONG time.
Original poster
girlsallowed21 · 12/05/2021 18:59

Thanks for all your comments 😃
I'm going to look up the resources mentioned on here.

I'm in no way looking for preferential treatment. My understanding was redundancy means you don't get ANY maternity pay from your employer at all. But based on some of the above comments it's possible in some cases so I'll research that.

Sorry if by saying 'extra financial help' I made it sound like I wanted some kind of special treatment. I don't. I was thinking more on the lines of apart from the standard SMP what extra benefits could I get...
Going into this with the mindset that I will not be entitled to maternity benefits so anything they offer me would be extra help.
😅

OP posts:
ThatIsMyPotato · 12/05/2021 19:01

@osbertthesyrianhamster

Wow, how discriminatory against those who aren't pregnant.
It's to stop employers discriminating and booting out the pregnant women over anyone else.
OOAOML · 12/05/2021 19:01

How long have you worked there and is there a group consultation? Also check what your notice period is? The process can take a while and your mat leave may start during it even if you don't go on leave early.