AIBU to ask what you want for a maternity leave package?

[lovelymama]

Posted this in the 'work' section but didn't get a response so trying here instead. I set up a company last year and I'm getting my maternity policy in place but I want to know what people really want from a maternity/parental leave package. I'm keen to recruit more women and part of this is creating an attractive maternity policy. Keen to hear from people what they consider to be important.

We are a small IT company. The roles are skilled - coding. Salaries are in line with industry standard/maybe slightly higher, pension, bonus, health care. We don't have offices so WFH is standard. We're looking at offering between 4-6 months full pay then the remaining time (up to 12 months) statutory maternity pay. We are sorting Child Care vouchers for return to work.

So is there anything else you can think of that you would value as a working parent? Doesn't have to be financial, could be other things that make life easier as a working parent.

Any comments welcome!

I think it looks high for a small company. There’s not many small companies that pay over and above smp. Would you be able to afford it if a couple of employees went ok smp at same time as presumably you’d have to pay temps to cover work so you’d be paying four lots of wages for two people

Where do you work, can I get a job there?

As an aside I work in IT for a large multinational. 6 months full pay but the biggest draw is flexible working. Some women have even opted for a phased return.
We also have subscription to an app that allowed people to find reliable childcare

My current company's "parental leave" package includes

• 12 months of paid maternity leave at 67% of the monthly salary OR 24 months paid leave at about 34% of the monthly salary (can be taken by either parent), an additional 12/24 months can be taken unpaid (so up to 3 years in total)
• part time can be offered upon return
• childcare in private nursery/school is part funded and dependent on how long someone has been with the company (so initially, they pay 30% of the fees, after 2 years 50% and after 5 years 70%)
• you get 20 child sick days a year, paid at 67%

However, the main part is the attitude towards parents. If my child is sick and I have to stay home, then that is considered OK. Nobody makes me feel bad about it. If I have to rush off and get to nursery to pick DS up, then that's considered normal. In return, I'm trying incredibly hard to get everything done in the time I have. I'm happy to take on extra stuff as much as possible. I'm actually very good at my job.

In contrast, when I returned to my previous employer after maternity leave and DS had the initial bouts of catching every bug going at nursery, I was threatened with capability procedures should I be off again within the next 6 months. Now that makes you feel valued...not.

Adding also that the culture of the team makes a difference. Women don’t get sidelined after coming back from mat leave (some people have even been promoted straight after returning)
Have to admit thought that there are very few women in ‘technical’ roles still. I haven’t spoken to a woman in weeks

And as @Dizzyhedgehog yea no clock watching!
People have school run etc in their calendars. Even men. Including my boss who’s a director.

Great place to work really only reason I’d consider leaving is for a change of environment (we’re not an IT company after all) but this is a good culture for women

In addition to what's been said, please allow flexibility for dads that you employ to take shared parental leave on full pay after their partners return to work. So say a company offers first 6 months on full pay - offer the option to use it at any time during the first 52 weeks from the birth of the baby instead. You will see the uptake of shared parental leave will increase massively, which is a positive. Flexibility is everything.

One thing I often think is missing is a chat with dads when their babies are around 8/9 months old. This conversation would be focused on explaining how flexible working can work for them and is possible. Encouraging them to think about it and apply for it.

I've lost count of the new mums I've spoken to who tell me their partner 'can't possibly work part time / flexibly' when they can they just don't think it's acceptable / want to.

9 months is around the time that either mum returns or is thinking about returning and usually fretting about how she'll manage both nursery drop off and pick up.

Oh gosh I would have loved a prem baby policy when DC was born.

Echoing previous posters: definitely don't just focus on the women. Flexibility for men and a proper shared parental leave policy are also brilliant things to have!