Employer being secretive about maternity package

[HouseAHunting]

I started a new job at the start of this year, it is all going well so far. Husband and l are thinking of maybe TTC next year. So l thought l would check what the maternity pay and leave is. All l can find out is that it is statutory pay if you have been there 6 month or more, then the policy says "employees should contact the Human Resources department who will be able to confirm what enhanced package they are entitled to". Are they allowed to do this? It seems quite odd and secretive. Everywhere else l have ever worked then it is in the policy?! Do l need to e-mail HR then? But l don't really want it broadcast we are thinking of TTC...

My old company had something similar, because it varied depending if you were salaried or hourly paid, but they didn't want to make the disparity obvious to everyone on the intranet

Could it be a similar thing?

@SW1amp that is the vibe l am getting. Maybe depending on what grade you're on? That doesn't seem very fair to me

Think there might be a few different reasons. If your company has previously bought out another company with different employment terms in the last few years then there may be differences in enhanced mat pay due to TUPE requirements. Or your enhanced package might depend on length of service possibly. So say 3 years or more gets a bigger package.

Perhaps there’s just too many variables and so it’s easier to ask your questions individually. Surely, if you told someone in HR their own job would be on the line if they went around blabbing that you were TTC. Many moons ago, my old work had an on-site (very cheap) nursery. All ofsted registered obviously. It had an 18 month waiting list so people would put their names down once they/their partner’s became pregnant. The manager was extremely discreet 😂

Oh, also, you're entitled to SMP from the day you start as long as you aren't already pregnant when you start working there (that's basically how the numbers work)

Different grades, length of service, as a pp says some people under TUPE, there could be any number of reasons. Assume SMP in your calculations and anything extra will be a bonus.

Pretty standard, particularly if lots of growth and take overs of other firms . Different contracts depending on when started etc.

Just assume SMP. 90% for six weeks and then SMP for up to nine months, and final three months unpaid. Base your planning on that basis

Is it a big company? Can you make a new anonimised email address and ask them by email?

It seems pretty standard to me - the "enhanced package" your company offers is clearly affected by many variables - salary/hourly; grade level; length of service; holiday entitlement; bonus/commision schemes etc - and so rather than have to try and cover every single variable above and beyond SMP in the standard policy, they ask individual staff to contact HR to work out their individual package based on their specific circumstance.

It's the same where I work and it's because so many staff have been TUPE'd from other employers.

Some people have been TUPE'd several times over, which must make it a bugger to work out. One former colleague is now back with the employer she was with several years ago, and has been TUPE'd 3 or 4 times in between

Just ask HR in confidence. It's hardly broadcasting it.

In our company, the enhanced package was only offered with a minimum of 5 yrs service.
When I had my first dd, I didn’t qualify and only got SMP. 4yrs later when I had her sister I qualified for enhanced which was 70%of my wages for 6 months.

It’ll be different packages depending on grade, maybe? That’s fair enough.

I think they could give some idea though - eg when I had my son the basic package if you had a year's service was full pay for 6 weeks, 1/2 pay for 5 months and then SMP for the rest of maternity leave (which was 10 months at the time). If you didn't go back you had to pay back the enhanced payment.

They had various TUPE contracts but that was the basic offer. I can't see why they couldn't say that and then "but this may vary according to your job role and contract so please contact HR".

Another job only offered statutory, so that's what they said. They didn't make you contact them to ask them.

Colin

But HR have said that. They have said that it's SMP and then any enhanced will depend

@ColinTheKoala - standard is statutory.

As PPs said if there have been take overs and staff have been TUPEd they may have quite a few different maternal and parental leave packages.

I can't see why they couldn't say that and then "but this may vary according to your job role and contract so please contact HR".

That is literally what they have done @ColinTheKoala, statutory is the basic package and then any enhanced offer is subject to your circumstances so you need to talk to HR to confirm what you are entitled to.

The basic offer is "statutory pay if you have been there 6 month or more" followed by "employees should contact the Human Resources department who will be able to confirm what enhanced package they are entitled to"

Just ask HR, what's the big deal? You're not broadcasting you're pregnant, you just want to know where you stand.

* It seems pretty standard to me - the "enhanced package" your company offers is clearly affected by many variables - salary/hourly; grade level; length of service; holiday entitlement; bonus/commision schemes etc - and so rather than have to try and cover every single variable above and beyond SMP in the standard policy, they ask individual staff to contact HR to work out their individual package based on their specific circumstance.*

^This

What's secretive about this? They literally say contact us for more details, there is no need for every option to be out on display tbf

Are there other benefits you could enquire about in a kind of mass “just understanding my benefits and entitlements” style question? So you don’t make it obvious that you’re after the mat details.

@Coop80 it is to me. Everywhere l have ever worked it is on the intranet and broken down for all to see, for both statutory and enhanced.

But this company is different and people have explained why. Different contracts etc.

It would be secretive if you asked and they gave you a vague non-answer. It will be to do with length of service or employees who have been TUPEd.

Just ask. For example if the package is better if you've been there for five years then that might influence your decision making