Matb1 form and work won't acknowledge?!

[Kindofcrunchy]

I'm 25 weeks pregnant and verbally informed my employer (a company director) at 12 weeks. However since then there has been no discussion of what will happen when I want to take maternity leave, and I'm getting concerned now! There's no HR dept or rep to send the Matb1 form to, just the directors of the company, and emails I send them are never replied to. The office manager was employed only a few weeks ago and still in training himself. So my question is - do I have to formally tell someone in writing, if so who do I send the form to and inform of how long I intend to take off? The role is only part time, but it's something that needs doing continuously otherwise the amount of work spirals out of control. There's been no discussion about who takes over my role - important as I'll need to train someone - and I've even had a colleague look shocked at me when I said I'd probably take the full 52 weeks off! All of this worries me when quite frankly I have enough to worry about. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Just write an email with the MAT B form stating it’s to notify them when you’d like to leave, how long you intend to take off. You tell them, it’s not the other way round.

It’s not your concern how they sort your cover.

Agree with liggenchuggit. You do what is required of you and leave them to sort out their jobs.

Who do toy report to? Who signs your holidays and does your 1 2 1s?

Who does your payroll? Surely they'd need a copy of the form?

The guy who did my last 1 2 1 retired in June and no one replaced him. My payslips are processed by the office manager, the current one hasn't been in the role long enough to actually do payroll (the last two managers only lasted a couple of months each). I submitted my last holiday request through a hr website they use, someone faceless approved it, I went on holiday anyway without knowing who it was! Honestly it's all such a complete shambles here, I want to leave the role once I'm done with leave. I just need to make sure I actually get paid the smp even though its a pittance.

I'd send it to the office manager anyway. If he's not trained to know what to do with it that isn't your problem.

Send the Mat1B to your manager and copy the directors in. Advise them of the date that you intend to start your Mat Leave and ask them how they intend to cover you as that temporary person will need training on XYZ and you would suggest that they are in place by X date so that you have enough time to train them.

Your obligation is to inform your manager and ensure the person that does payroll is aware. Make sure you do this via email so you have evidence of this in case they start dicking around. It does sound shambolic and not somewhere I'd want to work but they have a duty to ensure you receive statutory maternity pay.

If it reaches the point where they don't pay your SMP, then the HMRC disputes team are really very good, if a little busy and hard to get hold of.

You will get the money you are owed. There may be a delay and a big fine for your employer in the mean time.

In that case, email the MATB1 to the office manager, and cc in the directors. In the email, tell them which date you intend to begin your maternity leave and ask them to calculate how much Leave you are due that you can use up beforehand (you will accrue leave whilst on Mat Leave too).

You don't need to inform them when you plan on returning and they cannot ask - the assumption is 52 weeks unless you say otherwise, and you only have to give 8 weeks notice of your intended return date if it is not the full 52 weeks.

If you have time I'd write some handover notes to show willing then not give them a second thought when you leave on your last day