AIBU to take maternity leave as planned?

[ApricotsAndCream]

TL;DR: should I agree to delay starting maternity leave so that my office has more time to hire cover

I’m pregnant with my first baby after years of fertility problems. The first trimester was rough, physically and emotionally. I’m better now but booked my maternity leave to start quite early. I want time to nest and ensure my physical/emotional health are as good as possible for birth and the newborn stage. Also, it’s frivolous but this might be my only successful pregnancy I want some time to enjoy it.

DH and I always intended that I would be a SAHM for at least a few years so I don’t plan on returning to this job after maternity leave.

I work at a small branch (less than 6 staff, mostly part-time) of a national charity. It’s a ‘mission over money’ kind of workplace i.e. the actual pay is peanuts but you hopefully earn good karma. This does make hiring a nightmare.

Due to miscommunications between me, my line manager and the centralised HR team (and some waffling by my line manager), the maternity cover posting has been placed 1 month before my maternity leave is due to start. Interviews are scheduled for a fortnight before I go.

No one in the office has scope/skills to cover my job even temporarily. And, of course, the cover hire would need time to get up to speed. My line manager has asked if I would be willing to push back my maternity leave dates if needed. For example, if a good candidate has a 1-month notice period, could I stay on for two weeks more?

On one hand, I don’t want to put the office team or the charity in a bad position. If they have to hire a subpar candidate just because they’re available sooner I’d feel a bit guilty.

On the other hand, I have been counting down the days to my leave! There’s so much I want to do for myself and the baby and I just don’t have the energy after a day in the office.

My line manager will also take 10 miles if you give an inch.

(Example: a key volunteer wants to step down but said he would wait until a replacement was found. Line manager put finding a replacement right at the bottom of his to-do list because he knew the volunteer was too loyal to just leave.)

I’m very concerned that two weeks would turn into two months. I compromise too easily and I’m a bad negotiator. And, as I said, hiring is a nightmare here. Previous roles have needed several rounds of adverts to find a suitable candidate.

DH advises to be careful agreeing to anything. Maybe offer to stay a few days extra but no more than a week. I was very vague and non-committal when line manager brought this up and haven’t spoken to HR yet.

YANBU: stick to the dates as planned
YABU: offer to stay a bit longer and take one for the team

How much time would you have before your due date, based on your planned leave date? The only reason I ask is that if you are leaving 3 months early I'd say be flexible, as you might find it boring being off work with nothing to do for an extended period. Difficult to do a lot when you are very pregnant, after all.

Otherwise, based on what you've said I would say stick to your original plan. It's their problem not yours and it doesn't sound like the money is enough of an incentive.

No, for very good reasons your own life plans are more important now.
Exercise your right to refuse, albeit in a pleasant manner.

I would usually say yes bc I’m a people pleaser and a nice person, but given you have zero intention to back, I’d say no xx

My company doesn’t!!! Check contracts

They've had plenty of notice. It's also probably one of the last times you'll prioritise yourself for the foreseeable. With a fiirst baby (in particular) you've no idea whether they may be three weeks early or two weeks late.

Not most, some. Many only give SMP anyway.

This. And many people don't even get that time if the baby comes early.

So if you have no intention of going back why not leave? I don’t think it’s fair to take paid leave if you have no intentions of going back. As an ex employer that would be annoying and costly to me.

In the words of Nancy Reagan: Just Say No

They are reckless hiring so late. What if the candidates they interview are not suitable and they need to go back to searching? Their bad planning is not your problem. Protect your
leave. I left my leave til 2 weeks before my first, and baby arrived the day after I finished work, apparently that’s not uncommon, to have it happen as soon as you stop and start to relax! Protect your leave!

She has the right to keep her options open and the right to continue to accrue annual leave and pension contributions.

Too bad of women’s rights are annoying.

Why are you even asking? You have no plans to return after mat leave so why do you care? Their lack of preparation is not your issue

Because she’s still an employee with rights. Just as well you’re an ex employer if you don’t understand that.

The cost will be quite low - PILOH and pension contributions on what sounds like a low wage, and at most 8% of SMP.

Could you offer to train a member of existing staff to cover you until your replacement starts @ApricotsAndCream?

Absolutely don't mess around your maternity leave, the statistics might claim first borns are usually late but your family might be like mine, full of 20 percenters.

Agree. I was really shocked by that comment.

I know some workplaces require employees to return for a period after mat leave or pay back the money, but if the OP's doesn't, then she'd be crazy to voluntarily give up on money she has worked for and earned.

From your dates, I’m guessing you’re planning to finish mid/late April. How many weeks pregnant will you be then? I have to say, notifying HR in late February that you’re planning to go on maternity leave about 6-8 weeks later seems like short notice. Obviously they’ll have known you’d be going at some point, but depending on your current gestation, they may have assumed it wouldn’t be for a while. I had to give 4 months notice, and recruit my own cover.

Personally I would negotiate with them. Maybe offer 2 weeks, or reduced hours, or maybe working from home?

Do they know you’re not coming back? They might find it easier to recruit a maternity cover if they can say there’ll be a permanent job at the end of it.

The employer claims SMP from the government after paying it to the employee, if the employee has worked the correct qualifying period.
The OP has worked and paid NI contributions for the privilege.

For info - You have to give 15 weeks notice from your EDD and the earliest you can take leave from is 11 weeks from your EDD.

I would possibly offer one week as a gesture of goodwill but it might be really annoying for Payroll/HR if they've already done your paperwork with those dates on.
I'd just stick to the dates you've requested. It would be a good idea to write a handover manual. Maybe you could do one days training (PAID!) when the new recruit has started.
Congratulations on the baby and good luck x

Everyone is replaceable. If they have created a single point of failure with only you having the knowledge and skills in a small team to do your job - that’s a bad business model and it’s not your problem.

Go on your mat leave and enjoy your time preparing and being a mum x

The employer does not always get back the full amount and it takes ages to come through. I’ve been through this so I know it’s not fair to keep an employer hanging on.

In the meantime they could have hired and trained someone else.

Well they are hiring and training a maternity cover. Employees don’t owe employers anything above the legal minimum and what has been contractually agreed. And same for employers, which most take full advantage of.

Multiple people have asked, but don’t think it’s been said - when is the due date? 2 weeks of a few months is probably soemthing I would do.

If you genuinely have no plans to go back, two weeks has less impacts anyway, BUT make sure if there is elevated pay you won’t have to repay it. Contractually you sappy have to return for a specified period or you owe them the elevated pay portion. My place was 6 months full time employment or I would have to repay that portion.

There is really nothing to negotiate. You accommodate them or you don’t.

In the process, did you inform central HR and simply not mention anything about departure dates to your boss whatsoever? In which case that’s a bit strange to not inform your actual line manager. Based on that I would accommodate the time depending on how close you are to DD.

Most candidates will have at least a month's notice period I would think. So you would need at least an extra 2 weeks for them to even start. Then another week or two to hand over. Some may have a longer notice period or want to take a week or two of leave between jobs.

Depending on how far along you would be and how loyal you feel to the mission, you could offer to do an extra couple of days when they start to train them (could you possibly use keeping in touch days to do this?). But this isn't your problem, especially if you aren't planning to return. So don't sweat it.

Firstly congratulations!

If you were planning to go back to work I would be saying work as late as you can and enjoy more time with you baby after, especially as most babies tend to be late especially the first ones. I uninternationally worked up to the day before with both of mine, had planned to finish the Friday before (due on a Monday with first, Tuesday with second) and I went into labour 3 weeks early with both.

But as you have no need or intention to go back I say stick to your guns and enjoy your time off.