MNHQ here: can you tell us what policies your employer has for maternity, paternity and parental leave?

[JustineMumsnet]

Hello

As lots of you will know, eligible employees in the UK are entitled to statutory maternity, paternity, adoption and/or parental benefits - the minimums set by the government, which all employers have to facilitate. Beyond those minimums, some employers offer more: ‘enhanced’ maternity, paternity, adoption and/or parental leave and/or pay.

Over the years we’ve seen lots of conversations in which MNers try to find out what policies prospective employers have, or ask fellow MNers what it’s reasonable to expect in terms of enhanced terms. Many are worried that if they ask directly in an interview, they’ll risk being ruled out of the running - or that if they ask after a job offer, the offer could be withdrawn.

Information about parental leave policies can be crucial, and finding a way to put the information in the public domain could help lots of parents and prospective parents uncover the employers who are truly family-friendly (as well as those who really aren’t).

The government is currently consulting on a proposal to make it a legal requirement that companies employing 250 or more people should publicly publish their parental leave policies and benefits. The idea is that this sort of measure - as with gender pay gap reporting - can put more power into the hands of job-seekers, and incentivise employers to develop policies they’re proud to shout about.

We think this is a really important idea and we wanted to know what MNers thought about MNHQ swinging behind it as a campaign.

It also occurred to us that crowdsourcing this information could be one way forwards for now. We’d love to build a comprehensive online resource of UK employers’ parental policies to help people negotiate what can be a tricky area. Would that be something you think could work? Eg simply posting here (anonymously if you wish obviously)

where you work;
what your employers offers for maternity leave (xx% of salary for xx weeks followed by xx% for xx weeks followed by…); and
what your employer offers for paternity leave (xx% of salary for xx weeks followed by xx% for xx weeks followed by…)

If your employer offers only statutory leave and pay, please just tell us where you work and that they offer statutory benefits.

Obviously folks could name change before doing this but maybe you’d rather do it off-site, let us know. It would be great if we could build up a bank of information for fellow MNers who might be looking for jobs. Knowledge is power and all that.

What are MNHQ’s policies, we hear you cry? You can read about them here.

I work for a large accountancy firm (top 10 but not big 4). I don't know about paternity but I got four months full pay, two months half pay, three months stat and three months nothing. You can obviously do the usual KIT days and they were more than reasonable about my flexible working request on my return. They were also very generous about my antenatal appointments which were all at full pay even the time to travel there etc even in the middle of the day. They were helpful in late pregnancy when I was struggling and needed to work from home for example too.

My husband works for a reinsurance company in the city. He didn't want unpaid time off so worked from home for all my appointments and attended them in his lunch break. He got four weeks paternity leave on full pay which he could split in full week blocks any time throughout the first year.

Local Authority
First 6 weeks @ 90% of full pay
Next 12 weeks @ 50% of full pay
Then Statutory. You must return for 3 months after Mat Leave or repay the non-statutory element.

Fathers: 10 days full pay.

Whilst I understand the financial pressures local authorities are under, I think this is poor for a public body.

Education Support Staff

2 different places and it has been stat maternity and paternity only.

I think the Government Policy is a great idea. Mumsnet should definitely support it. But it should be independent and verified, not crowdsourced on an internet forum.

The problem with small businesses reporting is that women who are wanting to TTC in the near future (and men in the very few cases where generous paternity leave exists) can target the employers who pay the most generously and many smaller companies would have to reduce their benefits if a disproportionate number of employees ending up on maternity in a short space of time.

Design agency Bedfordshire (under 50 employees) statutory only

Car manufacturing company. Statutory rights/pay only.

To give them their due though I've had maternity leave 4 times in the 11 years I've been there and they've never so much as grumbled. Never had to miss a school play etc. They're a small family run company so don't really have the opportunity offer any more than statutory.

It is now ancient history, but when I was a freelance writer, and had my only child (age 43), there was no template for what I was doing. I could have called my childcare a receptionist and taken the tax credit, but I hired a nanny three days a week and could not claim the cost back because it was classed as domestic service. I still think the gov classification of childcare needs refining if women are to participate in life and work at the levels they should be.

I don’t work there anymore but NPower offered 6 months paid at 50% with full pension contributions for the first 6 months also. You needed to return to work or repay the amount over statutory on a graded system dependent on how long you returned for.

Retail zero hour contract,
I got 9 months paid, an average of your last 3 months before maternity pay. If I wanted longer I would have had to be unpaid. I also got holiday pay aswell as we get paid holiday pay every 3 months.

Government funded sport and fitness sector employer. Can't say what it's far too outing.

Maternity
6 weeks 90% pay then SMP for the remainder. Sucks.

We have statutory for mat/pat/shared/adoption etc, men have taken up shared, it's only a small company in the UK, so lots of people have part time hours & people can use flexi time too - I think as an employer they recognise it all works both ways.

A,so won't post employer name.
In terms of parental leave, our company pays a certain number of sick days, and time of for kids being ill etc is classed with in this, so that it's fair for parents, not parents, carers etc if they have emergencies, and doesn't need to be unpaid for anyone.

Not sure on parental leave but maternity is:
6 weeks at 90% of average earnings based on the 8 weeks leading up to the 15th week before due date and then 33 weeks at 90% or SMP (whichever is lower).
After 26 weeks you can transfer this over to your partner and return to work if you like.

You are entitled to maternity leave with a secured job when you return regardless of how long you have worked for the company or what kind of contract you have but will only received pay if you have worked for the company for 26 weeks continuously before the 15th week before due date.

Looking at some of these other policies I feel I'm being short changed haha.

@CatG85 that’s essentially statutory maternity pay; however, your employer needs to update its policy on shared parental leave as partners can now share up to 50 weeks of leave rather than 26 (that was additional paternity leave, the predecessor to shared pat leave)...

I work as a HCP for a large international health care business, with a strong high street presence.

12 weeks full pay
Rest is stat mat

Retain use of staff discount - handy as they sell everything baby related possible

Investment bank here:
6 months full pay inc bonuses
3 months half pay
3 months statutory.

Investment banks have fabulous maternity policies.

@matresearch thank you, I will discuss this with my manager when the time comes to reveal my news :-)

Financial institution in the city, but not a bank:

6 weeks 90%
The rest up to 12 months at 50%

Same for both maternity and shared leave. I'm taking 6 months shared (dad) soon

FTSE 250 manufacturer.

Statutory only!

Network Rail

2016 version of policy is online, not sure if it's been updated in light of the recent case (Snell v Network Rail)

cdn.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Family-friendly-policy.pdf

I work for Mirror Group Newspapers, part of Reach PLC (formerly known as Trinity Mirror).

My maternity leave is 18 weeks full pay followed by statutory pay up to nine months, with the last three months unpaid.

Not sure what paternity leave is.

I think if it could be taken within say the first year, it would be good. This would allow one parent to return to work after their leave so the other could stay home. Not sure that many would take leave together. Especially as taking it consecutively helps with later child care costs.

Manchester City council offer varies depending on length of service with them or another local government org

The max is after 2 years employment and is 11 weeks at 90% salary followed by 13 weeks at 50% salary plus SMP then the remaining weeks at SMP only upto week 39. They offer "maternity/adoption support leave" rather than paternity leave and this is 2 weeks at 90% salary I believe. They also pay a percentage of childcare vouchers throughout. E.g.. 10%of vouchers during 90% pay, 50% during 50% pay and 100% during stat mat period.

Reach PLC offer 2 weeks full pay for paternity leave.

Small business owner here. It's statutory only, we're too small to offer anything extra.