Calling all private sector employees - Maternity Leave

[Applemuncher]

I work in the private sector and my maternity leave is rubbish!!! 6 weeks at 90% then stat.

I'm planning on writing a letter to the HR manager to say how bad this policy is in line with other similar companies. I know the Public sector are mostly well catered for (having previously worked in the public sector)but I was just wondering what everyone elses entitlement is (all ammunition for my compelling atgument ).

Is anyone willing to let me know what their policy is? (thanks in advance).

Do you get any return to work bonuses? My former company (large well known US healthcare co) paid statutary maternity pay, but when you returned to work you got the difference between what you would have earned in the SMP period and your full pay as a bonus, paid over two years and clawed back pro-rata to how long you stayed if you left within that time. It was also pro-rata'd down if you came back part time. I felt it was a bit stick rather than carrot as a retention policy but was a lot better than nothing, and was handy for helping with the childcare costs.

Statutory for me too

Yes - I'll get the 50% difference in pay between weeks 13-16 of my mat leave paid to me when I've been back at work for 26 weeks provided I had returned to work by the end of the 9 months paid leave.

I work on checkouts for a big supermarket who have just posted record profits (again) and just get the 6wks at 90% then 33wks at SMP.
IMO big companies tend to be the tightest WRT stuff like this.

I know someone who worked for the same company for 20 years before going on mat leave and they still only gave her the stat min.

Same as you Apple

However, it's a small company and half (actually, more than half, there aren't that many of us) of the women that work there are on maternity leave at the moment.

We get 17 weeks at 100% and then SMP and that is in a large multinational telecoms co.

Reading this makes me realise just how lucky I am to be geting 6 month

I work for a major food manufacturer, and am entitled to 9 months maternity leave at 65% of my salary. I can also take 3 further months unpaid with my job protected but I thought that was standard?
I think there are conditions attached, like having to return to work for a certain amount of time etc but it's a small price for what I know is a very generous package.
HTH

i get the bare minimum statutory pay too, but on the bright side i have no obligation to return to the company once my maternity leave is up (its the only plus point to statutory pay i can find!)

I work for a global financial services company and get 20 weeks on full pay (14 weeks - then SMP and then other 6 weeks on return).

I work for myself and got stat from day one :(
I put all over my CV that I've completed my family now because I'm of an age where most people are starting theirs and It's been brought up in interview more than once :(

I'd only been back in the NHS three months when I got pg so I just got stat pay. My fault as I was convinced it would take me ^ages* to get preggers!.

There was a series last year presented by Justin Rowlett and Sophie Raeworth about women in the workplace. It has stuck in my mind that PWC give full pay for 9 months when on mat leave. Their aim being being staff retention and I'm sure it works fabulously.

6 months full pay for me, then smp for 3 months I think.
Like preghead, I'm at a bank in the city and it is pretty standard.
No incentives to have to return, in fact I could quit right at the start of mat leave and would still get the years worth of pay and pension paid for that time too.

Accenture give 9 months full pay.

i work for a multinational media company and get 18 weeks full pay followed by statutory. as we also accrue holiday while we're on maternity leave, and i get about 7 weeks paid holiday a year, assuming i take six months off it works out as about 21 weeks full pay. i think it's pretty good.

Have to say I had no idea it was so common for people to get more than SMP. maybe I should be showing this to my employer!

I work in a large law firm as an employment lawyer. I get 15 weeks full pay, 5 weeks half pay then the equivalent of statutory mat pay. I am self employed though so don't actually have the entitlement to the leave employees get. Fortunately the firm are good as my DS was in hospital for 8 weeks and I effectively added that on to the leave they agreed.

I would add that most of my clients (usually small medium tech companies) only pay statutory maternity pay. A couple of larger ones pay much more but not many. I really do think statutory is the norm for most employers, either because they have thought about it and they decided they can't afford it or more often they have not even thought about it.

Hi Applemuncher just wanted to say that it might be worth writing a letter to your boss.

I work for a small-ish engineering/ environmental firm, but have a Managerial/ Project Manager position. There are only a few more women working at the company, and they have all had their children a long time ago.

Our official policy is statutory, but when I got pregnant I did some research into maternity leave as Stroplet suggested and found that Land Rover and Ford gave 52 weeks full pay and a lot of other companies gave 6 months (including Tesco i think). I don't expect anyone to pay me to have a child, but I work my arse off for my company, earn them a lot of money and constantly putting in the extra hours. I put together a letter outlining all the reasons why I though I deserved 6 months full pay....and (with a bit haggling - i.e. I have to check emails, come in for the odd meeting after 3/4 months, which is worth it for the full pay) they offered me a much better package.

It's worth a shot, if you think you have a case!

I'm in a small private business and get the miminum - 6 weeks at 90% then 33 weeks at SMP. Rubbish.
They do keep paying into my pension and for private healthcare though.

I work for a city law firm. Get 10 weeks full pay, 16 weeks 50% pay then 13 weeks statutory pay.

I thought it was quite good but now seeing people get 6 months full pay, I am feeling a bit shafted!! Although some only get statutory which is also rubbish.

I work for an international law firm in the city. I get 6 weeks full pay then 16 weeks half pay. After that it's just statutory but I will get a lump sum of 6 weeks pay, 4 months after returning. I guess it could be worse, and it is if you're a lower grade support staff - 10 weeks half pay and 3 weeks lump sum.

Preghead "...then 3 months statutory and the rest of the year unpaid with job protection if wanted." - This isn't part of the package - this is the law. SMP (if you're entitles to it) is paid for 9 months regardless of any enhanced pay you get from your employer during that time, and all employers must keep your job open for 52 weeks.

In all of the 5 companies I have worked at it's been the same - 6 weeks at 90% then the rest at stat. For various reasons, I have been able to negotiate a better personal deal where I am now, but would see the above as the 'norm', and anything else as enhanced really.

D

We also get 90% for 6 weeks then SMP for 6 months then can take 6 months unpaid. Job protected for 6 months. This is a private sector airline. However aircrew are grounded immediately upon finding out they are pregnant and placed on ground duties whilst remaining on full pay.