Enhanced Maternity Pay - What does your company offer?

[bakinglady1979]

Hi All,

I know there's been a discussion thread about this a number of years ago but I'm currently evaluating the maternity policy at a well known travel technology company I've recently joined with a view to potentially enhancing what we offer to our employees. It'd be great if you're able to let me know if your company offers an enhanced policy, what they offer and what the company name is? The last thread appears to have been about 5 years ago, so any up-to-date information you can give me would be greatly appreciated!

I work in the HR department for this company and we currently offer just the standard level required by law, so I'd love to be able to persuade the powers-that-be to enhance this if possible.

Any information you can give would be great! Many thanks for your help! :)

Large B2B events firm. As I'd been there 3 years I got 6m full pay then SMP.

Enhancement was due to be paid back as I didn't go back, but during the course of email negotiation about it they just stopped replying to emails, so I'm not chasing it ;)

That's great, thank you all so much for replying to my thread! :)

Has anyone who has an enhanced maternity leave package come across the ability to pass that enhancement over to the father/partner if they want to share the leave? So when they start additional paternity leave, do they have the ability to take on the benefits that you would have received too (i.e. if your pay was at 50% at that point, would it be 50% of their pay instead?)

Thank you!

I work for a large insurance brokers. We get 90% pay for 12 weeks (so SMP + 6 weeks enhanced by the company) then SMP for the rest.

Considering the size of the company I work for, it's fairly shocking in my opinion!

Previous company 9 months full pay plus 3 months unpaid
current company : 8 weeks full pay, 16 weeks half pay plus SMP, SMP for 15 weeks, then unpaid

baking no - fathers here get 2 weeks paid leave and that's it. No rights to pay for additional paternity leave.

City of London specialist insurer. We originally had the basic with a generous return to work bonus, but it was generally felt that this made budgeting difficult and out undue pressure on some to return sooner than they would have liked. After an extensive review the company went for 6 months full pay. Incredibly well received by both sexes.

I work for a gvt body within the heritage sector.

I get weeks 1-28 at full pay and 29-39 at SMP, the rest is unpaid.

Has anyone who has an enhanced maternity leave package come across the ability to pass that enhancement over to the father/partner if they want to share the leave? So when they start additional paternity leave, do they have the ability to take on the benefits that you would have received too (i.e. if your pay was at 50% at that point, would it be 50% of their pay instead?)
How would you get the second employer to agree to this? My husband's firm is unlikely to willingly agree to paying the benefits my employer is contractually obliged to. Anything more than two weeks stat pat leave (albeit at full pay) would beflummox them utterly.

6 weeks 90% full salary
20 weeks smp+50% full salary
13 weeks smp
13 weeks nothing

My childcare vouchers are paid as soon as on basic smp

If I don't return to work for minimum 3 months after maternity leave, I have to repay the 50% element.

I work in the emergency services

I get 6 months full pay, then SMP for the remaining 9 months and also a £10k rejoining bonus. I work for a large private firm

I work for one of the five biggest companies in the world. I get 13 weeks' full pay, then SMP. It's not generous!

On the plus side they continue to pay 10% of my basic pay into my pension throughout ML, and when I'm down to SMP, they put in the same as I usually contribute. i.e. if I normally put in 10% of my basic pay, they up their contribution to 20% of basic pay.

Hi @bakinglady1979

I have asked about enhanced pay at my work and have been asked to propose a policy, do you have anything you could share with me please?
I’m a bit unclear on how benefits like pensions should work and payback clauses if you leave within a certain timescale

Imagine I work for a childcare company. We get nothing but government mat pay. I think it’s so bad... I’m really going to struggle

I work for a tech company. The mat pay is 13 weeks full pay, 13 weeks half pay and then stat.

I'm not sure if this is also your plan but hiking up the pat pay (ideally to whatever you are offering for mat) is literally the best thing you can do to help women in their careers.

When there is a massive discrepancy between mat and pat pay it sends the message that the women can be done without for X months but the men can't.

But I understand that we live in the UK and we have a looooooong way to go on this!

@Pandapickle100 sounds like we could work for the same company!

Large university (ie one of the two famous ones) - Six months full pay, three months SMP, three months unpaid. Requirement to have worked for the organisation for nine months before qualifying for enhanced maternity pay recently removed, presumably to encourage women to move around in the job market.

Blimey, I knew what my company offered was rubbish but this makes me feel just awful!

We get 6 weeks at 90% (if you've worked there a minimum of 6 months) then we go down to the minimum £147-whatever a week.

I've just transferred departments and am on a fixed term contract so despite working there nearly 9 years I won't actually get anything now.

We have raised via the Union before but the company response is that too many women work there so they can't go higher!

National Delivery Company.... 6 months full pay, 3 months SMP, 3 months Nil.
Have to have worked at the company for 1 year by 25th week of pregnancy.

26 weeks on full pay, 13 weeks SMP and 13 weeks unpaid

This post is from 2014....

Teacher mat pay is utter shite.

Especially since it's such a women-driven profession. Paternity leave is even worse - grateful my DH isn't a teacher too.

I work for a highstreet bank, 24 weeks full pay followed by 15 weeks SMP