Maternity leave

[ChanningsPony]

Posting for a mate of mine. She's pregnant and a very basic maternity package of 90% for 6 weeks and then SMP.
I was a student when I had my kids over 8 years ago, so never had to deal with this but it seems like a really shit package to me?
My job has 90% for 6 weeks and then decreasing % for 6 months.

What is standard now and does she have any chance of fighting for more? Any suggestions would be brilliant, thanks.

[KoolKoala07]

I agree doublecarrick. I'm pregnant with my first. I also have to go back to work after 3 months because nobody's going to keep my business going for 9 months while I'm off.

[Bellabelloo]

That has been standard at most of my jobs. Why should a business pay full wage for someone not present out of their choice - and full wage to someone else who is covering them?! Some large corporations with buckets of money will offer great maternity packages as a benefit for working there and an incentive to go back, but you can't expect that kind of benefit. If businesses were forced to give whacking great maternity packages it would definitely lead to young women being discriminated against when going for new jobs.

[catx1606]

It's pretty standard in most companies. She really should have looked into this before getting pregnant not wait until she is pregnant. She will just have to get on with it as all parents do.

[Hellmouth]

I haven't worked for any companies that offer enhanced maternity pay!

She should try adding on annual leave at the beginning and end of her maternity leave, in order to stretch out her time and to give her more money.

All of this would usually be part of the employers policy documents or her contract, so it shouldn't be a big surprise to be honest.

Everyone knows maternity pay is generally pretty crap!

[DoubleCarrick]

Try being self employed, no 90% for six weeks - just straight on to statutory.

[MrsNuckyThompson]

That is the basic statutory package. No employer is obliged to offer any more than that. It is likely below market for most employers these days but there's not a huge amount she can do about it now, is there?

[LookImAHooman]

That's all well and good, actino, but OP's friend is in the UK... where we do have SMP and MA

Yy to it's really not shocking at all and if it's a concern it should have been considered before taking the post. The six weeks at 90% is SMP; it's not part of a package.

Frankly I'm just grateful I'm not in the US or similar when I think about all of this. The mind boggles at how people do it over there.

[AbbeyRoadCrossing]

Does she have a partner? His company might offer an SPL package. Or she could use annual leave as this is accrued during maternity leave. KIT and SPLIT days are often paid (but check) if she wants to do them.

[HelenDenver]

The government stipulates minimums, it doesn't give guidance.

It also rebates to that level so making it higher would be a big ask.

[Redpony1]

I've never worked anywhere that offered more than that statutory amount (I work in HR).

[SunnyDayDreaming101]

Just what everyone else is saying really, this is pretty much the norm now unless you work in the public sector.

I find it hard to swallow that the private sector follows government guidelines but the public sector (and therefore government purse) doesn't. This is a HUGE indicator that the government knows full well the statutory package isn't enough, if it was it would follow its own guidance!

[dilapidated]

I'm due to go on maternity leave in 6 weeks and only get SMP.

My job is hard work and the realisation of how little I will have during the next 9 months gives me no incentive for going back there after.

My job is in demand and despite being pregnant I've already had offers from other companies to take me on when I decide to go back to work.

I would feel more loyal to my existing employer if the maternity package was better.

It doesn't just mean that money will be tight when I'm on maternity leave but that ever since I found out I am pregnant I have had to cut back to put money away to give me any chance of affording to stay off past the initial 6 weeks.

This might not be the case for many households but if like me you are the breadwinner and still want to take time off, that's the way it is.

[Bellaposy]

That's very common. I'm in a fairly large law firm with lots of mums and it's standard practice.

[gigi556]

My company offers enhanced pay but you have to have been with the company for 2 years by the time you are expected to give birth. I haven't been with the company long enough and to be honest, I'm happy with statutory as you have to pay back the enhanced pay if you don't come back and I have no idea how I'll feel about returning to work in 12 months. I'm from the USA and I think the maternity benefits are generous!

[2014newme]

To increase maternity pay needs a business case where the benefits outweigh the cost. Saying that people may leave for better mat pay elsewhere isn't a business case, it's a guess. I don't think your friend will be successful "fighting" this op

[HelenDenver]

It's all a balance, isn't it, 2014? If You think the salary is good but the benefits minimal, say, you will probably be happy!

[2014newme]

It's statutory.
Actually very few people leave a job for a better maternity package somewhere else. I work in hr, the cost of additional maternity pay is hard to justify because bandying around "loyalty, people will stay longer" blah blah isn't necessarily quantifiable. Unless women are actually leaving for jobs with better maternity pay it's a hard sell. My chief executive says he would rather pay more to people at work than people who are off. Fair enough.
No idea what you mean by "fight it".

[KoolKoala07]

Maybe business owners should be forced to increase maternity pay, along with paying holiday and now the work place pension. Why not cripple businesses a little bit more

[HelenDenver]

And I do believe that woman would have left without the change!

[HelenDenver]

The retention issue arises if women leave the job for somewhere with a better package or don't take the job in the first place of course . As the employer presumably isn't seeing this, I doubt they'd change.

I dealt with a company that did make this change for someone who negotiated it well before she was pregnant, but of course it had to be a general policy thereafter.

[actino]

A friend in the US worked for a company that offered no maternity pay and only a few weeks unpaid leave (also SMP does not exist there). When she was pregnant, get and a few colleagues made a case for maternity pay to management and were successful.

It is not too late for your friend to try!

[Caterina99]

That's the standard I'm afraid. I've never had a job offer enhanced benefits, and I'm a professional accountant on a good salary, so fairly decent job. I agree it's important to support pregnant women, but I don't know how many small businesses could afford to offer enhanced benefits.

She should have considered this before she got pregnant, and looked for a different job if the package wasn't what she wanted.

[TestingTestingWonTooFree]

If they've an office full of potential mothers you can imagine the flood gates argument if they spontaneously increase the package. Bit late to think about it when already pregnant.

[Emma2803]

That's pretty standard to get statutory maternity pay only unless like Raindrops said you work for a big company.
She can certainly ask for enhanced mat pay, but chances are they will say no!!
I had it and it was indeed shit!!! But just have to get on with it!!

[countingdown2gin]

Yep I'm going to be getting this and had the same with my previous employer with my first DS.

I think you're pretty lucky to get any enhanced maternity now.