Requested to be furloughed due to childcare, would this affect my maternity leave

[Aprilbaby21]

Hi,

Please dont judge me or be unkind, im a pregnant mummy, who has no clue what to do for the best.

So, currently i am 27 weeks pregnant with my 2nd son.
Both my babies are my IVF miracles after 8 cycles and 4 lost babies.
My son, who is 5 was also born prematurely so i am anxious of this baby being early too.

I have just requested to my boss if they would consider to furlough me.
Myself and husband are both key workers so we have the option to send DS to school, but the risk of him bringing something home is just too high. So he will have to stay at home
The problem is, as many have, i cant home school him and work full time, its just too much.
On top of that, sitting upright gives me horrendous pain on my left side (i had this in my 1st pregnancy also) and with my son home, i cant sit at my desk as its upstairs and no room downstairs. Sitting 8 hours at my dinning table is very painful and uncomfortable.
Plus, im not sleeping. I think im suffering with pregnancy insomnia and im awake from 03:30 and im knackered

The thought of working full time from home, at the table, in pain and trying to home school my son on no sleep fills me with dread

So i approached my boss and asked if they would consider for me to be furloughed, or, failing that, an alternative.

Now, she wasnt sure and needed advice from HR and my guess is, it will be a no. Im not entirely sure if me being pregnant helps or hinders me and what impact it will have on maternity leave.
I thought perhaps i would have to go on maternity at 36 weeks but would this affect any maternity benefits that im entitled to?

Thanks

Bump

Anyone?

I’m not sure if being furloughed would effect Mat pay, would depend if it’s only Stat or if you have a company Mat pay.

I hope someone else can answer cause I’m not really sure what you are asking if I’m honest.

I had to look this up for work earlier and you being furloughed won't affect them calculating your maternity pay. I think you've done the right thing by asking to be furloughed, I've done the same for childcare reasons (although only part time). If they say no is being signed off sick an option? Good luck with your pregnancy. I'll put a link below on the money side but I have no idea how to shorten them... www.gov.uk/government/news/furloughed-workers-to-receive-full-parental-leave-entitlement

@Aprilbaby21 hope the below link helps,

Matt pay would be based on your normal
Salary not your furloughed pay xxx

www.gov.uk/government/news/furloughed-workers-to-receive-full-parental-leave-entitlement

Hi OP, As far as I'm aware being on furlough shouldn't affect statutory mat leave. A few of the girls I work with and a couple of friends too went down the same route that you have requested and from what they've said in conversation this hasn't had an impact on what they're getting paid or length of time they are entitled to.

If you have an enhanced mat leave package then I think this does lie with your company to make a decision but you'll still be entitled to stat mat leave as normal.

Perhaps when your boss said that they needed to check with HR, they meant more that they would need to consider if they can spare you to be on furlough as a team member (and a business decision needs to be made) and not anything to do with being pregnant?

Hope that helps! If you're unsure of the response you get from your boss, there's lots of useful info on the gov.uk website on furlough and maternity leave x

I work in payroll & bring furloughed don't affect your maternity pay - the system will automatically calculate based on your furlough pay but whoever processes payroll will have to override this & manually input your average weekly salary & this will be calculated based on your usual salary not your furlough amount.

You said you are a key worker. So one question - what kind? Public sector employers, for example, aren't allowed to furlough. And, amongst other things, my department funds jobs in other organisations and because of the funding we have (from Government) they also aren't allowed to use it for furlough. So if a key worker in the public sector, your employer may not be allowed to furlough. Unless they are willing to pay for it themselves - and we can't afford to.

Thank you all for your responses.

@lindauk5 I guess sick is an option, i would have a number of reasons why, stress, tiredness, the pain im in when working. It would have been cheaper for them to furlough me as they would have to pay me full whilst on sick.
Thanks for the link

@AnxiousAnnie86 Thank you

@Lottie917 I do have the enhanced maternity package, i hope this will still be the case as if i had to chose, id have to pick the enhanced pay and perhaps go off sick maybe.
My boss was checking with HR to see if it was something they could offer me i guess, she would then have to speak to my manager to see if they could spare me. Which they could, i work in a team of 12 so i could be spared. You are right though, don't think is was anything to do with me being pregnant but she did say that with me being pregnant, it does make it more understandable as to why i want to be furloughed. Thanks for the info

@NatashaAlianovaRomanova Thanks for the info

@Moondust001 I work for a well known supermarket but not in store and not public facing

One thing to note is that if you say it's because you are struggling to sit all day etc the. If there's less than 15 weeks before your due day they could ask you to start you maternity leave earlier

They can ask but they cant force me.

Anything pregnancy related, its company policy (could be law but definitely company policy) they can only force me onto maternity 4 weeks before due date.

X

I am interested in the same thing. I'm only 21 weeks though. Keep debating with myself whether to ask for furlough (at least part time) for childcare reasons. Fingers crossed for your request!

@ProfInkly you dont have to be pregnant to request to be furloughed due to childcare problems.

Take a loom at the links above, they are really informative

I am also a key worker - my place are putting pregnant women off from 28 weeks on special covid leave as its a higher risk. Ive heard of other companies doing this also. I work for the nhs. Im 14weeks. So ive a while to wait. You could check if your place of work are doing this too or not x

No, my place definitely not. My manager is pregnant (35 weeks) and nothing has changed for her.
Im guessing my work will say no. Im just not sure how i will cope if they do :-(

@Aprilbaby21 iv actually just been furloughed myself today at 14 weeks. I work in a supermarket and also suffer from hyperemesis, my company cant do anymore than they have so have took me out of risks way and told me to stay at home. It is advised from 28 weeks anyway that all pregnant woman stay at home. Speak to your boss and let them see what can be done it wont hurt

@xoxochellexoxo I can see why you have been furloughed, with being so sick and dealing with customers.
I work for the supermarket but not in a supermarket, more behind the scene which allows me to work from home and have been since Covid reared its head in March.

Ive spoke to the senior manager (cut past a few people and went direct to her) and she said my reasons were valid.
I will also be seeing my consultant today so will ask her where i stand from a sickness point of view and if i am not furloughed, would they support me in going off sick, ie, sicknotes etc.

I wont hold my breath to be furloughed but it was worth the ask