Any HR people able to shed some light on this?

[FTM91]

I work for a very large multinational, good enhanced leave, pay etc and am on a permanent contract so have felt reasonably comfortable until now....

The one thing that's worrying me is my manager has been told that they can't advertise for cover for my role without justifying it with a business case and there is currently no plan for my cover. I would have thought the business case for my role existing in the first place is enough. It makes me worry that they will use this as an opportunity to reduce headcount and I wont have a role to go back to :(

Has anyone experienced this before? or can give me an HR perspective?

This is standard where I work, similar organisation. We need to make sure that any additional costs are justified and will be bringing value to the business, either by directly bringing in revenue or supporting the revenue growth in some way. About half of our leaves/sabbaticals are covered, other times it’s absorbed by one or two less experienced colleagues who then can show if they are ready for promotion. It is not necessarily something sinister.

Hey! I work in HR (and am pregnant), at my company it's pretty normal not to get temp cover in, we just disperse the work around and generally some projects or other things might be put on hold. I suppose it does depend what you do, as some roles need to be covered, and others can be more flexible. I totally understand your concern but I wouldn't worry. My boss had two maternity leave periods and I covered for both on my own! No idea how I managed it but glad to be getting my own back !!! Haha.

Thanks @Rainbowshine and @Rose2108

That makes me feel better and It is a project based role so reasonable that it could be absorbed somehow especially as I wind down and don't pick up new work. The team would just deliver less, or slower while i'm off. I suppose it just worries me that they'll realise the team can deliver the same amount of work without me and not have me back! Major imposter syndrome here

@FTM91 If you take 26 weeks or less mat leave you have the right to return to your old job on the same terms and conditions. If you take more than 26 weeks mat leave then you have the right to return to your old job on the same terms and conditions, unless it is not possible. But then your employer has to offer you a suitable alternative job on similar terms and conditions.

Citizens Advice has some good information: www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/rights-at-work/parental-rights/maternity-leave-your-options-when-it-ends/

I know exactly what you mean @FTM91, I took a 10 week sabbatical in 2019 and I was convinced they'd all be saying "what does she actually do all day?!". But I went back and was handed a ton of things on day one, with them all saying how glad they are to have me back. I know that's not exactly the same but I can imagine most women feel like that, and I imagine I will when I take leave / return to work!

Definitely normal and being project based would make it more common I think? Covid times too - companies might be being more frugal depending on industry etc. If they did decide to reduce they’d have to consult with you any way and you are afforded special protections as a woman on maternity. Citizens advice or Acas are useful sources of info if you need any official guidance but for now I wouldn’t worry 😊

I’ve been told the same OP. There is not a business case for them to take on cover, though they seem to have forgotten that they won’t be paying me!! There is no enhanced package where I work and just get SMP which is worlds away from my normal salary.

They also said it’s really hard for them to take on temporary cover for jobs at my level but I still don’t see why they can’t take on a more junior temp just to ease the strain on the team.

My first leave they got cover, my second they didn’t. I pretty much had the volume of a years worth of work waiting for me when I got back.

I say that, as it took nearly a year to clear the books. We now have an extra FT person and a FT admin person.