Work updating maternity policy

[GemLooper]

My work is intending to "update" its maternity policy (by this I hope it means improve!) by end of October. I'm due middle of March. Just wondering if anyone has any experience of their work changing/improving their maternity policy whilst they were pregnant and either benefiting from that change or missing out? Don't know whether to get my hopes up or not. I've been with the company for over 5 years so no concerns there etc.

Is it due to covid or just general changes?
The risks from covid are meant to be higher after 28 weeks so extra risk assessments or protections may be needed, or they may require you to start leave from 28 weeks.

Dh's company just updated maternity & paternity policies - both improved. He's due on leave any minute and will be getting the new terms. Even a colleague who was already on paternity leave is benefiting.

Sorry, should have been clearer in my OP. It's being reviewed/updated as part of our overall benefits package so I'm presuming the changes with be to the enhanced mat pay etc. I'm just wondering if i'd benefit from any changes in the enhanced maternity package. I don't know if these types of changes would only apply if you have your baby after x date for example. Wondered if others had experience of this.

I think it would be hard for anyone to tell you. some may decide to be more generous esp with working from home in the lead up to it. but some may reduce it due to the company not doing so well. no one could tell you what they will do as they don't know the company/current situation/current maternity policy e.g. if its the minimum amount they're not going to be reducing it further

@Duckyneedsaclean thanks. This is what I'm hoping for!! 😊

Thanks @Bells3032. Appreciate there are a lot of variables. We already get some form of enhanced mat pay and there has been talk of improving it for a while. My sector has not been particularly negatively affected by covid. Just wanted to hear about others experiences.

Mine was updated during my leave from hardly any enhanced pay to a very very Generous package so would have had a huge impact on me as I had to go back to work when my twins were 18 weeks - my company gave women who missed the cut off financial compensation which was a nice gesture and backdated it a couple of years (I lost half in tax and the other half meant I had to repay all my child benefit as took me over the threshold as they paid it all in one months salary even though my Maternity leave spanned two tax years)

As I understand it, if they change the policy, it can be applied to all staff immediately or to new staff/staff of a certain length of time.

Practically speaking though, in my experience, improved parental pay is applied universally pretty much immediately and any reduction is filtered in over time.

I spoke to an HR director once who was in the process of improving global parental leave policies. Management were concerned due to cost, impact on business etc etc etc. Except, she was able to run the numbers for the previous few years and demonstrate that the actual cost impact on the business was relatively low compared to the repetitional and morale boost they would receive. It was quite interesting.

A lot of updates to maternity policies at the moment are more around achieving equality. eg ensuring that gay couples get comparable benefits, or increasing paternity leave or parental benefits. So it might not impact you at all. If it is enhanced maternity pay, you should benefit if only because the fights they could have with you/your union would make it easier and cheaper just to apply it up front.

I think you will receive the new package if they introduce it before you start mat leave.

My company did this a few years ago and it covered people who had started mat leave in the previous six months.