Signed off or resigning at 20 weeks pregnant

[VORE]

Am looking for some advice re what implications this may have on my mat pay.

Currently 20 weeks pregnant with an 18 month toddler.

So I started my job in feb 23 and then got pregnant pretty much straight after (I’ve checked with HR and online and I am entitled to stat mat pay and also the company enhanced pay).

The company I have realised is just a shambles, staff turnover for senior people is pretty high, big ‘workaholic’ work culture - people often having meetings on a Saturday and working into the early hours of the morning etc, all of my work colleagues and managers are men and I’ve just found out that the person I was hired by/reporting into that I really like and who is really nice is now leaving because he can’t handle the work culture anymore. I am now going to be reporting into two men who are some of the biggest workaholic/jobsworths and already they are coming down on me HARD with completely unrealistic expectations for when they want things done by.

I am not sleeping well because of pelvic girdle pain and pregnancy insomnia plus with the exhaustedness that just comes with being pregnant, I am just feeling incredibly stressed and like I cannot manage and I know this can’t be doing the baby any good.

So my questions are this:

• Will a Dr sign me off with pregnancy exhaustion or something along those lines (don’t want to be signed off with stress because I need this to be pregnancy related illness so it doesn’t impact my employment in anyway)
• how long can I get signed off for? (I know from my 36th week I will have to take it as mat pay) but could I get signed off until then?

the other side to this is that my partner and I have already agreed that after the baby comes it makes more sense for me to stop working (he makes double what I make and has a much better career trajectory than me - plus he enjoys what he does while I do not) but my company enhanced mat pay has a claw back clause of a year and so I am pretty sure I don’t want to take that.

My qualifying week is mid next month and so my other question is if I resigned after my qualifying week, what are the implications on my statutory maternity pay?

thanks for all your help ❤️❤️❤️

GP will sign you off with pelvic girdle pain and pregnancy exhaustion. They might sign you off for a few weeks and then you can request for it to be extended.

Not sure how it works for you but in my contract/company once you get to a certain gestation they can make you start maternity leave which is obviously going to eat into the time you have with baby. Might be different for you of course

Your maternity pay is normally determined by your pay in weeks 17-25 of pregnancy. You need to be employed until the end of week 25 to still qualify for maternity pay but if you leave your job you would be unlikely to get enhanced maternity pay.

If you get signed off and only get statutory sick pay then that could affect eligibility for SMP as there is a lower earnings criteria and SSP is below that figure

They can only start maternity leave early if you are off with a pregnancy related illness in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy

As @ttcttc advised, it’s possible for them to start your maternity early if you have a pregnancy related illness.
I know it’s hard now, but think about if you want this time with your baby afterwards. If I was you I would try to get restricted duties off the GP instead of being signed off, I’m not sure if this has the same implications re: starting Mat leave early.
You will have to work the set period post your mat leave if you don’t want to pay back your pay.
It sounds like financially you are both doing quite well. Could you afford to just leave now? You would still be entitled to statutory and your health is the most important thing.
Other than that you have spoken about a work culture and workaholics but you haven’t specifically said what is being expected of you. I fell into a trap years ago of staying when others stayed, picking up extra too. When it got too much I stopped and didn’t have any issues. Might be worth a conversation with your line manager/s.

I'd try to get to the end of week 25 and then you will have qualified for SMP regardless of whether you are signed off afterwards or even resign.

Do you get full sick pay or SSP? If its only SSP it could affect your maternity pay if you get sick pay in weeks 17-25 of pregnancy as SSP is less than the amount you need to earn for SMP

Will a Dr sign me off with pregnancy exhaustion or something along those lines (don’t want to be signed off with stress because I need this to be pregnancy related illness so it doesn’t impact my employment in anyway)

A GP will probably sign you off. I don't know why you are worried about the reason though. If you have no intention of going back to work there then it doesn't matter what the reason is or whether its pregnancy related.

How long can I get signed off for? (I know from my 36th week I will have to take it as mat pay) but could I get signed off until then?

In theory yes you could be signed off until then but it depends on whether your GP is willing to do that. If this was my workplace we would contact your GP and ask what you were able to do, probably refer you to occupational health and explore what work you are able to do. Rather than just leaving it.

The other option is to start your maternity leave as soon as possible - which is at 29 weeks.

If you tell them in advance that you don't plan to return to work and would prefer to just receive statutory maternity pay then that is what you will get. That will enable you to avoid being in a contract with them with the 12 month pay back clause.

The other option is to receive the enhanced maternity pay but to save it and then if you do not return you have the money to pay it back. This will also enable you to receive a payment for the annual leave you accrue during maternity leave.

Could you afford to just leave now? You would still be entitled to statutory and your health is the most important thing

She won't be entitled to any maternity pay if she resigns before the end of week 25 of pregnancy

Worth checking your contract for what happens to your EMP if you are made redundant or your employment terminated by mutual agreement before your year clawback is completed.

If you can get signed off then go on mat leave, you make noises about wanting to go back PT, and they then make you redundant you may get the best of both worlds.

I'd struggle by to after the 25 weeks, then ask if I could start mat leave early at 29 weeks.

If you go off sick before 25 weeks it can affect how much SMP you get as it’s based on earnings in those weeks.

As said, you need to earn an average amount over your qualifying period to get SMP. You can choose to start your maternity leave any time from 29 weeks pregnant. If you get signed off now on low pay you'd likely lose SMP.

Do you know if you need to pay back occupational maternity leave if you don't come back for a certain length of time? If not I'd be tempted to stick it out until your qualifying week, then get signed off, start maternity leave at 29 weeks then not go back!

Your GP can do a fit note which specifies amended duties, you could for example ask for more working from home to help with PGP or maximum of 6hrs in work if you can't do your job from home.
These amended duties will make no impact on your pay, your mat pay will also still be calculated on your full salary. So maybe ask your GP for this in the first instance. They are unlikely to sign you for 16 weeks and it doesn't at all sound like you aren't capable of doing any work at all.

My company policy is that you get full pay while sick… I work in financial services so the benefits are all pretty good.

So if I got signed off work sick then my pay wouldn’t change.

@Whataretheodds this was something we had discussed and were somewhat hoping would happen… but I’m scared that they will say no to the PT and I will have to go back for a year full time if I take the company maternity.

Going back for a year won't feel as bad if you know you're leaving at the end of it. What are they going to do if you don't meet their impossible deadlines, fire you?! Okie doke 😁. You'll be giving up work, not looking for a new job, so you needn't even worry about a reference and can go off sick with stress as much as you need to, if they keep causing it with their awful work culture. A year soon passes and you can keep mentally distant to stop yourself being sucked into the workplace drama as much as possible. Just do the minimum you can get away with to still get paid.

@dementedpixie when I asked if she could leave now, I mean resign not walk out, there would be a notice period to serve which would take her into the qualifying week for SMP. I always thinks it’s worth leaving on a good note wherever possible. You never know when career paths will cross again in the future.

Whataretheodds this was something we had discussed and were somewhat hoping would happen… but I’m scared that they will say no to the PT and I will have to go back for a year full time if I take the company maternity.

Or maybe you negotiate an alternative role or an early exit.

Do they have form for refusing part time hours?

Here I am at 10pm sitting at my desk crying to my other half about how I can’t get everything for tomorrow morning and how stressed I am - have worked non stop all day and then did the bedtime routine with my toddler and back to work again.

Manager has messaged me saying he needs everything ready to send before 9am even though he knows I have a toddler and have to do the nursery drop off. He also knows that I am working late this evening trying to get everything done and doesn’t seem to care that I’m pregnant.

Already having anxiety about the lack of sleep I am going to have tonight and how exhausted I am going to be tomorrow 😢 also the b*llocking I am going to get for not having it all done.

It’s a newish company so it’s all over the place with what they will and won’t do regarding part time … think they just make it up as they go along.

Its already changed so much since I’ve been there that I wouldn’t be surprised if it was completely different again when I go back after maternity. The HR department will probably be completely different people by that time. My entire team will probably be completely different people by that time!

Try to think of it as just words. Angry man ranting words. Words can't hurt you. They're just air. He can't hurt you. Tell him what he asked was impossible in the timeframe and if he hadn't asked impossible things then the situation he's now in wouldn't have occurred. It's a job, they don't own you, you're allowed downtime. Then think about what to have for tea while he rants on some more. Or if you need a day off tomorrow, take one, just call in sick with some excuse and don't respond to anything about work all day. Let the bastard stew.

I know exactly how you feel, I work in the NHS as the only adminstration on a ward with no other support and our medical secretary is leaving at the end of the month, I am 21 weeks now and so so tired and worn out all the time. I have no energy for housework or anything else in the evenings and I spend my down time dreading going back to work.
I miss out on enhanced pay by something stupid like 2 weeks which is just as frustrating so I will be getting by on SMP.
I have said to them if they can let me work from home I will not take my maternity leave until much closer to my due date but if I am unable to work from home I will be taking maternity leave ASAP along with any annual leave which will mean I will end up leaving around mid August despite having a November due date.
I totally sympathise with you and you have to do what's right for you and your family!

It sounds awful. Hats off to all women who manage to work full time and be pregnant.

You do what works best for you and your body. Especially as you don't have plans to go back. Prioritise your well being over finances (especially as you can afford to).

GP will sign you off with what you ask them to sign you off. They usually do it for 4 weeks and then re-review/extend.

I was at your place few weeks back!! Around 20-25 weeks it was unmanageable to work looking after toddler who is 20 months old. I m very very exhausted!
Now somehow reached 33 weeks and waiting to start my Mat leave by 36 weeks!! Don't be hard on you! This too shall pass on just get bare minimum done everyday which can keep your employment until you meet the mark!

Hi everyone, thanks for all of your help and answers! Thought I would let you know the decision my partner and I have come to.

Going to limp through to the 25 week mark but no more killing myself and just doing what I can do.

then depending on how I feel speak to the doc about getting signed off until I’m 36 weeks which is when I’ll start my official maternity.

take both the stat and company mat pay but save the mat pay, then when I go back in a year make noises about only being able to come back part time and see what happens - either they’ll agree and I’ll just get through a year of doing part time being a below average employee or they’ll say no and have to make me redundant meaning I can keep the company money.

If they say no, are you sure they will make you redundant?

That's not usual with flexible working requests, if they are rejected usually you return full time or resign.