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 ❤️❤️❤️

As PP said I’m not sure they will have to make you redundant. We’ve had people request part time and had to refuse. They either find a way to continue the full time hours or resign. I think redundancy is when your role is no longer available.

Above poster is right. If they say no because they need you full time I don’t think they have to make you redundant they can just say no giving their reason then it’s up to you whether you stay full time or resign

So we are going to save the enhanced mat pay until we know the answer and if I have to resign then we can pay it back

That sounds like a good plan, put you and your baby first OP. Your health is the most important. Good luck with it all.

Look after your health, worst comes worst you could start mat leave at 29 weeks. Look at regular savings accounts. You can put up to a certain amount per month in and get interest after a year. First direct for example has one at 7% on £300 a month, Natwest over 6% at £150 a month. Look at putting the maternity pay in high interest accounts such as this so you'll have made a little money still if you need to pay it back.