Maternity Pay - what does your employers offer?

[Vallmo]

Hi ladies,

I am trying to benchmark my company's maternity policy when it comes to "topping up" statutory maternity pay and am wondering if you don't mind telling me who you work for and what enhanced maternity pay your employer currently offers. All answers will be very much appreciated!

Thanks a lot!

[dreamalittle]

I work for a big charity. 10 weeks full pay, 29 weeks half pay. No obligation to pay anything back if you don't go back. Not bad (although on my current part-time wage, my 'half pay' will be little more than SMP anyway).

[lollystix]

Whatevertgeweather - I had similar with the childcare vouchers (the £55 a week) that I was getting before mat leave. My new company (the major supermarket) told me I had to opt out of the scheme when on mat leave. Thanks to mumsnet, my colleague, also on mat leave, found out this was illegal. We had to find the government guidance on it and take it to hr. They went quiet for 6 months and then agreed to a large back payment. It amazed me such a major employer was totally unaware of the legislation. Wonder if the compensated those who didn't complain.

[cameli]

Big 4 accountancy firm & we get 18 weeks full pay, 21 on SMP & 13 weeks unpaid. We do accrue holidays & bank hols though. Would like more really but hey ho....

[cherrybug]

I work for a charity and my post was the first staff post so they didn't have a mat policy agreed. On telling them I was pregnant they put together a sub group (of men) who have decided that I will only get statutory minimum. The funding comes from governent (not donations), there are healthy reserves and I'm the only person to require maternity leave so I'm really disappointed that they haven't topped it up a little. Not to mention I will be forced to return to work earlier as I simply can't Afford to live for long on SMP. Doesn't exactly make you feel valued!

[IssyStark]

I work at at Russell Group University and after a year working there I qualified for the contactual maternity pay which is 26 weeks on full pay (then the remaining 13 weeks on SMP and 13 weks on no pay). However I have to work for them for 12 months after returning otherwise I have to pay back the difference between the contractual mat pay and SMP.

I didn't qualify for the uni's mat pay with my first as I'd moved unis to live in the same city as the Spouse so I just got SMP that time.

[IssyStark]

To answer issy42's additional questions on the first page, we're supposed to take leave within the same leave year but mat leave early in the leave year is a god enough reason to carry over as log as it is agreed with the local manager.

My oension is paid as normal when I'm on mat leave with full employer's contributions.

(at a Russell Group uni)

[IssyStark]

Apologies for all the missing letters!

[sleepevader]

I could return for one day from my carers break and receive 6 months full pay. Decided it wasnt worth messing up my break Which May not be granted again and other incomes.

Plus dont want to ever have to return to old job in order to not pay it back.

From experience similar bands in local government pay higher than civil service so generally benefits and rewards out weigh each other.

[sleepevader]

I could return for one day from my carers break and receive 6 months full pay. Decided it wasnt worth messing up my break Which May not be granted again and other incomes.

Plus dont want to ever have to return to old job in order to not pay it back.

From experience similar bands in local government pay higher than civil service so generally benefits and rewards out weigh each other.

[YBR]

I work in the railway industry and it depends on length of service. I get the maximum:
15 months full
15 months half
remainder statuary/none.

Holidays have to be taken before the end of the calendar year or you lose them, maternity is not exempt from this. Currently I'm trying to prod our HR people into acknowledging I get Lieu time for Bank Hols also!

[OiMissus]

I work in the private sector, for an industrial machine manufacturer (global), and in the UK we get the bare minimum. 6 weeks at 90%, then statutory. I think it's shocking that legislation still assumes that the man (if there is one around) is the main wage earner. £128 a week would barely cover our usual supermarket shop, nevermind contribute to mortgage/energy/other costs. We have to save up for my 12 weeks on SMP (12 weeks is all we can afford, and I'm tagging 3 weeks holiday on at the end which should be at full pay.)

[rimmer08]

sate secondary
4 weeks full pay
2 weeks at 90%
12 weeks 50%
rest smp
looking on here many in education get a better deal than that

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

26 full pay
13 weeks SMP
13 weeks unpaid

Have to agree to return for at least a month to avoid paying back the difference between 6 months full pay and 6 months SMP but lots use accrued annual leave for the month's notice.

Good deal but agree with whoever said it was a pay off for shit wages in the first place. I'm not sure what sector I'm in. Leisure industry I guess, used to be public sector about 20 years ago but no more. Still has hangovers from those days though.

[cherrybug]

Oi Missus,

I agree it's shocking and outdated that legislation assumes the man is the main wage earner. I bring in the most income in our household (and I work PT compared to my DP working FT) so for me to only get statutory minimum means we are well and truly going to just scrape by and I'm forced to return to work much earlier than I want to in order for us to live. Its unfair that there should be such massive differences in what different companies/sectors offer - not that I begrude women who get good allowances at all, just that I think the statutory should be raised, to force stingy employers like mine to give something half decent. The thing that makes me really angry is that the money for my post is ringfenced so there is easily enough for them to give me full pay if they wanted to. Wasn't expceting that of course, but a slight top up would have been very easy for them to give and would have made such a difference to me.

[OiMissus]

I agree cherry. It gets me very wound up! During the 12 weeks at SMP, I'll work 10 days (the maximum allowed) of "Keeping in Touch" days, which are paid at my full rate. This is how I'm topping up the SMP. It's a disgrace.
I am the principal wage earner in our relationship. It's my wage that pays all our costs - mortgage/shopping etc. We're having a finance planning session on Sunday...

[HPonEverything]

I work for a privatised defence company.

I get 18 weeks full pay, 21 weeks SMP, 13 weeks unpaid.

I thought it was rubbish til I read some of the ones above!

My company used to do a much better deal as well, but it finished last year.

[Ellypoo]

I work for a small company and we only get statutory. My DH is self-employed too so there is no chance of him taking off the rest of the mat leave once i go back to work. I'm the main wage earner and it is really frustrating that there is so much disparaty between what employers offer, although from the companies point of view, particularly with the economy as it is, for them to have to pay for someone who isn't working and have to cover their workload too?
I will only be taking off 21 weeks, but hopefully will agree with them to work 15 days during this period (3 days/month) to top up the SMP - otherwise we are really going to struggle financially - SMP won't cover the mortgage, not to mention anything else!

[Jezzabell]

I work for a university and get:
4 weeks full pay
2 weeks 90%
12 weeks at 50% + SMP
21 weeks SMP
can take the rest up to a year unpaid. I also acrue leave so will be taking 4 weeks at full pay at the end of my mat leave (i'll take the 39 weeks) also the uni shuts between christmas and new year so that is 3 days extra free and i think i also acrue bank holidays. If things go to plan i hope to take a week leave that i have left over in mid feb then start maternity leave about 2 weeks before i'm due. Then i can take my 4 weeks leave Nov/Dec 2012 meaning I get a full month pay just before christmas next year, then add the 6 bank holidays on after that and go back in the second week in Jan, so nearly 11 months off. I did some calculations and if I spread it out equally i should get about £900 a month then full pay for the last month, which should be fine to live off so long as DH has managed to get some full time work by then he's 'between' jobs at the mo :( I have to go back for 13 weeks or else pay some back.

I'm also lucky as in their maternity policy i can request time off for pregnancy relaxation classes. My local childrens centre runs prenatal yoga on a friday afternoon and work have allowed me to take a late lunch and finish at 2pm, then they'll give me an hour and I have to make the remaining 30mins up. So as of 2nd sept I get to finish at 2pm every friday for lovely relaxing yoga, nice!

I am lucky as they're really supportive here and loads of people are always going off on mat leave.

[pinkydee]

I work for one of the big 4 - it looks like the one with the worst benefits! I get 8 weeks full pay, then 18 weeks 25% pay then 12 weeks at SMP then nothing...

[BigBadBear]

I work for a big publishing company and get 26 weeks on full pay, 13 weeks on SMP then 13 weeks unpaid. I accrue annual leave while off, so then get another five weeks annual leave on full pay before returning to work. And payroll kindly calculated it so I could receive some money all the way through, rather than suddenly going to none.

The pay off though, is a six month return to work period before I can leave.

[Blobby11]

Wish I hadn't read this as now

I work for a business school and get stat min ie 6 weeks at 90% then SMP
Not fair!

[hairylights]

Charitable trust, 30 employees. Smp only.

[cierzo]

What it is shocking is companies with the majority workforce are women have absolutely the bare minimum by law. :( Thinking in doing a research of the best companies to work for and try to find a job there.

I know this is a bit old, but this series in The Guardian about the maternity policies and benefits for future parents was quite eye opening:

www.guardian.co.uk/money/series/parentfriendlyemployers

I know someone that is on maternity leave at the moment and she works for Shell, 6 months at least in full pay.

[pinkpinkeverywhere]

Car industry here and I get 12 months full pay plus bank holidays paid on top even though you're not at work. Great benefit and ensures all us ladies return.

[Justmarried1]

Work for a large pharmaceutical company at manager level but shocked at the maternity policy; 6 weeks on 90% pay then SMP, awful! In most other aspects a really good company to work for (pretty good salary, flexible working, private health cover etc) so was really suprised by this...may as well have a less stressful job and get the same maternity benefits!