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!

10 wks full pay, 8 wks 90%, then SMP...

Large worldwide Hotel chain,American 'we look after our associates so they can look after our guests', work in the UK.

We get 6 weeks at 90% then SMP to 33 weeks, then up to a year unpaid. No top ups.

They look after their associates very well

I work for an Isle of Man Company but am based in the UK - we get 14 weeks at full pay and then Statutory. Luckily I am on an IOM contract, the UK staff on UK contracts just get statutory - 6 weeks @ 90% etc

The disparity between all the employers is crazy.

i work for a syndicate at Lloyds. Am in a managerial position. we get statutory minimum. If i worked for any other insurer in the market i would have gotten enhanced benefits but foolishly i chose to work for the last boys club on earth. Until i joined the company there was only one other "senior" women in the company. All other females were 18 year old school leaver admin assistants.

Am hoping that this time around i might be able to negotiate a better deal.

I work for a private consultancy and get 6 weeks full pay, 6 weeks half pay, then SMP. I do get a return to work bonus of 1 months salary pre-maternity leave. I managed to take 13 months off when I had dd as I lumped my annual leave onto the end of my mat leave, otherwise I would have lost it as it was the end of the leave year.

Previous employer (household name FTSE company) - statutory minimum of 6 weeks at 90% pay and 33 weeks at SMP.

Current employer (charity) - statutory minimum for employees with less than a years service and enhanced package for longer service: 10 weeks at full pay, 10 weeks at half pay plus SMP then 19 weeks SMP.

I work for one of the top 5 global management consultancys and we get 9 months full pay.

Big bank. 12 weeks full pay, 6 weeks 90% then smp. . Will also have full year holiday allowance which is 5 weeks.

Reading this has made me feel rubbish! I get nothing, straight onto SMP... work ridiculously long hours in a very stressful environment as well. Think civil service is the way forward!

I work for a major publishing company and get SMP only, if I'm reading the policy right. That said, because I have been there over 2 years I get 125% pay for 12 months if/when I return.

Large Multi discipline engineering firm 12 weeks full pay and then the remaining on SMP, better than any other private sector employer i have worked for.

6 weeks at 90% then SMP. crap

I work for one of the Big 4 - we get 14weeks full pay, 12weeks @ 50%, SMP for next 13weeks and then nothing for the last 13weeks...
Doesn't seem too bad considering you accrue holiday while you are on ML and can take it during the unpaid element of your leave..
They do tie you in on return tho, policy states have to stay for at least a yr or pay back. But they are good at offering flexible working arrangements so can't complain really...

I too am in the civil service, we get 26 weeks full pay, followed by 13 weeks statutory, followed by up to 13 weeks unpaid.

We accrue holiday while on leave and can carry it over without restriction.

You have to go back for at least a month afterwards.

I guess it's one of those things that makes up for the crappy wages in the first place

Unfortunately I was thinking about leaving before I fell pregnant and now I am in a real quandry because I'm not very happy here, but it seems like too good a deal to walk away from! :(

I work for a large advertising agency and am shocked to find it is so bad!
6 weeks full pay after 2 years of service and 13 weeks SMP - then ( quite immoral) They give you an 8 week bonus if you come back to work after 3 months...
Not exactly quality time with your child!
I appear to be worse off than BT and car industry!

I don't want to go back to my horrid job. Half the reason I'm happy to be expecting is quitting my job.
If I were to go back I'd get 5 months full pay, five months half pay and 2 months stat after that.
As it is I will get 6 weeks at 90% and stat after that.
I don't know if I can afford that

and there is a payback clause.

Does anyone else work for a pharmaceutical company? I have just learned that my package is 6weeks at 90% and the remainder at SMP. I feel this is terrible for a pharmaceutical company (I have been here for over 6 years too) and would like to bench mark against others, if anyone can help I would be so grateful.

I work for a university.
13 wks full, 13 weeks half (+ smp payment), 13 wks just smp, 13 wks unpaid.

I thought that wasn't great until I read the other posts, but seems it's actually quite decent?

Large satellite TV broadcaster - 26 weeks full pay, 13 weeks SMP. Can take another 13 weeks unpaid, and can carry over any holiday accrued over the year, at full pay. We also get twelve Keeping In Touch days, at full pay. Pension and healthcare continue as normal.

Starry I work for a pharma company and only get statuatory pay too , although I've been working through a contract company for the last 2 years since I relocated. My colleagues on headcount get 6 months full pay, as I would have got at my last company too... I was under the impression that pharma was generally well paid!

I'm private sector, small independent investment firm and I'm getting a really good deal - 6 mths full pay, then 6 mths half pay. Encouraged to take a year if I need it as bosses are Mediterranean and 'family is very important - bambino needs its mama'. Small catch is I'd have to pay back a proportion if I decided not to go back, but I enjoy my job and also need/want to get back eventually. This is almost certainly an exception, even in my sector which has more than its fair share of overpaid wbanker types (and sadly I'm not one of those).

I work for a medium sized ad agency and get statutory. The workforce has a fairly high proportion of females (maybe 7 or 8 of us pregnant at the moment) so I guess they couldn't afford to give great packages...

Fortunately I am paid well enough to save a bit while I'm still at work so I am hoping to take at least 10 months off.

Someone asked about holiday not taken. HR at work told me it is illegal not to pay you for it/let you carry it over as it counts as discrimination. Not sure if this is true but worth challenging if you are told no.

Re: holiday I have to take this year's before I go on leave but if I have to start leave early eg because baby comes early and I don't get to take the holiday I've booked I can carry it over. No option to take payment in lieu, and at other places they will only let you take payment in lieu.

direct line group we ger 3 months full pay 3 months 90 percent of wage and 3 month smp