Help needed with Mat Leave questions

[Dummyhunter]

Ok so several things happening here I need help with - if anyone could answer it would be amazing - thank you. I am currently on mat leave and have up until January on leave left if I take 9 months.

1. The company that I work for is being bought out and the new company have written to me (well, all the staff!) to say that they will be taking over shortly and that as the companies are amalgamating there will have to be some redundancies. Just wondering if anyone has been in the same situation? Anyone know where I stand?

The next few are if I still have a job to go back to!

1. Hubby said well blow it I think we should start trying for more !!! If I were to get pregnant while on mat leave - where would that leave me money wise and would I have to inform them etc. The Jury is still out on this one!

1. If I dont get pregnant when do I have to tell them if I am / am not returning to work?

1. If I do go back to work and we want to try for another child - how long do I have to be back at work for to qualify for mat leave again?

Sorry I know that I have asked a lot of questions - please help.

1. Don't know, but they can't make you redundant juts because you are on maternity leave.
2. Where I work, a few girls have come back from maternity leave pg, and they have worked a few months and gone off again at the right time to have their next maternitty leave, as usua, on the salary they came back on - take this into account if you are planning on going back part time. I don't think this affects the Statutory Maternity Pay part of your mat leave.
3. It's something like when you baby is 25 weeks old.
4. At my work, no time at all. I know someone who ran 2 maternity leaves back to back.

Sorry this is very specific to where I work, but I hope it shows that in principle, what you want to do is "allowed".

if i were you i'd put these questions to your HR department if you have one, or find out what your company policy is. in my company, which is a multinational, you have to be back at work from maternity leave for a minimum of a full year, to qualify for "company" maternity pay (which is quite generous - several months full pay) for your next baby. so there's no way you can come back heavily pregnant and just bugger off again, sadly!

1. If you are at risk of redundancy during maternity leave, you will get priority for deployment. There are lots of people on here who can advise you if that happens.

1. You would need to look at Company policy for any enhanced maternity pay. For statutory, it is worked out on pay you actually receive (rather than the amount in your contract) broadly during your second trimester. That means that, if you are on low company pay/SMP/unpaid during that time, your next SMP could be very low indeed, and you may not qualify at all. You need to check this out I'd say.

1. You are entitled to go back on your originally notified date, or have to give 8 weeks' notice to change it. If you're not going back, you have to give your normal notice period. If you want to ask for flexible working, I'd say allow at least 2-3 months. People don't realise that these processes take time, and you don't want to be rushed.

1. You qualify for maternity leave no matter what. It's the pay that may vary (see 2).

Hope that helps!