Want to extend maternity leave to another year!

[suni1]

I have just joined mumsnet. Wow.. I want to ask my employer wheather I could take a further year off work to stay at home with the fam. I am due to go back to work March 2011 to commence my 3 day a week job.

I had a meeting with the employers in October 2010 with the intention of asking for another year off. But I bottled it, as I thought employer would frankly think Im having a laugh about wanting more time off work especially in this economic climate. Instead, I acted very enthuiastic and almost desperate about returning to work. What a !!!.

My moto is if you dont ask you dont get.... The employer can only say NO!!! I must ask them asap as I have final meeting in January..

Any advise is welcome as Im very indecisive...

You are not entitled to another year. They may agree, but you would not necessarily return to the same job. Also, they would have every right to stop you getting benefits etc.

However, overt much doubt they would agree. What is in it for them? You may not ever return and meanwhile they are paying for maternity cover etc.

Should have worded it better. Maternity leave only 12months. Agree with BlingLoving comments. I just want job security and not have to start interview process.

I agree, employers are finding it tough as it is so unless you can persuade them they will not be disadvantaged by you having another year off i really cant see them agreeing to that.

However, if your employer is trying to reduce staffing numbers/ wages they might welcome not having to pay you for a year although they then might wonder whether they need you back if they have been managing for so long without you.

Like you said, you can ask and they can only say no.

You have no entitlement.

If it were me I'm afraid I could not guarantee to hold a job for a year for a person, even if there was cover, due to redundancy implications (ie: length of service).

and sorry, Sun1 but we all want job security - no-one has it at present though.

What you are asking for is a sabbatical. Is there any precedent in your organisation of people being granted that sort of thing?

Do they have someone in covering your role at the moment?

Career breaks used to be common in the covil service but are now hard to get.

Are you planning on having anymore DCs. If so can you afford it without SSP etc.

Did you receive additional maternity pay- if so will you need to pay that back if you dont return.

What are the benefits for the employer? How would you feel going back to the organisation at some point in the future and not to your old job?

It wouldn't be maternity leave- you will have used up your entitlement. By all means ask for a years unpaid leave- but I very much doubt an employer would agree to guarantee your job and conditions back after such a long time. Presumably if the job is that essential they'd be looking to employ someone else anyway to cover that time.
Sounds tbh as if you want something thats nothing to do with ml- just time off on your terms with the right to walk back in a year later and reclaim your job! Sounds rather unrealistic tbh

An employer might be prepared to offer this if things are currently quiet due to the economic downturn, and they could get by without cover. They would therefore save the cost of your wage for a year, whilst waiting for things to pick up. I doubt you would be automatically entitled to your job back after that time though.

trouble with it is, that the longer a person is kept on the more they are entitled to in a redundancy situation.

So from an employers point of view, it makes no sense at all to extend cover from one year to two years (because statutory redundancy pay kicks in at 24 months).

We can take a career break where I work but I would be really concerned about the mixed messages you are giving and wouldn't feel I could trust what you say. If you wanted a career break you should have just asked. Now, they think you are coming back to work all guns blaizing in three months.

Don't mess them around. Decide what you want and what your bottom line is. If you want to request a career break, what will you do if they refuse? Resign and pay back your maternity pay or return to work as previously agreed?