maternity leave is too long ?

[lorcana]

• I manage a team of around 30 people - currently 4 are either on mat leave or about to go. All plan to have year off- this is too long imo. I had 5 children and took between 4 weeks and 3 months for each - staff come back deskilled demotivated and completely out of tHe loop. The impact on career and team is enormous - why do people take such long mat leaves ?

Because they want to spend time with their children.

Career progress is only affected if you have an employer who believes taking a year off is detrimental to your career progress.

It's not mothers who set the rules. They take a year off because they can.

you have to know on mumsnet you will take a little stick for this! I can totally understand it must be very frustrating for an employer but that initial time with dc is important. 4 weeks maybe ok for you but personally it took me 2months before I had recovered physically from a difficult birth never mind bond with dd and feel competant at parenting! I returned to work happily at 6months but probably so happily because I went p/t so I get best of both worlds. Some mums may not be able to return early because they are feeding. I think flexibilty and choice benefits both parties!

That implies working mothers DO NOT sPend time with their children ....
Your career will be affected in a year - a number of skills will need updatingn confidence is affected and 'getting back into' professional life WILL take time.
I found easiest return was the shortest.
Women need to think about the implications that is all. A year is far too long to not work at all.

I took over a year once holiday and sick leave is counted in. I am in a highly skilled role. I was not deskilled by my maternity leave. I was motivated when I came back (luckily I wasn't worrying about leaving a tiny baby) and my colleagues kept me in the loop. What are you doing wrong that your returners come back deskilled, demotivated and out if the loop?

Maybe they love their babies more than you did?

Well I;ve done it twice and managed. And yes, working mothers spend time with their children. But lots of women like to prioritise that when their children are tiny and learning about love and security. And who their mother is. From a practical point of view, some women take time to recover from the birth. Lots breastfeed, which is much easier on demand in the first 6 months.

Rita

What a stupid OP.

My very first to the views of the OP.
Thank god your not my employer.

Erm it's a different kind of work from which you can learn a lot about all kinds of things.

I think you're generalising about people's abilities to remember how to do their jobs! After 8 months mat leave I've gone into the office for a couple of days as my cover had a family emergency, within 20 mins it was as if I'd never been away.

Not all industries change massively in the space of one year! That and I had a baby, not a lobotomy...

I also had complications following birth and certainly couldn't have returned to work after 3 months. You can't plan for things like that.

hello xenia

They probably come back unmotivated because they know what, or more likely who, they are coming back to.

Poor Buggers.

Because work tends to be a crock of shit and most people only turn up for the pay packet.

don't be ridiculous, they come back keen and refreshed after a year.

at a few weeks or months, they will not be sleeping, feeding through the night, constantly thinking of their babies' needs.

TBH I agree with you that a year is often too long off if you view it just from a professional viewpoint. I did find it a long time to be gone, and I did have a lot of catching up to do (I work in a fast changing area, and though I had tried to keep on top of major developments, you miss the nuances). Clients had bonded with the colleagues who covered, etc, etc.

But you know what.

Life isn't just about the professional. It's about balancing the professional and the personal.

Legislation does the same thing.

And, for me, a year was the right time to be off. I'm doing it this time too. I wanted to go back to my career, but what was best for my career simply didn't matter to me.

Because us wimmin don't really want to worry our pretty little heads about work you know, we really just want to sit at home eating bon bons and lunching.

Tootle off now back to your cave, dear boy.

You know that people on their death bed/in later years very rarely regret spending more time with their kids don't you?

Perhaps some of us suddenly realise there is more to life than work?

I work to pay the bills - if I could give up tomorrow I would. Not that I tell my employers that, and they certainly don't know / can't tell that - I have been one of the best performing members of my team throughout the last 4 years when I've been in and out of the office on mat leave etc.

Each to their own - you clearly enjoy work more than I do!

I just went back after almost a year off; as i kept in touch monthly throughout and regularly checked my emails (every fortnight) i had a gd break with dd but also kept up with work. So hit the ground running, so to speak. Worked well for me. Maybe a keep in touch policy would help your company.

My DS was not a sleeper, if I went back to work within the first year, I could honestly say i'd be a bit crap at it.

Fact is when you are old and grey and retired you will still have your family not outstanding emails...

As you've said that's just your opinion based on your experience. Mine is different.