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Original poster

What kind of maternity deal does your employer offer?

89 replies

bubble99 · 04/04/2006 11:23

I'm interested to find out what maternity packages different employers offer? How many of you have had Statutory Maternity Pay only? If you've been paid at full or nearly full salary beyond the first 6 weeks of maternity leave has this encouraged you to return to work for the same employer?

TIA.

OP posts:
Nbg · 04/04/2006 11:26

Do you want to know employers name?

I was given Stat mat pay (so the usual 90% pay for the first 6 weeks and then £100 per week for the rest of the 6 months) and then I took additional mat leave (unpaid) and decided to leave half way through that, to be a SAHM.

cori · 04/04/2006 11:28

I work for a large London Housing association. I can take up to 12 months maternity leave. First 4months full pay, 2months half pay. Additional 6 months at no pay.

bramblina · 04/04/2006 11:28

I worked for the same employer for 11 years, my only job, we have changed management and ownership a few times, and ended up under somerfield. I only received SMP. I never wanted a career so never intended on returning, however if I had received more I would have cosidered perhaps a day or two, but certainly not until ds is at least 1. But that's not happening anyway!

EnidFord · 04/04/2006 11:29

same as Nbg

really shite tbh

hunkermunker · 04/04/2006 11:30

Full pay for 18 weeks, stat for 8.

MrsBadger · 04/04/2006 11:30

we're very lucky:
6 months at full pay
6 months thereafter unpaid if you want it
but if we decide not to go back to work afterwards they reclaim the difference between those 6 full-paid months and 6 months of Statutory Maternity Pay, so they're enticing us to come back.

cori · 04/04/2006 11:30

I will return to same employer, (as have to pay back additional maternity leave pay if I dont). I am not planning on having any more children, so will not affect my decision about staying with them in the long run.

oliveoil · 04/04/2006 11:34

SMP here

But I am enticed back for the working condition tbh, family friendly company, most bosses have children so can understand illness cover etc, people can work from home in holidays etc.

And unlimited MN'ing, what more could a girl ask.

Nbg · 04/04/2006 11:38

Wow
Mrsbadger thats fab!!!

Original poster
bubble99 · 04/04/2006 11:42

Thanks. I'm interested as we are a fairly new business and this will obviously affect us in the near future, myself included Grin

Our staff are contracted for SMP only. We offer free childcare which is obviously worth a lot in London but I don't think we can contract to cover anything beyond SMP as our business employs lots of young women and we would, quite simply, go bust if they all needed maternity leave at the same time! Are we meanies?? No honest answers to that please. Grin

Do other employers simply absorb the costs of paying full pay during maternity leave and the costs of paying for maternity cover??

OP posts:
hoxtonchick · 04/04/2006 11:43

6 weeks full pay, then 50%+stat for 20 weeks. pretty good, it did encourage me to go back (& actually, you have to go back for 3 months or else you have to pay some back...).

Nbg · 04/04/2006 11:44

It's a nursery that you have isn't it?

If so then I think SMP and free childcare is pretty good tbh.

hoxtonchick · 04/04/2006 11:45

oh, i work for a think tank/charity. the director of my dept is about to go on maternity leave, & was complaining about the pay. if she persuades them to change it i will be cross (just back from mat leave myself).

Original poster
bubble99 · 04/04/2006 11:48

Yes, it's a nursery. The free childcare has brought us one fantastic staff member already who would couldn't return to primary school teaching because of the costs of childcare.

OP posts:
Original poster
bubble99 · 04/04/2006 11:50

How do small employers provide generous maternity pay? It must surely only be possible for larger companies to absorb those costs?

OP posts:
Lio · 04/04/2006 11:53

I was so lucky, although heavens above, just saw Mrs Badger's post – wow! Thought I was the only one with such generous bosses.

12 weeks at full pay
12 weeks at 70% pay
12 weeks at 50% pay

The daft thing is, I would have gone back even on SMP, I love my job and my bosses (can you see why?!).

This time around the company is not sloshing in money so I have already encouraged them to go down the SMP route.

Lio · 04/04/2006 11:54

btw, for bubble: at the time I think there were 14 employees, now 20.

Original poster
bubble99 · 04/04/2006 12:02

Wow! They were indeed very generous bosses, Lio.

It's good too that you recognise that the company isn't sloshing with money, too. Our staff are great in general but I do sometimes get p'd off with having to explain that funds are finite.

OP posts:
MrsBadger · 04/04/2006 12:03

SMP and free childcare sounds like a good deal to me!

I think my good deal is because I work for a huge (and extremely rich) institution and they have more money than they know what to do with!
(and yes, you should all come and work here too)

Original poster
bubble99 · 04/04/2006 12:05

I also think that the free childcare is the ultimate lure to tempt people back from maternity leave. We have, of course, told our staff that there is a rota system for free childcare places. Wink

OP posts:
crunchie · 04/04/2006 12:09

bubble the retruning to work issue is not about how much you are paid during mat leave, it is about how flexible and understanding a company is. Free childcare is a FAB perk and one that would work for me tbh :)

I returned to work as I had to (main bread winner) and I did stay with the same company as I got 2 x good mat leave packages. However I left after my 2nd was born (I went back for about 6 months) as they were useless at understnading teh need for flexibility. They couldn't bear me leaving ON TIME so I could get home to my kids, and my new manager treated me appallingly.

I am now in a company that has just SMP, nothing extra, But I am 10 mins from home and if I need to work from home witha sick kid I can, if I need to pop to teh school for sports day I can etc etc.

That keeps me here

Uwila · 04/04/2006 12:10

Stat minimum for me. I work for a large American company in the oil business.

I don't think an increase in mat benefits would have made me more loyal. I think people quickly forget. I think most people see mat pay as their right and not something nice their employer did for them.

What would encourage me to go back is subsidised childcare. I recently leaned that NHS employees get subsidised nursery places and I am unspeakably jealous.

cataloguequeen · 04/04/2006 12:11

full pay for 12 months and Career Break of up to 5 yrs (with out pay) with all raises and benefits intact.

Working for the Gov. does have its benefitsGrin

katzg · 04/04/2006 12:12

This is what my employeer offers:

18 weeks leave on full pay, followed by 8 weeks SMP (totalling 26 weeks paid leave);

or

9 weeks leave on full pay, followed by 18 weeks leave on half pay, followed by 8 weeks leave on pay at a rate equivalent to the current level of SMP (totalling 35 weeks paid leave)

plus we have the voucher scheme in place so my childcare works out cheaper

Uwila · 04/04/2006 12:19

Does everyone who works for the government get 12 months of full maternity pay?