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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:
SqueakyCat · 04/04/2006 12:21

Stat only in a biggish FTSE 250 company.

IME, many people getting more than SMP DON'T REALISE that they are getting a good deal. Shock

More than stat would not entice me back to work. I hear of many people who return for the minimum time to keep their extra mat pay, then leave.

What would encorage me to return to work is funded childcare and flexibility with time off for sickness etc (paid time off for children's sickness, appointments etc would be lovely).

MrsBadger · 04/04/2006 12:23

oh, meant to add a great thing I heard about that our local NHS trust offers to their employees - term time only contracts! How handy could that be?

cataloguequeen · 04/04/2006 12:25

I'm not sure... I work for the Department of Work and Pensions, but I presume it must be similar across the board unless you worked part-time or you are on contract.

Uwila · 04/04/2006 12:42

So bubble, how are the nurseries? Are they both full?

Lio · 04/04/2006 12:48

And to echo what others have said, free or subsidised childcare would be amazing, and also bosses who are sympathetic to, for example, childhood sickness and the need for flexibility sometimes.

Lysettes · 04/04/2006 13:26

I work in an insurance broker - 600 people worldwide and 220 or so in UK.

We get SMP with option of further 6 months unpaid.

Flexible working is unheard of afterwards, as are any other benefits likely to make it nicer / easier for mums to come back. It's assumed that you'll just come back full time (for me 8-7.30 each day).

Flexible working or childcare would definitely entice me to be more loyal, as would a better maternity package - as it is I will probably leave at some time soon after SMP and look for a p/t job

Oblomov · 04/04/2006 13:47

God, I want to work for a company like mrsbadger or Lio - what kind of companies pay that sort of maternity pay ?

I went on maternity, when I worked for a company that was part of Surrey County Council.
Got bugger all - only statutory - CRAP - am soooo jealous.

TheBlonde · 04/04/2006 13:49

My employer did...
full pay 6 weeks
smp for the 20 weeks
unpaid for 26 weeks but heath cover continued for this period

on return to work they paid 25% additional pay for the first 12 mths

Dophus · 04/04/2006 13:51

Full pay - 12 weeks
Half - 8 weeks
Statuatory - 6 weeks
Unpaid - 6 months

I returned to work after 8 months off and have found a positive attitude to working mums and overtime.

PiccadillyCircus · 04/04/2006 13:54

I had 6 weeks of 100% salary, 10 weeks at 50% salary and 10 weeks of 25% salary. I was also getting SMP for the 20 weeks of partial salary.

When I have been back at work for 3 months I will get a bonus of a month's pay (at my new salary).

This is for a medium sized firm of accountants, and the materniy package has improved from just SMP, which it was up until 2 years ago.

notasheep · 04/04/2006 14:13

SMP 6 months
Unpaid 6 months
8 months back at work and i am redundant today

Original poster
bubble99 · 04/04/2006 14:27

Uwila. Smile We're getting there. As we'd expected Ham is filling quickly and Hampton at a slower place (lots of high standard competition in the area)- but we're getting lots of lovely word of mouth recommendations and have had good OFSTED reports (not online yet though, the wheels of OFSTED turn slowly) for both nurseries during recent inspections.

I'm really pleased to hear that people have acknowledged that employees don't always see full pay during maternity leave as a generous extra. Although to be fair, if people have previously worked in the state sector they will have got used to generous sick and maternity pay as standard.

OP posts:
Original poster
bubble99 · 04/04/2006 14:28

notasheep. I'm really sorry to hear that. Shock Are you OK??

OP posts:
MaloryTowersTheCannibal · 04/04/2006 14:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
bubble99 · 04/04/2006 14:35

Are you a state or private teacher Malory?

Cataloguequeen is state employed, though I'm not sure what she does, and gets 12 months at full pay. Would that be the same for state teachers I wonder?

OP posts:
Prufrock · 04/04/2006 14:36

20 weeks at full pay, 6 at SMP, next 6 months unpaid, with a return to work bonus of 6 weeks at full pay less SMP (So if you wnet back you got 6 months at full pay). Big US based bank. But very few people returned, especially after second child - IMO flexibility at work and the ability to fit your job around your children rather than the other way around is what would really help women to return to work. I think if you offer free childcare, and the possibility of part time work without being sidelined in terms of propmotion or responsibility, your employees would be mad not to return (If they are happy with WOTH of course)

MaloryTowersTheCannibal · 04/04/2006 14:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Uwila · 04/04/2006 15:18

Where do you advertise in Hampton. I think there is a hopping toddler group at All Saints COE church.... which I think isn't too far from you. I haven't been myself. But, our last nanny used to take DD. This puzzled me because we went to the Sunday service once and it was positively geriatric. But, apparently it's got a happening toddler group. Might try spreading the word there?

oooggs · 04/04/2006 15:21

I took 6 months full pay, 6 months no pay and 2 months leave,

The leave was the stuff I had accrued on the first 6 months paid then converted into my new part time hours which equalled about 8 weeks.

I went back when ds was 14 months at 16 hours per week.

oooggs · 04/04/2006 15:21

I ma a civil servant btw

Original poster
bubble99 · 04/04/2006 15:23

6 months full pay is fab! Did you accrue holiday only during the first 6 months leave?

OP posts:
katzg · 04/04/2006 15:52

i acrued leave whilst off was off for 26weeks so could take 3 weeks on full pay (half my annual allowance of 6weeks) plus because personnal are daft i got 4 extra days because in 52 weeks of the year there are 8 bank holidays therfore in 26 weeks off i will get 4 bank holidays(dint' seem to matter that there were only 2 during my leave!)

Emma7 · 04/04/2006 15:58

No state teachers do not get that bubble99!!

I get 4 weeks full pay
2 weeks at 90%
12 weeks at 50% plus SMP
Then 8 weeks at SMP

We can take up to 6 months more unpaid.

I think this is ok and am grateful but not as good as I thought it would be.

We get no subsidy for childcare and although my school is quite good about part time working and jobshares many aren't. I will also have to pay for my nursery during the holidays which is a pain in the arse as I was thinking I might save money there!!

Uwila · 04/04/2006 16:18

Emma7, I would have been thrilled if I had been offered that. But, I wasn't so trotted back to work when DS was 3 months old.

Tinker · 04/04/2006 16:29

6 months full pay, 6 months later no pay. Can also take career break (unpaid) for upto 5 years.