'Doubling up' workload after return from maternity leave...

[diege]

I've just started maternity leave at 37 weeks and intend to return to work at the end of February. I've just been informed by my boss that work won't be covering my teaching (I'm a university lecturer) but will instead be moving all my semester one teaching (ie. now until January) until I return to work (start of sem 2). This will mean that all the teaching I will have 'missed' while on leave will effectively be waiting for me on return (so will have to squeeze all sem one teaching alongside sem 2 teaching). I'm not sure of the legality of this when presumably work will be getting some sort of financial payments for my leave; certainly it doesn't seem right ethically. A colleague has suggested I get in touch with the union but wondered first if they are actually totally within their rights to do as they propose? I will be 'over hrs' (I'm 0.8 contract) but then so is everyone else...

As an employer I always plan that my employee is going to take 12 months maternity leave and then am pleasantly surprised if they return early. They obviously have not thought through that whilst you may have indicated that you might return in Feb once your baby is here you may change your mind or a whole variety of reasons.

Much the same thing happened to me but I had double teaching before I went on leave (12 years ago). I wish I had kicked up a fuss at the time because it was horrible. It will be even worse to do double with a baby, I think. Firstly you need to make it absolutely clear, in writing, copied to HR and your head of dept's boss (dean or whatever), that you are not happy. In my experience academic managers have little clue how to handle mat leave but others may be more realistic. They also only hear objections to their plans when you scream them in their ear. Show no weakness, never admit that you doing double is in any way a feasible solution. Just keep saying no, it's the only language they understand.
In my dept nowadays returners have a phased return to teaching, as they should and no front loading either. Does your department have an Athena swan award? Most science department will either have one or be applying for one, to get it they will have to have fair policies on mat leave. I don't know about humanities etc.
It won't do any harm to speak to the union but they don't seem that effective as far as I can see.

If you can afford it at all set your return date to be just too late to teach in semester 2.

Thanks for the replies - glad it's not just me 'overthinking' things in thinking they are being unreasonable, at the very least from a 'duty of care' perspective.
This is baby number 6 for me (not with the same employer I might add!) and I will have to return in Feb (that's even adding hols on the end of leave) as very much a surprise pregnancy. I am used to returning each time after about 4-6mths, but not to this sort of scenario.
chemenger useful advice about putting my thoughts onto paper. I'm in a non-science post (senior lecturer social work) and until a few months ago a sessional member of staff had thought he would be covering for me. I then hear from colleagues what the 'new' arrangement would be (so not as if I was even consulted). To make matters worse, there will be an extra 32 students in the class(foundation degree 'add ins', so 62-65 in all) and the quality of teaching will undoubtedly be reduced . I think I will e-mail the union rep - they are pretty strong and have given me good advice in the past.

Well, how or even if your employer covers maternity leave isn't the business of the employee going on maternity leave, so from that point of view its nothing to do with you.

What is to do with you is whether your workload is manageable. I don't know anything about academia, but how would what they are proposing even be possible? Literally fitting twice as much work into your week?

Anyway, yes make it clear you are not happy, and also make it clear that while you are currently thinking you'll probably return at the end of February, they should bear in mind that you may take a year and should plan accordingly.

Dh is a University lecturer and is appalled. He says that's astoundingly bad practice on all fronts (for you, obviously, but also for the students) and you should contact your Union at once.

Thanks clam. I've e-mailed the union rep this morning so will see what they say and feed back here.

Had any response yet?

Hi, yes received e-mail back from union rep who has contacted the regional office for further advice. Echoing some of the advice on here, she has recommended I put my concerns into writing to my line manager. If nothing is done by my return, they would then suggest (on the basis of being well over hrs if nothing else) escalating to a union backed grievance, or alternatively something that could be taken up by occupational health. Going in for a section in 10 days so going to get it done next week - not going to rest on this one, especially as I am feeling anxious about returning and I'm only 1 week into maternity leave!

For comparison, are students sick for a term forced to "catch up" in this way? A written department policy on that might be helpful ammunition!

Oh dear :( Just read this as fretting over university workload in the run-up to mat leave. Hope you got this sorted. This is pretty horrendous situation.

University lecturer here - that's shocking! Do colleagues who have taken a term's sabbatical leave have to double up their teaching in the next semester? If not, you've got good grounds to hold your institution to account for discrimination on the grounds of maternity.

Try also to find out what is normal practice in other depts -- usually teaching allocations are in the gift of your Head of Department, so the buck will stop with him/her.

Even if this is normal, it's really not the way things are done elsewhere in HE and it's terrible practice.