Been advised to copy this here from the pregnancy forum, it's long, I apologise in advance:
Not entirely sure if I'm here for some advice or just a general rant. I'm due early January and put my maternity leave notice in with my employer on August 23rd (date I had to inform them (latest date to claim leave) by was 22nd September) so even gave them extra time. Due to go off on leave week commencing December 3rd. I'm taking 32 weeks maternity leave & pay, and converting a further 7 weeks into shared parental leave for my partner to take (2 weeks following on from his paternity followed by 5 weeks when I return to work in July). Had to update calculations and sent them across on 29th August due to working additional hours in my qualifying period which ended that day.
Left it until September 16th before emailing our accounts (we don't have a HR department) asking if there was an update and this was then followed by back and forth e-mails requesting updates for the remainder of that week which accumulated in contact on the Friday 21st September telling me incorrectly that I couldn't be on maternity leave at the same time my partner was on Shared Parental Leave (this was the care prior to 2015, I'd done my research foreseeing that there would be problems). Accounts then contacted HMRC to be told that I was correct and we could be on leave at the same time, followed by a telephone call where I had to walk through the whole HMRC online calculator as the accountant was selecting things such as there being 3 paydays not 2, which was completely messing up the calculations. Eventually settled on everything that Friday evening and asked for it in e-mail/writing to confirm everything was fine.
Heard nothing, e-mailed again on 10th October to be told that our payroll was not being outsourced to another company who would then be dealing with it. Thinking to myself great now I'm going to have to do the back and forth with them over it. Contacted management who told me to contact the accountant who had just told me she wasn't dealing with it any more. Then eventually got some info and a we're having a meeting about it end of the week. Following week (15th) contacted again to be told they were having a meeting that Wednesday (17th), contacted again on the 18th to be told they hadn't had the meeting yet so asked when exactly it was I would be looking at receiving confirmation and was again told next week. Contacted again on the 25th last Thursday and was pretty much told it should be sorted by end of the week. Left it until today as another manager had told me that the woman who was dealing with it in this external accountants was off on the Friday.
And here I am today... still with no answer. Told by one manager today that the other manager had an update then told by the other manager that no, she would contact me when she had an update. Then I'm told today to allow the accountants company time to sort it out, that they are aware that I am chasing it, that (again) it will be sorted this week, that having to outsource payroll has put them behind a bit (this should have been sorted way before the outsourcing took place) and as usual "its all in hand".
Has anyone been in a similar situation. I've phoned ACAS and all they can suggest is I put it in writing again and finish the e-mail off with "if you have any questions please contact me within the next 14 days otherwise I will assume all is well" but now I don't even know whether that will give them free-reign to take even longer to respond when they've said (and I'm probably still being gullible for believe them) that it will be sorted "this week".
I've told management they're leaving me in a position where I have no idea where I am financially when I'm off on maternity leave and that is stressful enough without the added concern that this accountant will come back with the same crap the in house accountant did about not being able to do shared parental leave. In addition I would really rather ensure I am left on maternity and I can foresee them putting us both on shared parental leave which comes with less workplace rights as maternity.
I feel like I'm banging my head on a brick wall, don't know what to do. I've been in tears twice today due to the stress of it and feeling fobbed off. I'm just glad I'm not on my own otherwise I'd be in an even worse position not knowing if I could cover my rent and bills and I'm further upset that my employers think that leaving someone in this position financially, regardless is acceptable.
Sorry for the long winded rant, any advice would be appreciated x