I couldn't think of a snappy title sorry! I'm due 16th October and I had originally planned to start my maternity leave around 20th September, with 2 weeks holiday to use then maternity leave straight after. I only get statutory mat pay.
However the last few weeks at work have been utterly crap. We've had a number of important staff leave, right at the start of our busy season. One of the people who left a few weeks ago was my direct colleague, she and I shared management of our accounts, and when she went, there was a vacancy for a couple of weeks. She was then replaced by someone brand new to the business, who is still learning the job.
So we're short staffed and I'm supporting someone who is learning the role, albeit she is doing well. I'm utterly overwhelmed with work as a result, as are my colleagues. I have customers not getting their services and chasing me as a result, mistakes being made, I'm taking double the number of phone calls I usually have to, and I'm going home with work still piled up to do. Basically I'm getting more and more behind and it's miserable.
I've discussed with my manager several times how much I'm struggling. I get the impression they have been told to resolve the problems any way they like which doesn't involve spending money. So no extra staff, no overtime, etc. No replacement cover for my mat leave has been recruited yet, interviews are next week. They've known I was pregnant since I was 12 weeks, so not sure why it has been left so late.
I got to the end of my rope last week when I was told that an error made when I was on leave would go against me for reporting purposes, (which has an impact on my monthly bonus). It would never have happened if we had enough staff to cover planned absences which mine was. I've emailed HR to tell them I want to start my mat leave asap. With the amount of holiday I have owed to me, I could go at 34 weeks, and actually finish in the office on Wednesday next week. Part of me can't wait to get out of the hellhole, and part of me thinks it's just horribly unfair, both on my colleagues who's lives will become even more miserable, and on me, because I effectively feel pushed to go because of how much work is impacting on my mental health. So I'm torn, although my team managers are pushing quite hard for me to stay on, they're not offering any actual solutions to help make it easier, and I don't know if I can put up with another 5-6 weeks of things the way they are. I'm waking at 4am, crying in the evenings, struggling to focus on anything except the nightmare that is work at the moment.
I feel really angry with and totally let down by my company who go on and on about what a positive family friendly company they are, but have failed to support me to be able to take maternity leave when I want to, rather than feeling like I have to for my mental health. So do I go, and take mat leave early even though I don't want to and it will have a negative impact on our finances, or do I somehow stick it out knowing it's going to be a nightmare and will make me utterly miserable for the last few weeks of my maternity leave?