Enhanced maternity pay - please help

[2021bigone]

Dear all

I’d love some advice please. I just found out I am pregnant and my husband and I are absolutely delighted.

But I am also feeling incredibly stressed and foolish. I work in a top global company with a terrible enhanced maternity pay policy = 6 weeks full 6 weeks 75% end.

I raised this with my boss a while back because I feel very strongly that it makes the company look like it does not want to employee women who have children. And hence not a company that is supportive of families. In the 21st century companies need to do better. I pointed out competitors policies are 6 months full pay. He agreed and said he’d investigate. Many many many months later I’ve no update. I also know a colleague of mine was paid 5 months full pay- but I haven’t seen her T&Cs connected to this.

Although stressful I’m happy to keeping pushing. But any tips on how best i can persuade my boss to make this happen, Negotiating strategies, places I can go for advice, organises that campaign on this - would be greatly received. When you search online for how to negotiate maternity leave pay ...there is deafening silence.

I feel foolish that I didn’t sort this out before, but there’s only so long you can put your life on hold waiting for you boss!!

It’s sad that at such a happy time the corporate policies of employers can cause so much worry and anxiety.

Thanks for listening

Honestly,
These policies of large global companies tend to be set at the very top, I very much doubt that your boss has any influence what so ever with its maternity may policy.
Anything they do for you, they would need to roll our globally. I' would definitely keep asking about it but I wouldn't go to war with my boss over it as its very unlikely to be his call and he can only do so much.

That is actually well above the statutory level and I doubt that you have any room for negotiation.

6 weeks full pay and 6 weeks at 75% is considerably better than a lot of women get. You’ll obviously get statutory maternity pay after that too.

Compared to the USA we are very lucky here. Doesn’t make it right, but there will probably be people this who could have only dreamed about the enhanced maternity pay you’re getting.

You are entitled the the 6 weeks full the statutory for the remainder, 6 weeks on 75% is a bonus.

count yourself lucky you have enhanced most only get statutory. Employers don't want their staff off having kids as they are not earning them any money. Sorry to be blunt.

@movingonup20

You are entitled the the 6 weeks full the statutory for the remainder, 6 weeks on 75% is a bonus.

It’s 6 weeks at 90%........

Of course is it relative. But you have to compare like with like. I've done a bench marking exercise to see what our competitors offer in the same industry and same size/ global standing. 5 months full pay is the average offered.

Many years ago when Mat leave was less generous I negotiated 3 months full pay 3 months half pay
But that was when I was joining the company not when O was pregnant

It's not a race to the bottom, guys. Just because most women get shit mat pay doesn't mean we all have to. Surely we should be encouraging more people to negotiate like this.

user1487194234 has it right.

@user1487194234

Many years ago when Mat leave was less generous I negotiated 3 months full pay 3 months half pay But that was when I was joining the company not when O was pregnant

Yeah, this was the time to do your negotiation.

My company doesn't have enhanced maternity. We'll survive.

There is no equality though between say teaching and nurses in the NHS!

I work for one of those companies with 6 month full pay maternity leave, I was offered a job at another company in the same field with only 6 weeks full pay, but the salary was a 20% increase. I had to turn it down and stayed with my current company because even with the bump in salary it could not make up for the loss of maternity pay. Unfortunately at this stage I doubt there is any room for negotiation but worth looking at if there are any post natal benefits such as working at home/flexibility/childcare benefits.

To negotiate individual enhanced maternity arrangements you need something to offer. Otherwise you’re just asking a favour! Which is of course fine to do, but not a particularly strong position. When you’re already pregnant is not the best time to ask- there’s nothing to be gained for them saying yes.

You were fully aware what your company’s offer was, so I really don’t think it not magically increasing should be causing you so much “worry and anxiety”.

@user1487194234 thanks for sharing. If you have any tips on how you did this they would be gratefully received. I have never found someone whose done this so you're a star I thought about negotiating when I started 3 years ago but I had to negotiate just get the handbook, which disclosed what the policy was! I was concerned if I raised this before I'd even started I was an unknown quantity so had less leverage.

@devildeepbluesea agreed. Things will never be better for our children if we take the attitude of we should be grateful for any handout.

Whoops sorry meant @MagicoRomantico not @devildeepbluesea

Not sure if you’ve already seen this, but if not, this might be of use: mybumppay.com/can-you-negotiate-maternity-pay/

It would be difficult to negotiate before accepting the job, because they would be thinking you're planning on getting pregnant soon. Might make them not give you the job, rightly or wrongly.

As a 22 year old I asked about the mat policy and the shock on his face still sticks with me today. I was single and had no plans of children, but I was just asking about an aspect of my package!

TBF I had been head hunted
And their mat pay at the time was statutory which was out of step for the industry