is the grass always greener???

[justhereforthecraic]

Hopefully this makes sense so here goes:

I have worked for a housing association for the last 7 years and last September, i got promoted to a secondment where I am now a Team leader. As usual with the social care sector, we got hit with some budget cuts which means we have to re-structure our whole housing department. My secondment ends in March unfortunately due to this re-structure and i will return to my original post(lower wage, less responsability and weekend working).
I enjoy this post but i really liked being a team leader ( this post now no longer exists after march as there is a new senior layout). Another issue is one of My amazing managers has left us for pastures new and the whole place has a different vibe now. She was amazing, so supportive, flexible but firm and got the job done. I have been playing with looking for another role but this is the tricky part....

I am currently due to start IVF in the next few months and if all goes well ill be pregnant and going on maternity leave. If i leave my current role and join a new company, will i be entitled to any maternity leave?

My managers have been really good with my IVF appointments from our first round last year and didn't query any time off i needed ( which was a lot due to scans, consults, sickness and everything else that comes with IVF). Whos to say my new job would be so willing to give me the time off?

Should i just suck it up and stay put? Once IVF starts, it will keep me distracted.

Keen to get some ideas on this. I have already spoken to external HR who are assisting with our re-structure but keen to see if anyone else has had the same dilemma.

Check your maternity policy. Do they pay above SMP. If so, how long would you need to return to work for following maternity leave before you have to pay it back?
If they only pay SMP, it's a no brainer to look for another role. If they pay above SMP, I guess it comes down to finances, is it a good enough deal to stay where you are for for a bit longer?

If you did get a new role, as a rule of thumb, you have to be employed before you get pregnant in order to qualify for SMP. You are entitled to maternity leave regardless if your length of service. But, if you get a new job abs aren't entitled to SMP, you should qualify for maternity allowance, which is paid at a similar rate to SMP.

In terms of staying or going, I always think there is no harm in looking. There is no decision to make until you get offered a new job anyway. You may be able to get the maternity policy and see what their entitlement is.

Good luck with your IVF.

Are you generally happy at work? If yes, then I’d recommend staying there for now especially if they offer enhanced maternity pay. If it’s only SMP then you’d be eligible to this elsewhere if you will have worked there for 26 weeks by the beginning of your ‘Qualifying Week’ (this is the 15th week before the baby is due). Basically you could change jobs in advance an IVF round and be eligible for SMP. If you changed jobs whilst already pregnant you might be eligible for Maternity Allowance instead. Lots of helpful info on this from: maternityaction.org.uk/advice

I’m in a similar position but very unhappy at work. So I’m considering an offer from a new company right now. I was hoping to start an IVF cycle in the next couple months (pending some results to say we are now okay to go ahead).

As part of negotiating on salary I’ve requested the new company’s HR policies including the maternity leave and pay. In order to be eligible for enhanced maternity pay I’ll need to have more than 12 months service with the new company by the end of the qualifying week (I think this is a pretty standard criteria). If I hand in my notice next week, I’ll need to wait about 9 months before beginning our next IVF cycle. That would cover my two month notice period and the length of service required to get the enhanced package. It’s a major delay after already 13 months of waiting for hormone results to improve and pretty heartbreaking. But I just can’t stay in my current job as that’s making me ill.

I hope your IVF treatment goes well and you work out the best way forward for you

Thank you both for your responses. I am generally happy at my work and i enjoy working alongside most of my colleagues. I think the best thing would be to stay put . I have had a look around and there is currently no jobs around that i would be interested in. A lot of fixed term/temporary contract which i definitely don't want. I think with the changes, there is so much uncertainty but i think once April comes, things will be easier. I have an appointment with our IVF clinic on Thursday so should at least know what's happening with that. I don't want to put off IVF anymore.

@LauraJayne15 Best wishes for your IVF journey too.