Work wanting me to bring maternity leave forward by a week

[Hnotaitch]

Trying to think how to word this.

So I am down to start Mat leave on the 3rd july. I work 3 days a week, and in the final week of my leave there are two antenatal appointments and also a school trip I am not involved in, which means I won’t actually be doing much. It has been ‘suggested’ to me I bring my mat leave forward … I’m correct this is my decision unless it is sickness related?

Completely unreasonable. Tell them to sod off!

You can, it's discrimination of a protected characteristic.

Your reply.
”After careful consideration 😂😂😂. “

What do they stand to gain from your Mat leave ending a week earlier? Anything?

Well, if she takes the same number of weeks, then she will return a week earlier and that will be a busier week (no school trip and no maternity appointments)

They won't be paying her full whack to sit around not doing much I presume is the logic.

Er at the risk of sounding like I’m trying to be very MN, did you mean that to sound so rude, @SleepingStandingUp ? I don’t mean that in the PA MN way, I mean it genuinely. Because it really did come over extremely rudely.

I think the logic such as it is is more related to not wanting to pay me for the antenatal appointment. I am actually a reasonable human and tried to rearrange it but the NHS have been hit with bank holidays and strikes just as education have, and they just don’t have the flexibility.

This is why it's so important to know your rights.

I'm guessing you want to return to work there so just say no politely. While making a mental note of the dodginess of them asking

Ha yes use this

Just say no unfortunately that would impact on the time I have with my baby. I am sure I can be usefully employed on handover issues.

If they’d employed someone I was handing over to!

I was 99.9% sure I was right but just wanted to double check before a slightly curt ‘no’ is sent back!

HR viewpoint I agree they shouldn’t have suggested it. It’s inappropriate.

OP I agree they were out of order to ask. Absolutely tell them no!

There's no need to send "a curt no". Just a polite no will suffice.

They are absolutely fine to ask you, you are absolutely fine to say no. But if they don't ask. they'll never know whether it was an option you would have been happy to take up.

There are quite a few questions you should not ask, and as such, quite appropriate to respond with a curt no.

Who asked/told you?

you absolutely can not be told to start your ML early, unless there’s a H&M risk or you’ve been off sick with pregnancy related illness within 4 weeks of due date. https://www.acas.org.uk/your-maternity-leave-pay-and-other-rights/taking-maternity-leave

I can see why it would suit THEM for you to start a week early, especially if exam classes have left, but maternity leave isn’t arranged around what suits the employer best. Really poor practice for them to ask you to do this.

You should say

"Thanks so much for thinking of me but I'm feeling really well and looking forward to finishing off my classes"

They won't dare say anything