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Original poster

maternity benefits - which companies are more generous?

31 replies

tostaky · 24/07/2008 07:52

I've got a friend working for TfL (transport for london) and they get 6 months full pay + 3 months half pay + 3 months unpaid....
I'm being ripped-off with my company offering only the minimum 6 weeks at 90% and then SMP...

so what other companies are offering good benefits for maternity?
(bit late to chnage for me as im 24 weeks already but still im interested!)

OP posts:

LIZS · 24/07/2008 07:56

I think you'll find most companies offer the statutory minimum unless you are in a managerial position with a qualifying period of service. Public services such as NHS, Civil service do tend tradtioanlly to offer more but it may be made conditional upon your returning for a certain minimum period or you pay back the enhanced pay anyway.

MrsBadger · 24/07/2008 08:31

agree public sector is generous - am in academia and get the same offer as your friend, but only if we return to work for at least 3m afterwards (otherwise you have to pay back eveyrthing over and above stat).

Some big private sector companies do good offers though - SIL got the same offer as you but also a 'returning bonus' of £10k or something that equated more or less to 6m at full pay ie they do not mind giving you the money but they arrange it to encourage you to come back afterwards.

hopefully · 24/07/2008 10:04

I work for a big book and newspaper publisher and I get 20 weeks full pay, then statutory up to 9 months (something like 19 weeks statutory?) and the last 3 months unpaid. The most astonishing bit about this is that if I don't go back I don't have to pay back a penny of this...

I didn't realise my maternity benefits were unusual until speaking to other pregnant people!

llareggub · 24/07/2008 10:10

NCT friend of mine works for one of the big car manufacturers and gets 1 year at full pay plus an additional year unpaid. She is planning lots of babies!

witchandchips · 24/07/2008 10:11

MrsBadger your uni is a lot more generous than mine, we only get 8 weeks full pay, then 16 weeks half pay, rest is statutory.

mumfor1standmaybe2ndtime · 24/07/2008 10:16

My company is very very well known. I get 6 weeks full pay maternity and then upto 39 weeks smp. No other incentives.
We don't get any bonuses throughout the year, just our weekly pay!
IMO smaller family firms can be more generous than larger firms.

CaptainKarvol · 24/07/2008 10:32

Friend of mine got the same deal as llareggub's friend - that was with a bank.

I got nothing from the NHS, had to claim maternity allowance, as I was 6 weeks pg when starting my job.

cmotdibbler · 24/07/2008 10:35

I got stat min (and MD says that he thinks that is too much). Friend works for a big oil company and had 6 months on full pay.

Original poster

tostaky · 24/07/2008 12:55

CaptainKarvol my bf gets full pay for his two weeks paternity pay and he works in a bank too so i figure the PG women there get a better deal too...

OP posts:

ruddynorah · 24/07/2008 12:57

m&s is 14 weeks full pay, the rest is SMP.

Seabright · 25/07/2008 10:53

Just the basic legal minimum - medium sized solicitors firm

emskaboo · 25/07/2008 20:56

Public Sector varies massively from local authoirty to local authoirty and between local gov, national gov, and civil service. Mine is well, alrightish, 6 weeks 90%, 3 months 50%, and the rest statutory. My sister works for a different local authority hers was waaayy better!

hughjarssss · 25/07/2008 21:02

18 weeks full pay and nothing to have to pay back

Bubble99 · 25/07/2008 21:13

A lot of small businesses (like mine) have to 'rip you off' by paying SMP. If we didn't we would go out of business and everyone would lose their jobs.

goodasgold · 25/07/2008 21:24

0-6 weeks 100%
6-26 weeks 50%
26-39 weeks SMP
Big UK retail bank. Don't have to pay the enhanced amount back if you resign. When my dh worked for an American investment bank he got two weeks full pay paternity leave, so again I expect they enhance the SMP for female members of staff.

Is Shell the oil company that pay so generously?

fledtoscotland · 25/07/2008 22:28

0-8 weeks 100%
8-26 weeks 90%
26-39 weeks SMP
39-52 unpaid

have to continue with NHS for further month in current role but no other obligations.

elkiedee · 25/07/2008 22:57

I work for a council which offers a good scheme but not as good as TFL. If you've worked there at least a year it's 16 weeks on full pay, then a choice of (a) 12 weeks full and 11 weeks SMP or (b) 24 weeks half pay. I had my first baby just after SMP improved as before that it would have been 28 weeks full or the full plus half, and didn't realise when I choose full plus half that I might actually be better off with the other option. We have to go back for at least 6 months afterwards, which is more than usual. But that's the same whether you go back full or part time.

However, not all councils offer that good a deal - I live in a neighbouring borough to the one where I work, which only offers 14 weeks (presumably plus SMP). They used to pay more but cut it during the 1990s.

One reason the public sector pays more is the role of unions, in better days in winning maternity pay and now in defending improved conditions. Though in local government the national agreement isn't really that much more.

I suspect it also helps recruitment and retention in some professional areas where councils are competing with the private sector and generally pay less.

RuthT · 27/07/2008 22:31

I would guess that retail orgs would not be great. Oil & Gas, Pharma and Banking would all be good.

For full mat leave my company is 6mnths full pay regardless of level in org then 3 mnths SMP.

micegg · 28/07/2008 20:49

I get full pay for 9 months and no pay for 3 months. There are no conditions on me returning. I work for the civil service. Appreciate how lucky I am.

RuthT · 29/07/2008 22:24

That is fab!

I think a lot of commerical orgs have a clawback policy

NorkyButNice · 29/07/2008 22:29

British investment bank - I get 6 months full pay, SMP up to 9 months then another 3 months unpaid if I want it.

Don't think I have to pay anything back if I decide not to return either which would be a bonus.

RuthT · 29/07/2008 22:31

Original poster

tostaky · 31/07/2008 11:12

Since my career is going to be on hold for the next 5 years at least, i'm seriouslt considering changing companies for baby #2

How long do you reckon i should be in the new job before telling them i'm PG?

OP posts:

ranting · 31/07/2008 11:21

Well I worked in transport too and I got the same as your friend and I didn't have to pay it back when I left, which my MW was quite shocked about. She seemed to think that it was an astonishingly good deal.

silvermum · 31/07/2008 19:36

tostaky, don't get caught out if you move job - make sure you discreetly check their maternity leave policy before you join. in my company you have to have worked for the company for at least three months before getting pregnant (ie a year by the time the baby arrives) to qualify for the full benefits, which are much better than statutory minimum. Some companies require you to have worked far longer than that to qualify for company maternity benefit, so it's worth finding out if there's a sneaky way of doing so!
i work for a multi national media company (newspapers and broadcasting.) We get 18 weeks full pay, then it's statutory minimum. But we do accrue holiday throughout the time off, so it ends up more like 21 weeks full pay. You don't have to pay it back if you don't return.
llaregubb, i've never heard anything as generous as that - it's unbelievable. we must all apply for jobs there!

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