Maternity cover's pregnant - help with negotiation??

[fingersmcgraw]

Hi all

I just found out that my maternity cover's expecting a baby! So I'm expecting a call from my boss this week to ask me to go back earlier than originally planned (by the time mat cover finshes work I will have been off for 8 months). Not necessarily a problem as I love my job and would be happy to do this. But not the original plan of full 12 months!

Quick context: I work in a small team and get on brilliantly with my boss. It's a mainly nine to five job but mat cover will have to stop work at an extremely busy time when we have unsociable hours including evenings and weekends. My role is hugely varied thanks to taking on tasks that were thrown up when redundancies were made, and I think it would be extremely difficult for my boss to recruit and train someone new at our busiest time of year.

So, before I jump in there like an overexcited puppy and accept everything they offer, I wanted to ask if anyone else has ever been in this position (a pretty strong one for negotiation I'd have thought) and what might I need to consider - apart from my obvious additional outgoings like childcare and travel - in the negotiations?

Cheers

Why would you expect a call from your boss? It's not your problem to cover your maternity leave. My mat leave left after six months and my boss just recruited someone else.

Obviously if you are happy to do this that's one thing, but they shouldn't be contacting you about it, especially if you have said you would like a year.

No - of course it's not strictly my problem. But a colleague has told me that my boss is going to call, so I am trying to mentally prepare for that conversation. Better overprepared, surely?

OK, definitely better prepared then

Of course there's absolutely nothing wrong with your boss asking you if you would be prepared to go back early. As long as you retain the option to say no you'd rather stay off, then that's fine.

You mention not accepting 'everything they offer', do you have any reason to believe he/she is going to offer you stuff? You are in a reasonably strong position if you want to ask for some kind of incentive for cutting your maternity leave short, yes. But financially even taking into account your additional outgoings, (which obviously you will be taking on from 12 months anyway), you will still be (presumably) better off financially by coming back early than by staying off on no or very little pay for the remaining 4 months.

So I wouldn't go too heavy on how out of pocket you'll be, because you won't. What you're giving up isn't financial, it's time with your child. You can obviously decide how much money or other benefit will be sufficient incentive for you to do that, but it's not financial loss as such.

Thanks flowerybeanbag. I hadn't thought about it in those terms but you're right - I am on zero pay for the last three months of leave anyway so wouldn't be worse off financially by going back. In fact I'd pretty much break even as my salary will just about cover travel and childcare with a little extra left over.

I suppose that, quite apart from the financial side, I can't envisage what other factors I might need to think about. Is it as simple (!) as not having enough hours in the day? Or have I missed something?

I know this is a general 'back to work' question that I'll need to worry about eventually, but I want to think about it now because of how hectic my job will be at the time I go back... if I go back early. If I stick to the original 12-month plan I'd be going back at the quietest time of year.

So I know there's the added hassle of getting ds to and from nursery before and after work. What else? Food prep for ds? No time to do household chores? What have others found they are restricted in doing, which perhaps they didn't anticipate?

In some respects going back to work was easier than being at home with my baby. I went back earlier than planned (at 5 months) and initially worked just 14 hours a week. I swanned off to work, leaving DS at home with grandparents, having left his food etc all prepared. It was fine and I really enjoyed it.

It got tougher when the novelty of wearing a suit and swanning off to work wore off. I got progressively tired and behind on the housework, particularly when I went full-time. I then got myself a cleaner, compressed my hours so I worked full-time over 4 days and enjoyed a work-free day mid-week. That was probably the best thing I did.

For me, going back early was the best thing I could have done. But with baby no 2 I have taken the full year off and have really enjoyed it. Nothing could tempt me back early this time! You need to work out what it is you want. Go back early if you want to but don't feel like you have to.

llareggub - that's interesting and very encouraging! Did you breastfeed and if so how long for? I'm exclusively breastfeeding and would want to do so as long as possible; by the time I'd go back, ds would be 7 months old.

I've now had an email from the boss and it's clear that they'd like me back but there is absolutely no pressure - they talk about recruiting someone else if I can't or won't do it.

I think I'll find out how many days they want me for and try to swing it to 3 days in the office plus an evening and weekend shift per week. Then start thinking about what to do with ds for those days. It may be a case of introducing him to nursery one day a week and recruiting Grandma the other two weekdays until the busiest part of my work year is over, then rebalancing.

It's scary to think about leaving ds, but tremendously exciting to think about going back to work! I absolutely love my job - it's one in a million - and wouldn't let go of it easily. And I always intended to go back, at least till baby no 2 eventually comes along, so this would just give me a bit longer back in the saddle...

Thanks everyone, you've been a huge help in crystallising my thoughts!

Yes; I breatsfed DS1 until he self-weaned at 2 years and 9 months. He used to pounce on me when I walked in through the door for a feed! Good luck with your decision.