Return to work after ML and using up annual leave

[Sabs1981]

My maternity leave is due to end Sept 24th 2010, after taking a full year out (6 months full pay, then 3 months stat pay followed by 3 months no pay). By my return to work I would have accumulated 15 days annual leave (we get a total of 30) plus 8 days bank holidays

I have been told by my manager and work that they would prefer (HR used the word "encourage the employee" ) to take the 23 days leave once my maternity leave ends, so that I would return to work late October 2010.

However I do not want to do this and would prefer to have more than 15 days leave to take between October and March (in case of DD being ill etc) and would also like to carry 5 days over to the next year

Can my workplace make me take my leave the way they would like me to? I have asked my manager to call me at some point this week but would like some advice on here so I can be armed with information before I speak to him

I know my other options are to use up some leave whilst on maternity leave so I am getting paid, but I did want more leave available to me as I am going back full time after having my DD (who is my first) so we have no idea as to what to expect.

Another idea I thought of was as I have so much leave, I could possibly have 1 day a week from October to March off as leave, which would enable me to use up my leave

I hope I make sense as I know I've been rambling a bit

TIA

Your employer can follow whatever their normal annual leave rules are, so you need to check those. I'd suggest proposing a compromise. If I've read your post correctly, you will have a total of 38 days to take between returning to work at the end of September and March. That's an awful lot to be taking off in lots of small chunks, so you can see why they might want you to take a fair chunk of it all together at the end of your mat leave; it's far less disruptive.

I'd suggest talking it through with your manager and working something suitable out, in line with whatever the annual leave policy is where you work.

Where I work you have to take the leave accumuluated while on mat leave either at the beginning or at the end of the maternity leave period. No harm in asking,but I don't believe you would have any automatic rights to do as you propose. Does your worklplace have a maternity leave policy you could check? If your child is ill you can ask for carers leave for emergency situations. Where I work you can take 5 days paid carers leave if needed, this probably varies from place to place. Again, you would need to check your policy.

Thanks to everyone for responding. I admit it is a lot of leave to take in 6 months

I've arranged to speak to my LM tomorrow. I am going to suggest the one day a week proposal and also ask to be able to carry over more leave into the next year and see what he says. No harm in asking and then take it from there. I also need to find the maternity leave policy so I can have a quick read of that

Wish me luck!