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Article Series: Pregnancy
Pregnancy: Everything You Need To Know
Maternity
Leave:
Telling Your Boss and Co-Workers
Before
getting pregnant you might want to know what your laws
are for maternity leave and the policy
your work has. This way you will know if and how much you will
get for pay during the postpartum weeks. If you are not sure,
ask the human resource department to see the company’s handbook
and policies. Many places require one year of employment to
qualify for payment during maternity leave. Sometimes there
is a grace period prior to payment. You can use your vacation
pay during that time if you have any. If you plan on staying
out longer than the allotted time, expect to not get paid for
that time. Dads have right parental leave as well, so make
sure that is looked into that, too.
For many people, wondering what life will be like after a
baby has arrived is complicated. Juggling work, daycare, spending
time with the baby, and still having time with your partner
seems like a whole lot of planning. Many people find out what
they planned before getting pregnant changed drastically once
the baby has arrived. Make sure you know what you want before
talking to your boss and co-workers. Talk to other mothers
and find out what they did and what made them decide to stay
home or go back and when. You need to be able to tell your
boss when you plan to leave and how long you want to be out.
Also let him or her know whether you will be returning full
or part-time, so he or she can make arrangements to add another
employee if needed. Make sure you take a look at your budget
and income, for many working families, the cost of daycare
was so close to one parent’s income that working is not worth
it.
Congratulations,
you are now expecting! So now when do you tell everyone
at work? Make sure you check with your doctor
and the pregnancy is looking good before announcing the big
news. Many people find it easier to tell people when morning
sickness has kicked in or after the first trimester is over
and the risk of miscarriage has dropped. Once you know around
when you will be due make an appointment to speak with your
boss. Let him or her know you are pregnant and bring a notice
from your doctor or midwife to have on file. Writing a letter
and including the doctor’s note is okay too, but personal is
more professional. When talking to your boss about your impending
leave of absence, be sure you also mention your long-term goals.
You boss should know how long to expect you gone and in what
capacity you will be coming back. You boss will be more accepting
to this if he or she knows how much you love your job.
Make
sure that your boss knows of prenatal appointments in advance if you work Monday through Friday. Assure him or her
that you will try your best to schedule before or after work
but sometimes will have to leave early or come in late. Your
boss cannot tell you can’t go to a prenatal or any other doctor’s
appointment. Make sure that you give a 15-week notice of maternity
leave prior to actually leaving. So count backwards from your
due date and make sure you hand in a written notice of intent
at that time. Your boss is not keeping track of your pregnancy,
so the written notice will remind him or her that the due date
is approaching.
Things to inform your boss of during notification week:
- that you are pregnant and intend to go on maternity leave
- that
you want to receive Statutory Maternity Pay, if this implies
for you
- the
planned date that you will be starting your maternity leave
(which cannot be earlier than 11 weeks before your baby
is due)
You employer should respond back to you in approximately 28
days. The letter should include the date your boss expects
you to return after your full entitled to is over. If you have
to change the dates for what ever reason, you must give a new
28-day notice if possible. Many businesses will work with you
and be excited about your new baby. # # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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