Maternity Leave (length) poll

[burg]

Hi all!

If you could take 2 seconds to answer 3 questions for me I would be very appreciative!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/57YJTLM
Copy link and paste into new window

After a conversation where my supervisor told me the length of leave I was requesting was much more than the norm (based on the 3 people that have had babies at work in the past 5 years ), I wanted to actually put together a quick poll to see what the norm actually tends to be. I was basing my request on what I know from various friends leaves and tend to think it is the norm. She and I have a good working relationship and she is used to me putting together random polls (i.e. were your santa gifts wrapped or unwrapped as a child?), so these results will just be used for my own benefit and to poke fun at her if I prove my point.

Thanks for your help!

[Coco99]

Hum, I better not answer... because we have a year long leave here because of government programs... so it wouldnt apply for a situation like yours. But i forwarded your survey on another board I go to

[mumm]

I had am amazing leave when my first was born. 10 months paid at FT rate and then I returned on a PT basis bringing kid with me and THEY paid for his care! I didn't actually get all the $ until after I had returned for 3 months at a PT basis and then they back paid me. This was because I had a ton of unused sick time.

With kid #2, same company, it would have been about 6 weeks. I only planned to return to work for the 3 months, get my $ and run, but I ended up sticking around long enough to keep the insurance benefits to get me pg with #2. By then I was able to switch to DPs insurance, I quit and never looked back.

How much are you asking for? Paid or unpaid?

ETA- I can't get to the poll. The link takes me to mothering's homepage.

[justrose13]

Originally Posted by mumm

ETA- I can't get to the poll. The link takes me to mothering's homepage.

i can't either...

but then i just tried to follow another link in a different post and it took me to MDC home page, so something must be goofy there. i'll try again later!

[burg]

Thanks for the info, mumm. Try copying the link and pasting into your browser, not sure why it's not working.

This one- http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?s...R9fctIPg_3d_3d ?

I requested 12 weeks which I thought was pretty much the norm. I have plenty of sick and vacation time saved up for it so it would be paid. I know that other coworkers did not have the time saved up and opted to take less but I don't think my request should seem unreasonably long based on others financial choices...the whole thing is really odd to me.

Coco- nothing beats your time! I am insanely jealous but happy for you and DP

[indigoscot]

the survey doesn't work for me either.

i had 6 weeks "short term disability" and 2 weeks vacation for a total of 8 weeks. the 6 weeks is standard, although it goes up to 8 weeks for a c-section. where i work that is covered 100%.

dp took 12 weeks at 1/2 pay. that is the standard where she works.

i didn't take more time off because i am the primary earner in our family. when i went back to work ds1 was enrolled in my company daycare (downstairs in our lobby), so i was able to nurse 2-3 times a day.

we were able to budget for dp taking the 12 weeks at 1/2 pay. ds2 is also in my company daycare and dp works across the street so she has also been able to nurse.

fwiw, most of the women i work with only take the standard time off (6 or 8 weeks). a few add on vacation time.

for baby #3, we will most likely do the same with dp taking off 12 weeks.

g

[burg]

Hmm not sure why, does MDC have a policy about external links?

<a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/57YJTLM">Click here to take survey</a>

That is great that your work has onsite daycare, that must have made it easier to go back! I have a salaried position and my job function includes a lot of night meetings and some weekend commitments while still needing to be there for the regular 9-5 hours, there is very little opportunity to take time back. That might be why I am so set on the 12 weeks because I know once I am back it is back to 12-13 hour days for good portions of the year which makes me incredibly sad to think about with a baby at home.

[justrose13]

i still can't get the other links to work... weird.

at my company, they offer 6 weeks "short term disability" and you can take 6 more with FMLA (unpaid). the 6 weeks is not paid at full pay but a percentage and you must pay for your insurance yourself for the extra 6 weeks, if you take them.

regardless of this being less than fair, in my opinion, it's better than some are able to take otherwise. given this circumstance, the women at my company generally take 12 weeks. i will be quiting right before or around my due date to be a SAHM. we thought about taking the 6 weeks "paid" but then you have to return to work for a month or pay it back. i will not be returning to work at 6 weeks, just to leave when my baby is 10 weeks, just doesn't make sense in our lives to miss that time with baby... but i don't make much more than daycare would be paid, so it makes more sense because of that.

burg, good luck getting your 12 weeks... you deserve it!!! (and more really)

[burg]

Apparently the link is no longer working on MDC. You can copy the link and paste it into a new window and that should work or answer here and I can manually enter them on Surveymonkey. Whatever is easier. Thanks for your help!!


1. How much time off did you (or do you plan to) take for maternity leave?
6 weeks or less
7-8 weeks
9-10 weeks
11-12 weeks
more than 12 weeks

2. In your experience, (going by friends and coworkers leave) what is the typical length of maternity leave?
6 weeks or less
7-8 weeks
9-10 weeks
11-12 weeks
more than 12 weeks

3. What were deciding factors in the length of your maternity leave?


Thanks Wehrli! Congrats on being able to be a SAHM

[TheGirls]

Are you including any time taken before the birth? DP (our only earner) is taking 12wks after the twins are born, and is stopping work at 34wks (now). She'll get 60% pay from now until 6wks after they are born. The last 6wks will be unpaid. And obviously that's a bit over FMLA, and WAY more than most folks at her work take (6-8 wks is "normal"). We budgeted for the 12wks, but the twins were a shocker (no fertility treatments) so the early leave is trickier...

Technically they could not let her back in since she's taking more than FMLA, but it would cost them WAY more to replace her and she is fortunate enough to be in high demand...

And people are more understanding because of the twin thing.

[seraf]

I copied and pasted, so you already have my answers. Here were I work, one of the girls came back 2 weeks post partum, one came back 4, many come back 6. I just found out that a new girl started 9 days post partum. If I'm allowed to have 12 weeks, I'll take the whole 12. Ours is totally unpaid, I will use 4 weeks of disability (I pay for it, I would get 6 weeks paid if I had a c-section) any vacation time I have (we're only allowed to save 40 hours from one year to the next) and I'll use some tax money for the rest of the time. FMLA allows 12 weeks in the year that it happens, so it doesn't have to be all together, by the way. (I would take mine all together, but just food for thought)

Seraf

[prettyisa]

I work in government, so it might be a little different, but 12 weeks is definitely standard around here. We have to use our sick time and vacation (usually 4-5 weeks, if people have any saved up), then 6 weeks short term disability, then unpaid FMLA. Some people come back after the money stops with the disability, but others stay out longer--up to 6 months in some cases (although I think those usually have been for premies or other complicated situations). If things ever go right, I'll be planning 14-18 weeks off and then handing off to DP for at least another 12 weeks. But that might all change, of course, with circumstances.

In any case, you should absolutely get 12 weeks!

[korey]

1. My situation is a little different because I'm a small business owner and the primary income generator in the company, so I'll be taking about a month off before I start easing back into work part time.

In one way it sucks, because I'm working my butt off now to generate extra income for that time off. But in another way it's really a good thing, because I'll have a lot of flexibility around work time when the baby is here.

2. I have 5 friends who recently had babies, and everyone got the standard 6 weeks maternity leave--some paid, and some not. All but one took more time with FMLA, which was unpaid. One friend was able to switch to part time after the baby, and one friend was told she could come back full time or quit, her choice.

I was really surprised that people were only getting 6 weeks leave, because I always thought 3 months was standard! I haven't been in the corporate world for a while, but I remember having to cover for moms who were out on leave for 3 months. From what I'm told, that time has shrunk over the last decade and 6 weeks is now the standard at most places of employment.

On a side note, when I was working in corporate there was a guy who took FMLA when he and his wife had their first baby. They had saved and saved to be able to both take time off when the baby came. Sounds like a great dad, right? Well, HR was PISSED! They thought he was "taking advantage" of FMLA.

[justrose13]

Originally Posted by korey

On a side note, when I was working in corporate there was a guy who took FMLA when he and his wife had their first baby. They had saved and saved to be able to both take time off when the baby came. Sounds like a great dad, right? Well, HR was PISSED! They thought he was "taking advantage" of FMLA.

WTH?! taking advantage... and then they probably b!tch about dead beat dads, right?! i say, good man!

[colsxjack]

Wow. It is times/issues like this that I am so glad to be Canadian.
Here we are entitled to 12 months leave. With that you get EI which is about 55% pay. Some companies then "top up" the pay. My company tops up to 75% salary for the full 12 months. My DW's company tops up to 86% pay for 6.5 months and then no top up after.

Although you are legally entitled to 12 months, because it is at a reduced rate, many people go back after 6 months or so. The entitlement just means that you cannot be denied leave, cannot be fired or demoted. But your exact job isn't guaranteed, just something with the same company for the same pay and at the same "level".

For us, my DP took 10 months (6/5 topped up and then we saved before hand to top ourselves up. I took 3 weeks of built up lieu time and vacation and then I took the last 2 months while my DP went back to work. She is the higher earner in the family.

Here you are also entitled whether you are the birthing parent or not. My work was very supportive and encouraging of me taking the time. You also are entitled for 12 months whether you birth the child or adopt.

I couldn't imagine the parent having to leave the child at 6 weeks. It was hard enough at 12 months old.

[gellybeangrl]

Burg~ Good question.

There is a pregnant girl at our office now. From what I understand she will get 4 weeks and then whatever vacation leave that she has...so I think it will equal out to 6-7 weeks.

I really should check into our FMLA leave...to see if it is paid or unpaid and how long it could be for.

[osker]

H got six weeks, unpaid. It sucked. We're barely back to 'normal' with money almost six weeks later!
That being said, in three weeks I'm quitting my job and will be at home, unpaid, and her job his only increased in pay/benfits since she went back, so that extra will be covering me staying home on "maternity leave"... it sucked that I only got one week when Esther was born, but due to this turn of events I'll be home for nearly nine months with her! Yay!

[Coco99]

I'm very curious to know how many people answred your survey ??

[burg]

105 so far and as recently as 1 hour ago, I will post the results once people stop taking it.

[Letitia]

I also work for the US government. 12 weeks is the usual among my coworkers. I took I think 13 or 14 with our first child - whatever got to 3 months even - that was with a note from my doctor requesting some extra "bonding time." Basically, I was freaked out because my daughter had some problems at birth and was in the NICU for a while, and it took me a while to get my mental keel back in the water. It wasn't a hassle extending it a little beyond 12 weeks. I used saved sick and vacation time to cover most of it, a little was unpaid FMLA. With our second child I took less than 12 weeks: can't remember the exact amount of time, but it was however much leave I had saved up again. Anything beyond that would have been FMLA and OK, but without pay. Nobody pressured me at any point with either child to come back sooner.

This is an interesting question.