I waited until at least 16 weeks, maybe longer. It was long enough that I started to show and everyone was gossiping behind my back but whatever, I could have cared less. I did tell two trusted co-workers/friends but I knew they would keep it a secret.
Going to HR to get benefits lined up sooner rather than later is a good idea.
For clarrification, are you planning on taking FMLA leave and then returning for a short period of time before leaving permenantly?
Quote:
Originally Posted by LZP 
(X-posted in I'm pregnant)
Since i'll be receiving company-provided STD ins, and using paid time off and FMLA time after that runs out, and I'll be using my personally funded but company guaranteed FSA for some of our expenses, I will return to work till the end of the year, but then intend to stay home full time. (not to mention the fully (company) paid really good medical insurance for the whole process) I feel guilty using up all the FSA before I've actually made all the contributions, and I feel bad using a whole year's worth of PTO without actually accruing the hours; so that's why I hoped to come back for a few weeks to finish out the year.
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I read your post as you are planning to return for a short period of time before leaving again. Bare with me - I ask because here how it worked at my former employer (big-ish bank):
If I left at the end of leave, any un-earned vacation/PTO time that I may have used for leave had to be paid back. Meaning if the company advanced me 12 sick days (one per month for example) to use during the STD waiting period and/or FMLA period but I techincially only "earned" 4, I would have to pay back the other 8.
Same type of thing for FSA or dependent care accounts. If the $5,000 (or whatever the amount is) became available on Jan 1 and I used all of it in the first couple months then quit before it was fully funded, I would have had to repay the difference.
Reasonable enough....
BUT/AND, and this is sort of important if I am understanding the OP correctly, the company had policies in place to prevent people from taking advantage of benefit package (their words, not mine) and accuring time off by working the calendar, so to speak, and then quitting after coming back for a short time period.
I wish I could remember the details but I can't but there was definately language in there to the effect of "if employee leaves Bank X voluntarily with 90 days of taking x,y,z leave, the cost of such and such benefits received during said period will be repaid by the employee."
All this came into play for me because of how my leave fell into the calendar year, which is why I remember the "what happens if I decided to leave again" clause.
OP - educate yourself on STD if you haven't already.
I got a nasty surprise when I went to collect STD over my maternity leave. It paid out nearly nothing.
The 6-week benefit was, in reality, a 4 week waiting period where I had to use all earned and unearned PTO. STD didn't kick into week 5 and then only paid for week 5 and 6 at some % of my salary.
It worked out ok for me because I had a ridiculous about of time built up but I was really, really shocked. I asked HR several times about the STD benefit and was told over and over "oh yeah, it covers the first 6 weeks you are off work." Never, until the very end when I was filling out my paperwork, did anyone mention that the first 4 weeks were unpaid if I didn't have PTO to use.