Seeking Advice
Since I work for my family, and have never really had any sort of major job outside of the family business, the idea of maternity leave is a world unknown. I have no idea what to expect, for myself, or from my employer (a.k.a. my dad.) So, I'm trying to take a poll, so I can put together some sort of educated proposal to my dad about what to expect when the baby comes. This is where you come in.
I have two main questions, and you can answer anonymously if it suits you. I don't need specific company names, just a general idea of how things are done "out there." If you are a male, but you know your employer's policy on maternity leave, I would appreciate if you answered too. Main objective is to gather info at this point in time. Pretend I'm the researcher and you are the researchee. The more answers I can get the better.
Question #1: How long is the average maternity leave? It would also be helpful if you could tell me the minimum time off you think I could take.
Questions #2 Who, if anybody, pays for the maternity leave? If you take time off, is it unpaid, or do you take vacation days until those run out and then take unpaid leave? Does your employer pay for some of the maternity leave, and you supplement additional time off with vacation days?
Thank you in advance for your answers.
I have two main questions, and you can answer anonymously if it suits you. I don't need specific company names, just a general idea of how things are done "out there." If you are a male, but you know your employer's policy on maternity leave, I would appreciate if you answered too. Main objective is to gather info at this point in time. Pretend I'm the researcher and you are the researchee. The more answers I can get the better.
Question #1: How long is the average maternity leave? It would also be helpful if you could tell me the minimum time off you think I could take.
Questions #2 Who, if anybody, pays for the maternity leave? If you take time off, is it unpaid, or do you take vacation days until those run out and then take unpaid leave? Does your employer pay for some of the maternity leave, and you supplement additional time off with vacation days?
Thank you in advance for your answers.
posted by happylaney @ 12:22 AM
7 Comments:
At 5:49 PM, August 18, 2007,
Anonymous said…
It has been awhile since I was on maternity leave, but most of the people I know have 6-12 weeks off. Mine was paid for, but it was through accumulated sick leave. Maybe you and dad should talk about some type of paid sick leave. This will be important not just for your maternity leave, but when the baby is not feeling well and you need to be a home. I had 6 weeks off with Tony because that was all of the sick leave that I had at that time and I will tell you even back then - it did not seem like enough time off. I would say that you need at least 8 weeks if you can get that much time off. Let me know how it works out.
Christy
At 7:54 PM, August 18, 2007,
Natalie said…
When I worked at the bookstore, I had three paid months off with Eli, but that was accumulated sick time and holiday.
Here's the website for FMLA which talks about how small businesses can comply with medical leave:
http://www.dol.gov/compliance/laws/comp-fmla.htm
Hopefully, if you can't take 8 weeks off, you can work it out that you can bring the baby to work with you for awhile, especially if you are nursing.
-Texas Natalie
At 8:25 PM, August 18, 2007,
Anonymous said…
Since I also work in a school system, like Christy, I have to use my saved up sick days (we get 10 sick and 3 personal days per year). The minimum that doctors recommend with a regular vaginal delivery would be 6 weeks; 8 weeks if you have to have a C-section. I also know that there have been guys at school that have also used their sick days when their wives have had babies--so hopefully John has that option right after the delivery to stay home and help out too. -cori
At 8:27 AM, August 21, 2007,
Anonymous said…
just the facts man...
i took 8 weeks off, and i needed it with the c-section, but i had to use all my vacation i had left (like 14 days worth or something) & then since i had not applied for short term disability before i became pregnant, i didn't get paid anything else, and i worked for a normal sized company. and i know we already talked about it, but i think you can totally take the baby to work with you for at least the first 6-8 months, until they become really mobile. (if that's ok with your dad/boss, of course!)
becky
At 11:07 AM, August 22, 2007,
Anonymous said…
I worked at a small non-profit, as you know, and I was able to get 12 weeks off. My work had paid into short term disability, which is what maternity leave is considered in California. So I got paid through the state for 6 weeks (about 60% of my normal pay), then I applied for Family leave through the state which paid for another 6 weeks at the same 60% pay rate. So technically, my boss did not pay anything just had to give me the time off. I know California is pretty nice in their maternity leave policies, so I'm not sure they have the same laws in Missouri. I would say you will want at least 6 weeks off, but 8 is better. You will most likely still be very tired at this point and still nursing every 3 hours. However, I agree that you might be able to work out something with taking the baby to work for a while. Good luck!
Melissa
At 11:28 AM, August 22, 2007,
Anonymous said…
The standard Navy leave for pregnant servicewomen is 42 days leave(paid) for uncomplicated births. The amount of time could also be at the physician's recommendation.
Jeremy
BTW, The navy band I'm in is performing at John's school in September.
At 12:58 PM, August 23, 2007,
Anonymous said…
I work in "Corporate America". We give women 12 weeks paid leave and then up to a year additional unpaid. They can then return to their same job. This also applies to adoptions. PS, men are also allowed up to 4 weeks of paid paternal leave.
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