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shadows
LIF Adult
Member since 1/10 4694 total posts
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curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
Paid maternity leave.
It bugs me. For instance, say employee A has 3 kids and gets 4 months paid maternity leave each time. That's a year of time off from work.
The way I see it, the person who has no kids loses out on a free year out of work.
Also, eveyone could probably be paid more if money didn't have to be alotted for people to be home. The person at home isn't producing anything for the company, so it seems that the pay they are getting must come from the communal pot.
Curious what others think. The welfare posts on the other thread got me thinking about this.
PS - I have no problem whatsoever with unpaid maternity leave, which is obviously completely necessary.
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Posted 11/30/10 9:19 PM  |
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MrsPJB2007
MBA at your service!
Member since 7/06 12020 total posts
Name:
MJ
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
I think companies that offer paid maternity leave are few and far between these days.
If a company decides to do it -- then so be it. But I don't think I would ever be irked by this if I was CF and someone is going to be home for 3 mos with a newborn.
A "free" year off work to me would mean just that, no work. While I'm not a mom yet, I would imagine that there probably isn't a single mom out there who took maternity leave and said it was 'free' time. Seems like it would be a lot of work during that time.
I'm not sure about how the communal pot goes considering how rare paid maternity leave is these days. But if a company offered it, I don't think I'd be p*ssed about the company having to budget for it. In the end it might keep a seasoned employee able to retain a job that would otherwise require more money to train someone new to replace them, who won't have the experience.
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| Posted 11/30/10 10:05 PM |
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Cacarina
Two girls!
Member since 12/09 2971 total posts
Name:
Cari
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
Honestly...I have no problem with paid maternity leave. I think 4 months is VERY generous and most companies do not offer that. If mine did though...I would not have an issue with it. I generally worry about myself at work and don't tend to think about what others are doing or what others may or may not be benefiting from within the company unless it directly affects me.
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| Posted 11/30/10 10:22 PM |
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shadows
LIF Adult
Member since 1/10 4694 total posts
Name:
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
I can absolutely see these points.
Although I didn't say it in my original post, my feelings come from two close friends I have who are both out on paid mat. leave right now. Both work at big law firms.
The first gets 3 monts paid. The other gets 6 months paid. Both handed over their cases to other attorneys to handle while they are out.
The one who has 6 months confided in me that she is not going back to work after the 6 months.
The one who is out for 3 months told me she is going back to work for about a year, getting pregnant again, taking another 3 months paid, and then not returning to work.
This just bothers me, so I guess that's where my feelings stem from. I'd love to get 6 months paid to spend with my elderly dad, ya know?
Just my opinion, and like I said, I khow many people disagree 
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| Posted 12/1/10 7:49 AM |
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IrishLasss334
I'll be there soon!
Member since 1/08 6549 total posts
Name:
Patty
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
I see your point.
For instance, DH tore his ACL last week, he will have surgery in a few weeks and will be home for months for rehab. If I take time I have to take vacation time to take care of him, I don't get any paid time off other than that.
Four months is very very generous, most companies don't give that.
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| Posted 12/1/10 8:08 AM |
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Lisa
I'm a PANK!!!
Member since 5/05 22334 total posts
Name:
Professional Aunts No Kids
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
I totally see your point but I look at it another way. While I choose to be childless, there are others that want and have children. I think that we need to allow the woman that have children time home with their infants to bond, nuture or whatever else happens between a mom and child. A company that give 3-6 months paid time off is a rare place and someone that should be commended. In other countries, woman can take up to a year off (not sure if thats paid but they can take it)
If we start making it very difficult for woman to have children and take care of them, how will we thrive and a society? We need to procreate. But that doesnt mean that mothers (or fathers) get special treatment in the workplace. At the workplace, you should be judged by your performance, not how many kids you have or do not have.
I dont resent any of the woman that I work for that have had children and taken the 4 months off paid leave but I too would like the option of taking some time off to spend with my elderly grandfather who is very ill.
ETA: I didnt see the part where you said unpaid maternity leave is fine.
Message edited 12/1/2010 8:23:27 AM.
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| Posted 12/1/10 8:22 AM |
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dpli
Daylight savings :)
Member since 5/05 13973 total posts
Name:
D
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
I think ideally, there should be paid family leave for employees that can be used in isolated cases. Some people may use it for maternity leave, some may use it for taking care of a sick family member.
I think that if the company offers paid leave and you have a documented medical reason why the leave is needed, anyone who needs it should be able to take it.
I took maternity leave, but the paid portion of it came out of my accumulated sick and vacation time, the rest was unpaid. I think companies that offer paid leave are few and far between.
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| Posted 12/1/10 9:56 AM |
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caps612
In love with my little guys!!
Member since 8/10 5108 total posts
Name:
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
There really are not many companies that offer that amount of time off with pay. My company gives us weeks (8 if c section). Any additional time we take is without pay. I do think it is excessive to get 4-6 months and be paid. But I think most women these days need to work and most women want/plan to have children and maternity leave is necessary. I don't think people who don't have a baby should just get off the same time.... its not like moms are just sitting around doing nothing during that time especially if you only get 6-8 weeks... your body has alot oof healing to do and you are caring for an infant who is very needy.
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| Posted 12/1/10 10:18 AM |
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jilliibabii
Mrs. O'Connor
Member since 6/10 12821 total posts
Name:
Jillian
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
Posted by Cacarina
Honestly...I have no problem with paid maternity leave. I think 4 months is VERY generous and most companies do not offer that. If mine did though...I would not have an issue with it. I generally worry about myself at work and don't tend to think about what others are doing or what others may or may not be benefiting from within the company unless it directly affects me.
ITA! 4 months? Try 4 weeks here! I think it's way too little. People who get put on disability and LOA still get paid, why shouldn't they get paid for maternity leave?
Now the thing I have a problem with- paternity leave. 
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| Posted 12/1/10 11:47 AM |
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dfw343
LIF Infant
Member since 7/10 246 total posts
Name:
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
4 months! wow that's great.
I think my stepkids' Mom got only 4 weeks (she told me).
Again, I am CF but I believe that it is a good law to have maternity leave. It protects women and the future of our world. If I got preggers by accident, I'd want leave.
Kids already get screwed with two working parents.
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| Posted 12/1/10 12:02 PM |
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Christine
2nd verse same as the 1st
Member since 5/05 15287 total posts
Name:
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
I'm sorry, this doesn't hit my radar. I don't begrudge women getting paid maternity leave at all. Anyone I know with paid maternity leaves only gets 3 months. That includes any time off waiting to give birth, time in the hospital, healing time, bonding time, etc.
My company doesn't pay anything - you get disability and use vacation time if you want. We are large enough for employees to get FMLA so people can take additional time off up to 3 months unpaid with job security.
It would be nice if companies with paid maternity leave policies would allow paid time to tend to immediate family members that require medical attention. As it is now, if you and your company qualify, you can use FMLA time to take care of a parent, spouse or child. You can request that it be taken a day at a time and not all at once if that would help in a caregiving situation.
To the day I die, I will NEVER forget being told "no, you can't work shorter hours to help your mother take care of your dying father" especially since that conversation took place about a week before he passed away. This was before the FMLA Act.
Message edited 12/1/2010 12:17:13 PM.
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| Posted 12/1/10 12:16 PM |
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MrsPJB2007
MBA at your service!
Member since 7/06 12020 total posts
Name:
MJ
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
Posted by jilliibabii
Now the thing I have a problem with- paternity leave.
I was just curious -- what is wrong with paternity leave?
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| Posted 12/1/10 12:17 PM |
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Nifheim
allo
Member since 1/09 5476 total posts
Name:
Jennifer
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
i can't get a straight answer at my job about paid leave but i think we get 6 weeks for disability. Now I get it if you call it disability because you need to heal and if you were injured you would get the same. The extra time you use is your own.
I don't think its fair for those who get 6+ months off unless there is a underlying medical condition keeping you home with child. I wouldn't be happy covering someone for a year while they got to play mommy at home when I can't stay home for a year paid to play good grand daughter with my grandmother when she needed an aid.
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| Posted 12/1/10 12:27 PM |
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christinec2010
LIF Adolescent
Member since 10/09 637 total posts
Name:
Christine
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
I recently discussed this with DH as my co-worker was just on maturnity leave. Our short term disability would have given her 8 weeks off since she had a c-section & paid her only $170 per week. Although I do believe that having a child is a choice living on $170 a week with a newborn is just scrapping by. My boss gave her 12 weeks off & gave her full pay for 6 weeks. She made more then she would have had she went on the short term disability.
Meanwhile, back at the office I took over half of her work for 12 weeks & I didn't get anything extra. Yeah my boss thanked me but I worked extra hours & had a tons amount of added stress. My co-worker has been back for about 7 weeks know & she hasn't even said thank you to me.
My plan was to tell my boss that I want an additional bonus this year for the additional work I did, but DH thinks that my boss will just say that it will all even out once we decide to have a child & I take maturnity leave.
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| Posted 12/1/10 1:56 PM |
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
Posted by shadows
I can absolutely see these points.
Although I didn't say it in my original post, my feelings come from two close friends I have who are both out on paid mat. leave right now. Both work at big law firms.
The first gets 3 monts paid. The other gets 6 months paid. Both handed over their cases to other attorneys to handle while they are out.
The one who has 6 months confided in me that she is not going back to work after the 6 months.
The one who is out for 3 months told me she is going back to work for about a year, getting pregnant again, taking another 3 months paid, and then not returning to work.
This just bothers me, so I guess that's where my feelings stem from. I'd love to get 6 months paid to spend with my elderly dad, ya know?
Just my opinion, and like I said, I khow many people disagree
I can see the arguments against paid leave, but thought I might offer a different perspective as I am also a lawyer at a big law firm, one that gives the 18 weeks paid maternity leave and I plan to use it. This benefit was increased in the past few years and is given because it is considered an industry and a workplace that has historically been unfriendly to mothers/women in general and they are trying to make it so that women don't have choose to have a succesful career or have a child (the "mommy track"). I know a few people who have left after their leave, like your friends, but there are some that come back too. The job is pretty demanding, often requiring 16 hr days, 7 days a week, cancelled vacations, etc. and little time to spend with family, friends. There are also FAR fewer women than men at most big firms, so there are far fewer people taking advantage of this than one might think. I have been here 5 years and can think of 5 attorneys (staff doesn't get the same 18 weeks) who have gone out on maternity leave. At many firms you don't get a bonus unless you meet a certain amount of hours (which is pretty hard if you take off for 5 months), so you basically end up taking the time in lieu of a bonus.
Just another perspective, again, I can see it both ways.
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| Posted 12/1/10 3:12 PM |
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HollaDay
LIF Adolescent
Member since 8/08 620 total posts
Name:
Holla!
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
I'm perfectly fine with paid maternity leave. 4 months is a lot though!
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| Posted 12/1/10 3:12 PM |
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Ophelia
she's baaccckkkk ;)
Member since 5/06 23378 total posts
Name:
remember, when Gulliver traveled....
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
in switzerland they get 2 years.
and I want to thank whomever it is that posted about how important time to bond is with your newborn.
I think our maternity laws here are terrible. terrible.
I don't think it's cool for people to take advantage or abuse (I think your friends are wrong to be honest for not advising their employers of their intentions to not go back after the paid leave period is over) but regardless of if you are child free or not, you have to see the value of being a mother in society. being able to raise a child, a new citizen of the world, and the value of having that burden just be slightly lessened.
I work for the federal govt. we have NO maternity leave policy. well rather, we don't offer paid maternity leave. you take sick/vacation/advanced leave/unpaid leave under FMLA. that's it.
I returned back to work exactly one year ago today.
my son was just 6 weeks old. 6 WEEKS out of the womb and I was already handing him off to someone else for care.
I cannot express to you how difficult that is. it's not possible.
to be honest, I don't think we value FAMILY all that much. I cannot believe anyone would be denied time to care for a dying parent. I think that is deplorable.
we should be working to make these "benefits' more global. stop taking away family importance.
the importance of being a new, nurturing mother.
the importance of being a dutiful, nurturing wife, daughter, granddaughter.
if you want things to be even, make it to everyone's favor, not to everyone's detriment.
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| Posted 12/1/10 3:49 PM |
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MrsRbk
<3 <3 <3 <3
Member since 1/06 19197 total posts
Name:
Michelle
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
Posted by Ophelia
in switzerland they get 2 years.
and I want to thank whomever it is that posted about how important time to bond is with your newborn.
I think our maternity laws here are terrible. terrible.
I don't think it's cool for people to take advantage or abuse (I think your friends are wrong to be honest for not advising their employers of their intentions to not go back after the paid leave period is over) but regardless of if you are child free or not, you have to see the value of being a mother in society. being able to raise a child, a new citizen of the world, and the value of having that burden just be slightly lessened.
I work for the federal govt. we have NO maternity leave policy. well rather, we don't offer paid maternity leave. you take sick/vacation/advanced leave/unpaid leave under FMLA. that's it.
I returned back to work exactly one year ago today.
my son was just 6 weeks old. 6 WEEKS out of the womb and I was already handing him off to someone else for care.
I cannot express to you how difficult that is. it's not possible.
to be honest, I don't think we value FAMILY all that much. I cannot believe anyone would be denied time to care for a dying parent. I think that is deplorable.
we should be working to make these "benefits' more global. stop taking away family importance.
the importance of being a new, nurturing mother.
the importance of being a dutiful, nurturing wife, daughter, granddaughter.
if you want things to be even, make it to everyone's favor, not to everyone's detriment.
ITA!
And not only that... your body goes through major trauma giving birth, whether it be vaginal or c-section. You NEED that time for your body to recover.
I PAY into my maternity leave, as in my company it's not called "maternity leave" but disability. So I am ENTITLED to that 6 or 8 week worth of pay as it actually comes out of my paycheck already.
As far as paternity leave goes... why shouldn't a father also be allowed to bond with their child? My company gives 2 weeks. Also, my husband needed to be home with me after the birth of my son because I had a c-section and was, not allowed to drive for 2 weeks, not allowed to lift my daughter, go up and down the stairs, etc. The STATE of NJ allows fathers to take UP to 12 weeks of PAID time in a 12 month period to bond with their child (biological or adoptive). Granted it's a small fraction of your normal pay, but they recognize the importance of parents bonding with their child. And again, that is something that alot of large companies in NJ offer that WE pay for out of our bi-weekly paychecks.
6-8 weeks of leave is not enough time IMO. I used all my time, plus all my PTO time. I've also taken an extended leave which is all unpaid after my 12 weeks of paid leave are up
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| Posted 12/1/10 4:38 PM |
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heathergirl
Cocktail Time!
Member since 10/08 4978 total posts
Name:
American mouth
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
I have no problem with maternity leave. I wish we had better maternity policies in this country. I don't look at it like free time off, having a newborn is incredibly difficult and is a huge task to undertake. Mommy and baby need that time.
I do take issue with people who abuse it.
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| Posted 12/1/10 8:31 PM |
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
I think it's more for the physical, mental and emotional recovery of giving birth, if you ask me.
I don't think they do it for us to bond with our babies, but moreso to have us recover before returning to work in fine and decent shape.
Unless you have experienced pregnancy and giving birth, it's one of those things that are hard to understand. We have all been childless at one point or another, but the people who have remained childless do not fully comprehend the toll child birth takes on your mind and body. (not sounding snarky)
Whether it's a c-section or vaginal, it's your body's release of a 9 month build up. Your chemical makeup is all screwed up, etc. Takes awhile for things to be balanced again. Plus, with the rise in post-partum depression, I think a lot of employers are scared and rather keep women away for X amount of time.
Yes, having a child is voluntary, but so are many surgeries.
I can't tell you how many people I have worked with over the years have tons of elective surgeries (men and women) and get out of worth with short term disability. I don't judge them. It's apart of their package/benefit plan. They pay into it, most of the time.
Also, a c-section is major abdominal surgery; most people do not realize that. You need time off to recover.
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| Posted 12/1/10 8:44 PM |
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
Also, I was dying to come back from maternity leave! I was even going to come back earlier.  I wasn't sitting on the couch eating bon-bons and watching Oprah. It was way more easier to be at work!!
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| Posted 12/1/10 8:46 PM |
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DiamondGirl
You are my I love you
Member since 7/09 18802 total posts
Name:
DiamondMama
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
The only person I know who got 4 months paid is a partner at firm and she makes very large salary. They want her back and to retain her which is why the offer such a cushy package.
No one else I know has gotten more then 6-8 weeks and most get paid through disability.
Message edited 12/1/2010 9:12:26 PM.
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| Posted 12/1/10 9:12 PM |
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shadows
LIF Adult
Member since 1/10 4694 total posts
Name:
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
I know not a ton of places do paid maternity leave, but regareless, I was just wondering what people thought about it. And there are a fair number of places that do it - my law firm does, and I know a few others that do (and the poster above said that her firm does). Maybe it's more common in law firms.
Someone in my own family had 8 kids, basically one after the next. If your office had paid maternity leave, would that bother you at all? Does it reach a point where it's just unfair to everyone else holding the weight in the company? If so, what is that point?
(I swear I am not trying to be argumentative or anything like that - I am just honestly interested in what people think about random topics sometimes  )
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| Posted 12/1/10 9:33 PM |
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
Posted by shadows
Someone in my own family had 8 kids, basically one after the next. If your office had paid maternity leave, would that bother you at all? Does it reach a point where it's just unfair to everyone else holding the weight in the company? If so, what is that point?
(I swear I am not trying to be argumentative or anything like that - I am just honestly interested in what people think about random topics sometimes )
It's an interesting question and one I have thought of myself..I wonder if anyone has done that or been able to do that. I would imagine they couldn't keep working, right? I don't know. I will have to google this later on.
It would bug me if I ended up or was expected to have to do more work and take on more responsibilities without extra pay, probably. That would irk anyone, I am sure.
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| Posted 12/1/10 9:56 PM |
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heathergirl
Cocktail Time!
Member since 10/08 4978 total posts
Name:
American mouth
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Re: curious what you think... i'm sure many would disagree with me
Posted by shadows
Someone in my own family had 8 kids, basically one after the next. If your office had paid maternity leave, would that bother you at all? Does it reach a point where it's just unfair to everyone else holding the weight in the company? If so, what is that point?
It may be unfair, but what is my alternative, to tell them they can't take maternity leave because they are choosing to have children and I am not?
There are things I can control and things I cannot. This is one of them. It is a part of life, and the work world, and somehow everyone manages just fine.
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| Posted 12/1/10 10:33 PM |
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