What HR managers told us: Offering paid maternity leave
August 27, 2009 by Jim GiulianoPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Pay and benefits, policies
Congress is taking a look at proposals that would mandate paid leave for employees, including paid maternity leave. We asked 436 HR managers whether their employers offered paid maternity leave. Here’s what they said. The question: “Does your organization offer paid maternity leave?”
- Yes: 46%
- No: 51%
- We’re considering it: 3%
Of the HR managers who said their employers offered paid maternity leave, many indicated the amount was less than full pay — usually about 50%.
Tags: HR, maternity leave, pay
August 27th, 2009 at 9:25 am
I think that in this day & age, every company should give paid maternity leave! I have seen many mothers back to working within 3 days of giving birth because they could not afford to miss the pay. That is sad.
I’m not sure we should be as giving as our neighbors in Canada (1 full year paid maternity leave) but I do think that the first 3 months of an infants life is an important time to bond. Not to mention giving the mother time to adjust to the new sleep patterns, adjust to the raging horomone level changes, etc.
August 28th, 2009 at 6:26 am
I think it is up to employers to support new mothers and provide paid maternity leave. The first few months integral as families become adjusted to the changes in their home. I also realize that this may be a challenge given the current economic environment.
It is important for employees and employers to sit down together and determine what are the priorities in terms of benefits. The days of full health care benefits are long gone. In my experience, companies give employees a choice to choose specific coverage or plans that best suit their current lifestyle (i.e. full dental coverage vs partial dental coverage).
It should be noted that the Canadian system provides 50 weeks of parental care which includes 15 weeks of maternity leave and 35 weeks of parental leave. I think it is also important to note that only 55% of the person’s salary is paid up to a maximum of $413 per week by the Canadian government. Employers may then top up accordingly.
August 31st, 2009 at 9:56 am
I am in Human Resources and two years ago I had to go on Maternity leave. I had to take off early due to complications. Luckily my company offered Short Term Disability as a supplementary insurance. I had been at the company for four years. I think that companies should provide paid maternity leave. A lot of employers do not have supplemental insurance and in these times, women can’t afford to take time off. This endangers their health and their job when they go back to work too soon. I can see where a company would not want to pay a new employee to be off work for 3 months but maybe the law should be after an employee has been with a company for a year, they get paid maternity leave. I think it should definitely be law, but they should keep the employer in mind as well when making it.
August 31st, 2009 at 11:09 am
FMLA allows for unpaid leave up to 12 weeks. Paid leave should be earned. Smart parents-to-be should plan (whenever possible) to save up their leave and THEN have a baby. If you can’t save up the leave, save part of your paycheck and then use that during unpaid leave. Stop expecting something for nothing. Paid maternity leave will put many small businesses out business. Can we start talking about PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY and stop talking about ENTITILEMENT?!
August 31st, 2009 at 11:27 am
Thank you Lynn!
August 31st, 2009 at 11:37 am
I agree with Lynn….. it’s irresponsible to expect the employer (or the government, in the form of taxes on individuals or employers) to provide you with an entitlement and show up at your doorstep and pay for Maternity leave.
We – as Employers, Employees, and Citizens – cannot afford to keep going to the “invisible pot of money” that “someone else” is providing for us. Unless you want your children and children’s children to be more dependent on someone else and less able to care for themselves, you need to break this mindset that Someone Else Owes You — anything.
Our Constitution provides for “Life, Liberty, and the PURSUIT of Happiness” – not a government or employer guarantee of paid time off for childbirth, bonding and anything else.
Employers can and should use their purchasing power to offer insurance plans, including STD and LTD. But employees have to use their own brains and learn how to budget for what they want, including families and including “what if” scenarios when complications occur.
If we’re going to be parents (and grandparents-which I am) then we need to get past the point where we expect the government or employer to be our parents.
August 31st, 2009 at 11:52 am
I agree with the last two posts – everyone seems to think that new mothers are entitled to this time off. It is a choice to have a child and a responsible parent needs to plan for that choice. What about the childless? Where is their benefit in all of this? We provide short term disability and anything above and beyond, the parent must plan for.
August 31st, 2009 at 1:00 pm
I agree with Lynn.
August 31st, 2009 at 1:12 pm
I agree with Lynn.
This is one reason there is FMLA. If employers have to give paid maternity leave, the next thing will be a request for paid medical leave because maternity leave can also be considered a “medical condition”. Isn’t that defeating the purpose of the FMLA? Be happy your job is protected for awhile instead of employment just being terminated.
Also, in New York State, it’s mandatory that the employer have state disability insurance provided for employees. No, it doesn’t pay a lot, but it is better than nothing, and it can be used while on unpaid maternity leave.
Another good point – save your money and don’t expect everyone else to bail you out.
August 31st, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I agree completely with Lynn. People should start taking responsibilities for the choices they make and quit expecting hand outs because of those choices. If you can not afford to take off to care for a new baby, then maybe you really can’t afford the baby in the first place and should wait for a more suitable time. I currently work for a small construction company and although there are not many female workers, it would be very costly for the company to implement this change and this change would affect many other aspects that would also affect the employees.
So then the question is proposed, what about paid leave for the father? It would only be fair if fathers have the same option, and at that point you have two people at home earning wages, and not working…….I heard about a study done about people being off of work. It seems the longer a person is off of work for whatever reason, makes it harder for that person to come back to work and be a productive individual…..
August 31st, 2009 at 1:25 pm
I agree with Paul, Lynn, and Carol. I do not currently have children, but we are planning to in the near future. While I think it would be great to have paid maternity leave if the company can provide it, I do not think it should be considered an entitlement. Companies are not required to offer benefits in the first place, so if yours does, then be thankful for what you get.
Personally, my company offers short term disability, which covers maternity leave and pays 60% during the time you are out, generally for 6 weeks. If there is a complication or other medical issues that come up, then that time is extended as necessary. Employees are also allowed to use their vacation time if they would like to have additional “bonding” time after their 6 weeks is up. (all of this is, of course, along with the FMLA protection)
I think it is definitely the responsibility of the parents-to-be to be planning ahead by saving up money and vacation time to use after the birth. (except in rare cases, most people have a minimum of 7 or 8 months notice before the kid comes, plenty of time to start making arrangements!)
August 31st, 2009 at 1:49 pm
I agree with Paul, Lynn, Carol and Melissa. I have two boys; the first one we decided I would quit my job and stay home with for the first three years (and yes, we did cut back on a lot of things to do so). When my second boy arrived, I went on FMLA leave for six weeks, which we planned ahead and saved up for. I think the government is getting out of control with mandating paid leave for everything. If the government keeps this up, companies will either go out of business or cut out benefits alltogether. Let the company decide on what they can afford not the government. Everyone can’t have everything. That is not the American way. That is called socialism.
August 31st, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Didn’t most companies used to provide maternity leave? Then was it determined that this was an expendable benefit, along with pensions and other benefits? It would sure be nice if we could go back to the day when companies did things because it was right.
August 31st, 2009 at 2:27 pm
I disagree!!! Because of people like you who don’t feel the same about spending time with your babies when they are born and creating the bond with them, that is partly why we have such mixed up children and our world is in trouble. Look at people such as the Amish or mothers who stay home with their children. These children are taught good morals and values and know what it is like to have the family essence.
A mother who maybe isn’t as fortunate as all of you and doesn’t have the money to “save” for having a baby and taking time off of work, yet can afford the baby otherwise, should not be punished or the baby thrown in daycare. These mothers love their babies just as much and actually probably more because they WANT to spend the time with them and can’t versus you who think it is only necessary to spend the minimal amount of time with them before they are thrown into daycare for someone else to raise.
I had a child and I took 12 weeks off on my own and I was fortunate enough to be able to save the money so I could have that opportunity. Someone who makes less than me should be entitled to it as well and I think the government should offer the SAME benefit to every mother with all of us receiving the same amount of money/paid time off.
My husband also was given the option to take time off as his job is a GOVERNMENT job and he receives so much sick time that it was banked and he took a whole month off with FULL pay. I could not do that and I was the one who gave birth.
Maybe those of you who are complaining about a benefit to all of us mothers are the ones who shouldn’t have had children in the first place!!!!
August 31st, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Our company provides accrued/earned paid sick leave, paid vacation and paid floating holidays. All can be used to provide the new mother with pay during their FMLA covered maternity leave. I have seen expectant mothers go ahead and take all of their vacation prior to the maternity leave and then cry about most of their leave being unpaid. Now, we have the availability to purchase short term and long term disability policies which does cover maternity leave and pay at about 60% of full wage after all sick leave has been exhausted. I agree with others….PLAN…PREPARE!!! And, I feel my life is just as important as a new one, will I be able to get paid leave if I do every thing I can to protect my benefits, then I use my benefits and still have unpaid leave. I’ve never used maternity leave (no kids) but why wouldn’t I be entitled. Point…where does it start and where does it stop.
August 31st, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Sunshine – you really don’t want to go there. I agree totally with the rest of the respondents.
We have family in Canada. If you think the taxes are bad in the US, NY in particular, you should see the taxes Canadians pay. Not just in the income tax, but also in the PST and GST for purchases. It is very high. All so the citizens can stay home and have baby’s on the government basically and have free medical coverage.
Socialized medicine has been terrible for the family we have there. They have experienced very long waiting periods, months for very simple tests and x-rays, that here we would simply walk down the hall from the doctors office to receive. Our relatives have actually purchased supplemental insurance so they can get quicker testing and service. So they pay through their taxes and extra out of their pocket as well.
The government should only be there to help in a pinch. People should not just sit back and receive handouts.
If your company offers maternity leave that is great. Benefits are one of the incentives for employees to work with different companies.
If you can’t afford the leave from work – you definitely are not financially responsible enough to bring a child into the world.
The government should only be there to help in a pinch. People should not just sit back and receive handouts. If your company offers maternity leave that is great. Benefits are one of the incentives for employees to work with different companies.
If you can’t afford the leave from work – you definitely are not financially responsible enough to bring a child into the world.
August 31st, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Why should the government, much less a company, pay for an individual’s decision to have a child with paid time off? They shouldn’t in my humble opinion. We have an administration pushing for cradle to grave (health) benefits and expansion of government control of our lives. There are no free lunches here! Regardless of who pays for these benefits, the government or company, we all pay in the long run through taxes, cost of goods and services, lost jobs, etc. Since when has any government unfunded mandate resulted in job creation, economic growth, or improved quality of life for anyone except bureaucrats? Never!
If we mandate paid maternity leave then the next thing will be paid leave for the father to stay at home. What about individuals who choose not to have a child or two… or three; should we pay them what we would pay a couple for the average number of children they could have? Maybe an amount equivalent to that of having 2.5 children over the span of a career. Sounds ridiculous, but crazier things have been discussed.
The bottom line is that we all have choices and responsibility, and the government is spending way too much time, money and effort intruding in our lives. Give us the freedom to choose not to pay for or subsidize (through taxes and insurance premiums) benefits that are not needed. Get the government out of the health insurance business and our lives!
August 31st, 2009 at 3:43 pm
I work for a government agency. We will let you use your earned sick leave. I agree with Lynn. We should not provide additional leave. We can’t afford it. Employees in our office who do not have children already resent the time we do give to new parents. Finally, if we are going to offer this to new mothers, in this day and age we have to offer the same benefit to fathers! It is equally important for new fathers to bond with the infants. Additionally, new fathers often have the same interrupted sleep patterns as new mothers. Let’s not start another program to legalize sexual discrimination.
August 31st, 2009 at 4:00 pm
I believe the majority of the responses indicate if a company can offer a maternity/paternity benefit that is wonderful!
If people can or choose to stay home with their children, that is wonderful as well.
But the sticking point is ‘should the government mandate employers to offer maternity leave’. No, if a company can afford it they will offer it, gladly. If this is something that is important to you and is in your future – go to work for a company that offers it, plain and simple.
If you can’t afford to be away from work – then don’t have children until you do.
I do believe in staying home with your children. When my son was born I was home with him until he started preschool and I worked my hours around the amount of time he was in preschool, then primary school. That is what my husband and I did. We made sacrifices. That is what Americans need to get back to. Do what you can afford, don’t expect the government to bail you out with all of your life’s decisions.
JFK – “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”- what happened to that philosophy?
August 31st, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Well put, EB.
August 31st, 2009 at 4:07 pm
To Mixed Up Children: Don’t you dare judge people who expect responsbility in parenting decisions. One of the most important things we can teach our children is to be responsible. I love my children more than I can say and would do anything for them, but I think one of the most precious gifts that I can give them is to teach them responsbility and morals. They shouldn’t expect freebies, they need to work for what they have, just as we all should. Planning for a child is a matter of responsibility and one that should be taken very seriously. I think every mother should be home with her child for as long as she can afford it. That takes planning, not a government or employer bailout. Haven’t we had enough of those? Come on America, grow up and work and save for what you want! That is what made this country great, not handouts!
August 31st, 2009 at 4:10 pm
EXACTLY; thank you, Cindy!
August 31st, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Thank you Lynn. As a small business owner, we cannot afford to pay three months of paid maternity leave. We currently have 111 employees, that can get very costly. 66 days x 8 hours/day = 528 hours x $20.00 hour = $10,560.00 for one person to be paid for three month leave. PLEASE…..
the simple math here can give the answer why it is not paid. All you want is a LAW, lets enfore the laws we currently have…….give me a break.
August 31st, 2009 at 6:43 pm
When is it ever going to be enough?
FMLA gave employees to the right to take unpaid time off for child bonding. CA kicked it up a notch with Paid Family Leave. And now there’s paid maternity on the table?! What’s next? Subsidized child care for when the parent does return to work?
September 1st, 2009 at 6:52 am
Wow to Mixed Up Children. You talk about teaching of good morals and values and know what it is like to have the family essence? Then don’t insult “people like you” not feeling the same way about spending time with your babies when they are born. Having children is a responsibility and a choice and if you make that choice you should be prepared to handle the financial costs that go along with it.
People stop with the entitlements. We are not entitled to paid leave, we are not even entitled to health care. Take responsibility for yourself. Pursue your goals and let the government stay out of our lives as much as possible. The government should be there in a pinch, when someone loses their job, etc. Government in the US was not meant to provide everything to everyone. As a mother of two, we planned to the birth, for the reduction in income. It can be done. Life is not fair sometimes. We are not all equal.
And don’t degrade or demonish mothers who choose to or have to go back to work, who do not stay home all day with their babies. Just because a mother or father work does not mean they do not love their children any less.
If a company can offer paid leave then so much the better. Maybe there could be some incentives for a company to do so. We provide short term disability and then allow employees to supplement with their sick hours which they can carry over from year to year.
I agree with Paul, Lynn and Carol. Let business choose what is good for them. That is the American way. That is the way it should be. Less Government not more!
September 1st, 2009 at 7:20 am
No. No. No. No. No. I’m a woman. I have no children and will not have any in the future. I get no tax break for NOT putting people in to the “system” – schools, juvenile delinquent detention centers, welfare, SS for dependent children, etc. etc. etc. Now I’m supposed to work in order to enable you to take 12 weeks off WITH PAY? Get over your entitlement issues!
September 1st, 2009 at 8:49 am
I am a mother of 2 and took off 12+ weeks for the birth of each. For the first, I had disability insurance I had purchased which helped for 6 weeks. The rest of that leave and the other were completely unpaid. We planned for it, we made sacrifices, we made it happen. I agree with MixedUpChildren in that parents spending time with their children is VERY important, but the agreement ends there. I wanted time with my children, both when they were newborns and now (which is why I still work only part-time though they are both in school). However, I also want to teach my children RESPONSIBILITY, not entitlement. Paid leave would certainly be nice, but only on a voluntary basis for companies who choose to and who can afford to (keep the government out!). Having children is a personal choice and a personal responsibility. It is not an entitlement.
September 1st, 2009 at 9:19 am
I agree with Lynn, Paul, and Carol. In addition, I work for a small business that has 14 employees and most make $10 – $12 an hour doing residential cleaning. The turnover is ridiculous. If one of them gets pregnant and the company has to pay for maternity leave, what happens if they decide not to come back? Are they required to repay the money? How do you get blood out of a rock? The company would go out of business in a heartbeat with this kind of policy. If you want to have children and teach them responsibility, morals, and values, do it by showing them these qualities instead of how to get a handout from the government or an employer. What could that possibly teach them?
September 1st, 2009 at 11:12 am
I don’t think an employer should be required to provide paid maternity leave. Some businesses can afford this kind of generosity, but most can’t. It is already a hardship for many companies to have to provide 12 weeks of unpaid time off for an employee, but at least they can use the money they would normally pay that employee to obtain temporary help so as not to get too far behind. (Most employers now days don’t have the luxury of having excess manpower to take up this kind of slack, so a temp is often necessary.) Considering our global competition, most companies don’t have the profit margin to provide this kind of generous benefit. At one time, this was not the case. But now, margins are very tight and US companies are struggling to survive. Requiring them to provide paid extended leave would be enough to put many out of business. It should be up to the business to determine what level of benefits they can afford to extend to their employees and should not be mandated by government.
The world in general, government, or a company does not owe a new mother a paycheck. Having a child is a choice and is one that can be prepared for in advance (at least in most cases). People who expect everyone else to take care of them and give them money for no reason baffle me, maybe because I’ve always had to work very hard for everything I’ve ever gotten and have never had anyone take care of me. People who want to start a family should begin to save, both vacation and money, for the time they will need to be off to take care of their new baby. Expecting a handout is ludicrous in my opinion. Someone has to pay for it and I believe each person should be responsible for their own expenses whenever possible. Social programs should only come into play to help those with things that are beyond their control (i.e. unemployment, disability, etc.).
Most businesses already offer health insurance and many offer long and short term disability insurance (if not state mandated). Most offer vacation and sick leave, life insurance, 401(k), flexible or health spending accounts and employee assistance programs, just to name a few. Businesses are already doing what they can to provide an umbrella of coverage for their employees. The government needs to stay out of business and start working on being more efficient with our tax dollars. Companies can’t run with a deficit like the government does. And the more companies put out of business by the ever growing number of government mandates, the more people who will be completely without a job…and therefore without any employer provided benefits at all, including a pay check.
We have to be realistic. Mandating paid maternity leave is just not realistic in our current economic climate as we face growing global competition, shrinking profit margins and financial challenges. It would be nice if this was not the case, but reality is what it is. The turnip is getting very low on blood, so government needs to stop squeezing before the turnip is destroyed.
September 1st, 2009 at 11:55 am
Paid leave is something that we should all be fighting against, something for nothing is never a good thing for all involved. I agree with those who believe that if you plan on having children that you should plan and prepare for it by saving for that time.
All of these programs sound great, because people are inherently selfish and don’t look at the long term negatives to these situations. An employer will pay a tax to fund this program and eventually employers will be taxed to a point where none of us will see an increase in our wages, ever! If people want entitlement programs supported by the government, they should move to Europe and become residents there.
This country was fought for and founded upon the principles of not wanting excessive taxation and the ability to have a free market economy, not one constrained by wasteful government programs. We are slowly crossing over into the excessive taxation point by all of the programs that our legislators and president are wanting to put in place. If we don’t stop the programs, the U.S. will merely be a place where tourists visit and manufacturing is a thing of the past, as it will be cheaper to manufacture goods in other countries without our rediculous demands on employers. Employers provide opportunities to hard working people and our government wants to garner more favor with those people who fail to take responsibility for their actions and do the right things.
What have we become?
September 1st, 2009 at 2:43 pm
It seems to me that if you can’t save enough to live on while you are out of work for whatever time you think is needed to “bond” then you probably can’t afford a child. This is exactly why the US is where it is. Everyone spends every dollar and hope the government will provide. Children are expensive.
September 1st, 2009 at 3:08 pm
To Mixed Up Children: Please send me a check, my wife just had baby and on top of everything, she was a preemie! I think you should pay for b/c it doesn’t fit into my budget. If you would, I could probably buy a newer car and afford a payment as well as a bigger house. I don’t think I should have to drive an older car that’s paid off or live in a starter home or be responsible with my money either!!
Get real. If you want to have kids, adjust your lifestyle. Far better to provide life skills (such as teaching financial responsibility and work ethic that most of our country lacks). You are not entitled and it is not your right to have kids and make the rest of us pay for it! Most of us adults have come to the realization that you can’t have it all and that sometimes you have to sacrifice one thing to get another. So do us HR folks a favor and raise your child without the entitlement mentality!
September 1st, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Our small company (20 employees) has always given 3 weeks paid maternity leave and 1 week paid paternity leave. New parents have used accrued vacation time, short term disability (for moms) and unpaid leave to spend as much time with their newborns as they feel they can afford. However, I do NOT want the government to tell me that as a business owner I have to do this. If we were required to fund more, we would not be able to stay in business very long or we would not be able to have as many employees. Also, doesn’t it seem like it would make women of child-bearing age more of a liability when you are looking for new employees? Given the choice between two equally qualified candidates, knowing I might be required to provide 3 months paid leave for one and not have that possibility for the other, I think it might influence my hiring decisions. I think companies should provide the benefits they feel they can afford, but I do NOT think this should be mandated.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:50 pm
For those that think Maternity Leave should be paid, Would you agree that when someone takes the leave at your company, that the employees all chip in equally for that persons Maternity Leave? Makes more sense for your fellow employees to pick up the tab. “Spread the burden”
September 3rd, 2009 at 10:39 am
Absolutely not! I do not have children, we chose not to. I have dogs instead. Can I have 12 weeks of paid leave to bond with my pets? What other benefit can we offer to the folks who get less benefits because they choose to remain childless? We get no tax credits, we still pay the taxes on our home (which pays for YOUR childrens schools etc.) I want to pay less taxes for being childless, since I am less of a burden on society in general. I do not want to pick up the slack because you want to have a child even if you can’t afford it. Don’t get me started on shift preferences, either. Just because I don’t have children at home does not mean I should always be the one asked to work late, because my coworkers have to be at day care by 5 PM or get charged extra. So let them get charged, I did not help make the baby, I did not have the baby, and YOUR choice to have children should NOT affect my life in any way, shape or form. Ask any single worker or childless couple. Those of us who choose not to have children get shafted in the workplace, on our taxes, and in the restaurant during dinner when your kid cries and you won’t take them outside. Responsible family planning is obviously becoming a thing of the past. Just because you are physically able to and desire to have them, you are not simply entitled. DON’T ask us to help pay for your kids. PERIOD.
September 3rd, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Thank you Joyce, well said.
September 3rd, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Having children is a choice. I agree with Lynn and Debbie. If you plan on children then leave, money, etc should also be in that plan. Please don’t ask me to pay for your children. Why should parents get benefits that those without children don’t? I am tried of having to do more OT, more travelling, and more work just because I don’t have children. Just because I don’t have children does not mean that I too have obligations after work.
September 3rd, 2009 at 5:12 pm
I was taught that nothing in life is free, but better to be obtained by honest, hard work, isnt the reward so much sweeter when you have earned it yourself!!
September 8th, 2009 at 10:06 am
I am a small business owner and a mother of twins born 2 1/2 months early due to complications. I was out for the 10 1/2 weeks until they were technically full term. I then went back to work part time for the next 8 weeks and full time after that.
My business doesn’t pay for maternity leave and, as an owner, I did not get anything from the company during this time. We do have STD to assist someone during this period, but that is a company choice as a benefit. I felt that if I wasn’t contributing to earning money for the company than I am not “entitled” to a paycheck.
I handle the HR issues for my 7 person company. If paid maternity leave was a government mandate…we would be out of business. We can’t afford to pay people for nothing.
I agree that the early months and every month of a child’s life is important for bonding and educating. However, having a family is a choice and one where sacrifices are made in all areas of your life. Not all of us can afford the luxury of being a stay at home Mom or Dad. The decision for paid maternity leave is best left to the individual companies.
September 8th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I work for a small, family owned business in California. If we offered paid maternity leave on top of the FMLA that’s already established then we would go out of business. My first child is special needs and I took 5 months off of work, UNPAID!! How could I expect my employer to pay me when a temp was needed to do my job. I took 6 weeks off with my second child. I received state disability which was about 60% off my normal gross pay, we budgeted the entire 9 months I was pregnant to make sure we had enough set aside to make up the difference.
Be responsible people, not every employer has the means to offer paid maternity leave. If it is offered to you consider yourself blessed, if not, then plan ahead, yes pregnancies can be unplanned, but you still have 7-9 months to prepare for the birth and set money aside to help out with expenses.
And to those that think that 6 weeks isn’t enough time to bond. Some of us don’t have a choice, I needed to go back to work, that 2nd pregnancy wasn’t planned—-it was a surprise, birth control isn’t 100% effective. I bonded just fine with my second child in that 6 weeks and then HAD to place him in daycare so I could return to work. My kids are now 10 and 14 and I wouldn’t have changed the way anything was done.
STOP relying on the government for everything, grow a pair and take responsibility for yourselves. If you don’t think you can handle unpaid maternity leave then do your best not to get pregnant.
One more thing: I was taught that you should always have at least 3 months worth of your salary in the bank in case you lose your job, are out sick for awhile or HAVE A BABY! This is what my parents taught me and that’s what I always try to do. I know it’s easier said than done, but I always try to put a little bit away after each payday. I can’t rely on a government system that may not exist in the near future.
September 8th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Does anyone know what prompted this paid maternity issue in the first place???
September 10th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Whatever prompted it, Ron, it needs to go away. It’s a stupid idea that will only cripple business even more. I have two children and planned and budgeted for them, never expecting my employer or the government to step in and take over my personal responsibilities. But then, I don’t expect that in other areas of my life either…
September 15th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
I had my son one year before FMLA went into effect. I only took 2 weeks off, not only because I couldn’t afford more, BUT because I would have been fired if I took more time off. To me, the FMLA in itself is wonderful. I do think that many people feel entitled to more time off, if you work in a company that offers it…good for you. If you don’t maybe you should go searching for another job. Heck, I don’t even have sick days or am I salaried (as an HR manager) and yes, I am looking for a better position, but it isn’t easy in today’s economic climate.
September 21st, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Unfortunately not all companies are employee focused and it does not have anything to do with the ability to provide benefits–there is a mind-set that if it is not required–then it is not necessary. I have worked for companies like this in the past–I once worked for an CFO who thought that is was un-excusable that companies had to provide workers’ comp insurance. He used to say, if someone is “stupid” (his words not mine) enough to get hurt–that should be their problem. He also tried to eliminate the two weeks of sick leave, because he thought that would discourage employees from going to the dr, or getting sick.
Pregnancy is considered a disability–like many other medical conditions. An argument could be made that someone who did not monitor his/her cholesterol and has a heart attack–they”choose” to have a heart attack–of course, I am not indicating this is true or I agree with this. But being competitive is not just about saving money, it is also about attracting top talent. To do this a company does need to provide more than just a salary.