Question about Maternity leave...

[Kahana-ri]

I am able to take 13 weeks off for maternity leave in our state. Six weeks is covered from the state for TDI. The other seven, I pay with accumulative sick/vacation time. I do know if I want out of work early, I could be written out by my midwife. At that point I would be collecting disability, not maternity pay. I know I am fortunate that our state is willing to pay for six weeks while I am out.

 

[Beth76]

If they're taking off early, they're probably using vacation, personal time and/or work for good companies. Or they're taking unpaid leave. I'm not sure when you're due, so I don't know how early they're taking off. I stopped working 2 weeks before my first was due, but only because we moved into our house at that time. It was further away from work and I needed to unpack, so it just made sense to stop then. Of course, I was quitting, not taking leave. I would have liked to work up until I went into labor because, quite honestly, I was bored at home.

 

[Feralpeg]

Of course, it has been 18 years since I had DD. I worked up until the day I delivered. Afterward, I could take up to 3 months of unpaid leave. I was guaranteed to have a job when I returned, but not necessarily the same position. Since I was an IT manager, it wasn't a problem and I returned to the same department. I ended up only taking 6 weeks off of which I used sick leave and vacation time I had accrued so that I would get paid.

My company had a subsidiary in California (I was in Missouri). A lady at the subsidiary was pregnant at the same time I was pregnant. Her maternity leave was paid by the state in the form of unemployeement. She took 3 months off following the birth of her daughter. The laws differ on this from state to state.

 

[Liberty Belle]

My doctor asked if I was handling work okay and wanted to know if I needed her to write out orders that I was to go to half days or no days. I did go to half days a week out from my due date. My last day was the day before my due date, but I didn't have my son until about two weeks after that.

Where I worked (and I think it was standard fmla policy) we got 6 weeks (unpaid) following a ******l birth and 8 weeks following a c-section.

 

[LisaNJ25]

I have always been paid for 4 weeks before and 8 weeks after..... 3 out of my 4 kids were c-sections. For that I got the 8 weeks. For ******l its 6 weeks.

 

[zalansky]

I worked for a large company as well. So I got the 12 weeks off under FMLA and was paid for 8 of those weeks under STD....because I had c-sections. The other four weeks was unpaid, but we saved money for that so money was not an issue for those few weeks. My buddies at work who delivered naturally only got paid for 6 weeks under STD. They didn't like that one bit. ANd there were others who flat out wanted to get out of work early so their doctors wrote them notes out of work but that time was reduced off their 12 week total, meaning they went back to work earlier than had they waited until their due date. Op = Good luck with your new arrival!

 

[DMickey28]

oops... double post!!

 

[DMickey28]

Thanks for the replys. I have another question.... What happens if that you get through the beginning of the maternity leave and you decide not to go back to work? What if you are getting paid the STD for the first 6 weeks? Do you have to pay that back? Do you have to go back to work for a set amount of time and then quit???

 

[zalansky]

For your last question, I did exactly what you are asking about. I think it depends on your company policy. I know I have heard of people who quit the day they went back and "had to pay back benefits" but I don't think I believe that, not in a large company anyway. Personally I went back and gave two weeks notice because I felt it was the right thing to do...and also I felt that covered me in the event they felt I would have to pay anything back. Also I got paid for the two weeks which was some extra money in our pockets when I was nervous about leaving my job and paycheck! I also know of several people who came back the day their maternity leaves ended and packed up their desks that day...and no money was taken back from them.
Good luck again!

 

[dcgrumpy]

It really depends on your company and doctor. I wasn't "written out" with any of my pregnancies. I saved as much vacation time as possible so I could go out a few weeks befor emy due dates. I had 3 c-sections and was paid 6 weeks STD for each one. My former company now pays 6 weeks for both ******l and c-section deliveries. I was able to take up to year off unpaid. I took a full year with each child.

Less than a month before I was due back after my last pregnancy I was offered a buyout and took it. I didn't have to pay anything back, as a matter of fact I was paid for the vacaction time I had earned while on maternity leave. I know plenty of people that quit during their maternity leave and none had to pay anything back. They were disabled and on payroll at the time, there's no way the company could take that money back.

 

[hornedfrog]

As far as your last question, I would check with your benefits administrator. But speaking for my company only, I would return to work for at least one day, get put in 'active' status and then give my notice. This would end my leave and 'close out' the case and there would be no repercussions for me quitting. I would really recommend that you do put in notice if this is a job that you'll ever want to use as a reference. I believe that if I quit while being 'inactive' (as in on any sort of leave/FMLA) I wouldn't have to pay back the STD benefits (as I was an employee when I earned and received them), however, it would be worth it to me to go back to work for a very short period of time to save my reference.

 

[summerrluvv]

As far as your last question, I would check with your benefits administrator. But speaking for my company only, I would return to work for at least one day, get put in 'active' status and then give my notice. This would end my leave and 'close out' the case and there would be no repercussions for me quitting. I would really recommend that you do put in notice if this is a job that you'll ever want to use as a reference. I believe that if I quit while being 'inactive' (as in on any sort of leave/FMLA) I wouldn't have to pay back the STD benefits (as I was an employee when I earned and received them), however, it would be worth it to me to go back to work for a very short period of time to save my reference.

The majority of companies don't give references these days. Only dates employed and they verify title. Reason being, if they give a bad reference, they can be sued by the former employee.

 

[tar heel]

Muffycat is wrong, unfortunately. There is no national requirement that six weeks of maternity leave be paid. The Family Leave Act requires only that leave be given, not that it be paid.

Most NC companies, including the state, do not have paid maternity leave. You get to use your sick leave and vacation pay.

 

[MareQ]

My company leave is 4 weeks before your due date and 6 weeks after your due date (8 weeks after for a c-section) We are allowed a total of 10/12 weeks and can take it however we like but we may NOT go out any sooner than 4 weeks before our due date unless we are doing so due to Doctor's orders.

We can also use any vacation time as well to tag onto the end of the maternity leave if we like.

ETA - This is maternity leave at FULL pay... If a Doctor takes you out earlier or you choose to stay out longer - that is without pay or on disability.

 

[Tinkerbelle'sMOM]

You have to check with your HR. Where I work, we don't have STD that qualifies pregnancy for time off. We get 12 weeks FMLA per rolling year and that times starts as soon as you go out. Whether it is paid or not is dependent on how much sick and vacation time you have. Some girls will come back when they run out of sick time and use the remainder of their FMLA hours to cut back on their hours. In the US, the place of employment is not required to pay you if you do not have sick or vacation time to use, they will only give you the time off. Also, if you take 12 weeks without pay, your benefits may lapse...you may have to pay for those out of pocket, but again, check with your HR department about how they work FMLA. There are lots of loopholes that they can get thru.

Where I work, if you and your spouse both work at the hospital, you only get a total of 12 weeks of FMLA between the two of you. I found this out when I was going to take my 12 weeks and then DH was going to take 12 weeks when I went back to work...nope, can't do that. I'm not sure if this is universal or not, but it surely ticked me off!

Good luck with your pregnancy and baby!

 

[summerrluvv]

Where I work, if you and your spouse both work at the hospital, you only get a total of 12 weeks of FMLA between the two of you. I found this out when I was going to take my 12 weeks and then DH was going to take 12 weeks when I went back to work...nope, can't do that. I'm not sure if this is universal or not, but it surely ticked me off!

Good luck with your pregnancy and baby!

That's a universal policy, unfortunately.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Where I work, if you and your spouse both work at the hospital, you only get a total of 12 weeks of FMLA between the two of you. I found this out when I was going to take my 12 weeks and then DH was going to take 12 weeks when I went back to work...nope, can't do that. I'm not sure if this is universal or not, but it surely ticked me off!

Good luck with your pregnancy and baby!

That happened to us, too. I don't think it's fair at all.

 

[golfgal]

When DS14 was born the company I worked for had 4 weeks off for normal birth (can't type the other word here) and 6 weeks off for c-section. You could add to that with vacation time if you wanted. You only got paid for any time IF you had the STD coverage the company offered, a lot of people did not and found out too late. This was before FLMA so no 12 weeks off unpaid at the time.

I did not go back to work after DS was born and they paid out my LTD up to 6 weeks. I officially 'quit' after my leave though. I do know a couple people that did have to go back to work for a short time, couple weeks or so, so they would finish their required time to vest in the profit sharing plan the company had but that was it. Most people I know that did not go back to work after having a baby did not have to return to work at all.

 

[DMickey28]

As far as your last question, I would check with your benefits administrator. But speaking for my company only, I would return to work for at least one day, get put in 'active' status and then give my notice. This would end my leave and 'close out' the case and there would be no repercussions for me quitting. I would really recommend that you do put in notice if this is a job that you'll ever want to use as a reference. I believe that if I quit while being 'inactive' (as in on any sort of leave/FMLA) I wouldn't have to pay back the STD benefits (as I was an employee when I earned and received them), however, it would be worth it to me to go back to work for a very short period of time to save my reference.

This is what I think. I LOVE the company I work for. I worked there before we moved and I was able to transfer with the company but to a different position (and obviously different office.) I HATE this office and this position. DH and I are planning on me staying home after the baby is born, however we are not going to make the "official" decision until after he is born. I don't want to write myself out of the company because if we move and I go back to work I may want to work there someday again. My MIL would come visit us and watch the baby for the two weeks that I go back to give my notice. I am also the type of person that believes in doing what is "RIGHT" almost to an extreme, but especially lately I am learning that I tend to do that at the expense of myself and that's not right either.

Thanks for the advice... It's so confusing trying to figure this out. I am hoping to take a week or two off before his due date, but I do not have enough vacation time to be able to do so with that. I'll have to figure that out.

 

[jodifla]

This is what I think. I LOVE the company I work for. I worked there before we moved and I was able to transfer with the company but to a different position (and obviously different office.) I HATE this office and this position. DH and I are planning on me staying home after the baby is born, however we are not going to make the "official" decision until after he is born. I don't want to write myself out of the company because if we move and I go back to work I may want to work there someday again. My MIL would come visit us and watch the baby for the two weeks that I go back to give my notice. I am also the type of person that believes in doing what is "RIGHT" almost to an extreme, but especially lately I am learning that I tend to do that at the expense of myself and that's not right either.

Thanks for the advice... It's so confusing trying to figure this out. I am hoping to take a week or two off before his due date, but I do not have enough vacation time to be able to do so with that. I'll have to figure that out.

What makes you think they'll take you back if you quit right after you have a baby?

At my company, a person who did take a bunch of time off did have to pay back the company when she left after having a baby.

Personally, if someone quit on me after promising they'd return after maternity leave, I'd never hire them back.