Companies paying maternity leave.

Shelli

Having really struggled during my maternity leave over the past six months, and having decided that it's time to look to the future and start being more career minded, I am going to start looking for a new job soon.

This time I'm reallly looking for something for the long haul, well at least for a few years. Also I want to have more kids in the future (3-4 yr mark is the current plan).

When applying for a job I nearly always reseach the company, but while most of them list the majority of benefits, paid maternity never seems to be one of them. I guess understandably they dont want people coming to them just becuase they are in the early stages of pregnancy and want paid leave.


Is there any way of finding out if a company pays maternity leave or not without asking in an interview? I can't imagine thats it's a question a prospective employer would look favourably upon.:D

dame

To be honest I think you'd be better off finding out about things like flexi-time, the option to job-share or go part-time for a year or two in the future and finding a job as close to home as possible with hours to suit you and a young family. You won't starve whether or not they pay you during maternity leave but that ability to plan your own hours of work and to be near enough that you can get home quickly is invaluable. Also, wouldn't you rather not have to commute? Young kids go to bed so early that a commute is just wasting time that you could be spending doing something with them for an extra hour or more a day.

silja

The only ways I can think of is to:
- Use the internet: google them, ask people on a blogging site such as facebook who work there etc.
- If you are going via a job agency, ask them (in the early stages, so it's not obvious that YOU asked, and it could be any of the candidates they send forward).
- It should be in your contract/ staf handbook, which you should get before you start there, but I know in reality you often only get once you've been with the company a week or two.

embee

I was agency staff in the place I worked when I was pregnant. People who had direct company contracts got their maternity leave pay topped up by the company, people who were on agency contracts didn't. Such a load of crap.

As it is discretionary as to whether or not a company supplements your Maternity Leave, it would be my guess that most of them won't, but I could be wrong on that. If I were seeking employment now again, I would be looking more at what dame said - flexi-time, family friendly, job-sharing, length of commute etc... whether or not I got my Maternity Leave supplemented for 26 weeks wouldn't be top of my priorities, but that is just my own preference. I don't have a mortgage of course, which is a massive consideration to most couples embarking on expanding their families.

Shelli

I totally agree, obviously the paid maternity wouldn't be the deal breaker but if I had a choice of 2 jobs and one paid it and one didn't.....well you get what I'm saying.

embee

Shelli wrote: »

I totally agree, obviously the paid maternity wouldn't be the deal breaker but if I had a choice of 2 jobs and one paid it and one didn't.....well you get what I'm saying.

I see where you're coming from, Shelli - if I were in that position I'd most certainly choose a position where I'd get my maternity leave supplemented

seamus

Shelli wrote: »

Is there any way of finding out if a company pays maternity leave or not without asking in an interview? I can't imagine thats it's a question a prospective employer would look favourably upon.:D

I don't think it would be a big problem tbh to ask the question. As a woman, they have to expect that you probably plan to have children or want some form of insurance in case of accidents.

As far as I can see, the larger the company the more likely you are to have your maternity leave supplemented in some way. Big companies with unionised or professional staff in particular will be big on this.

I know where I work, women get the standard 26 paid + the optional 16 unpaid. The 26 are paid at 70% of the salary, less the standard maternity benefit. Once they return, if they remain with the company for a month, they'll get a bulk payment of the 30% balance of their salary for the 26 weeks. Which is pretty nice if you're on a decent salary.

killwill

Surely it must be a given that if you are in a permanent position that you would get your benefits?

embee

killwill wrote: »

Surely it must be a given that if you are in a permanent position that you would get your benefits?

No killwill. The decision to top up Maternity Benefit pay is entirely at the employers discretion, regardless of the nature of the employees contract.

Hotblack Desiato

Can I just say that I'm so looking forward to my three days of paid paternity leave

Shelli wrote: »

Is there any way of finding out if a company pays maternity leave or not without asking in an interview? I can't imagine thats it's a question a prospective employer would look favourably upon.:D

It's hard to see them looking favourably on it, tbh, but afaik it would be illegal to discriminate against you based on asking it. So I suppose they are supposed to answer the question and then try really really hard to forget that you even asked it

High&Low

embee wrote: »

No killwill. The decision to top up Maternity Benefit pay is entirely at the employers discretion, regardless of the nature of the employees contract.

But if you are employed through an agency then you are not an employee of the company and you should be looking at the agency to top up your maternity benefit.

seamus

High&Low wrote: »

But if you are employed through an agency then you are not an employee of the company and you should be looking at the agency to top up your maternity benefit.

Since agencies generally view their clients as casual workers (i.e. only work when work is available), paying maternity leave doesn't really make sense in their context.
Temps generally get a better rate than their contracted counterparts but sacrifice the luxuries of guaranteed regular work and things like paid sick and maternity leave.
The agency only makes money when the temp is working, so they're not going to pay a temp who's not bringing in any money (i.e. one on maternity leave).

High&Low

seamus wrote: »

Since agencies generally view their clients as casual workers (i.e. only work when work is available), paying maternity leave doesn't really make sense in their context.
Temps generally get a better rate than their contracted counterparts but sacrifice the luxuries of guaranteed regular work and things like paid sick and maternity leave.
The agency only makes money when the temp is working, so they're not going to pay a temp who's not bringing in any money (i.e. one on maternity leave).

I know this, my point was in relation to embee expecting employers to top up the maternity benefit of someone on contract work or employed through an agency.

Ayla

killwill wrote: »

Surely it must be a given that if you are in a permanent position that you would get your benefits?

Killwill - in case there's any confusion here, let's clarify - if you're in permanent full or part time employment, you are entitled to maternity benefit from the government. This comes from the PRSI you've paid, and thus is based on 80% of your salary (of the tax year before the last).

However, some employers choose to top-up the maternity benefit so their employees get more. Or the employer can pay the employee their full wage and receive a reimbursement from the employee. This top-up process is what the OP is questioning.

killwill

Ayla wrote: »

Killwill - in case there's any confusion here, let's clarify - if you're in permanent full or part time employment, you are entitled to maternity benefit from the government. This comes from the PRSI you've paid, and thus is based on 80% of your salary (of the tax year before the last).

However, some employers choose to top-up the maternity benefit so their employees get more. Or the employer can pay the employee their full wage and receive a reimbursement from the employee. This top-up process is what the OP is questioning.

Ah I totally misunderstood. Sorry!

Shelli

seamus wrote: »

I know where I work, women get the standard 26 paid + the optional 16 unpaid. The 26 are paid at 70% of the salary, less the standard maternity benefit. Once they return, if they remain with the company for a month, they'll get a bulk payment of the 30% balance of their salary for the 26 weeks. Which is pretty nice if you're on a decent salary.

Can you get me a job?

embee

High&Low wrote: »

I know this, my point was in relation to embee expecting employers to top up the maternity benefit of someone on contract work or employed through an agency.

I worked for a company who these days recruit solely through an agency. I was there for 2.5 years, it isn't like I was on a 6 month contract. In an ideal world, I'd be paid the same entitlements as the woman next to me who was pregnant at the same time as me, but had a company contract. I wasn't though, and it grates. I was doing the exact same job as her.

Naturally of course, we don't live in an ideal world.

barbiegirl

Hi Ayla,
Actually the benefit is 80% of your wages to a maximum of €265.60 per week. I don't know about anyone else but for me that will represent 6 months living on a lot less than I earn.
I am with a large company, actually a massive company, and we don't get topped up maternity leave. Want to stay with company, want to start a family next year, I'll be 33 then, I'm a good worker, hit my targets etc. etc. but it is becoming rarer and rarer to have this benefit as standard.

kelle

The HSE pays full maternity pay. I can't be sure if it exactly matches your weekly wage, but it's near enough.
This might be of some help to you.

Shelli

max is now €280 per week, since last year i think.