mat leave worries

[mumbum]

Hi ladies not sure where i stand with this one hence the thread...

My employer has been very supportive and understanding to date so i may be worrying needlessly but shes been on holiday for 2wks and in that time i have come to the conclusion i need to finish asap. due to the nature of work- im a community care assistant my boss has put me on light duties wherever possible but its a demanding job regardless- i cant get my own socks on now never mind help somebody else do theirs lol!

Anyway while boss been away ive had a few dramas with bubs...being monitored x2 weekly for iugr as baby measuring very small plus im very anaemic and meds not helping that so i have to have an infusion before giving birth....so im generally knackered and drained and the dreaded spd is back and now quite painful.

so i told my duty manager last week that when my boss is back i need to finish. so shes back tomorrow and im hoping to finish this friday after my usual shift.....she didnt think thered be a problem but im worrying now if im supposed to give more notice? I cant afford to go on the sick but do have holidays to take. i never agreed a fixed date with my boss as we agreed to' see how i go'

Anyone have any experience of a similar situation or any opinions?

Im sure im worrying for nothing really but cant help it im terrified my boss could say tough titty you need to give me more notice!

Eeeek!

 

[Em91]

Afraid i don't have any advice. But didn't want to read and run. I don't see why they wouldn't be ok with that if you're struggling! x

 

[Karate Kid]

Due to the nature of you work hun I would say if yuo are struggling I cannot see why they would object. Plus you have holiday that you can take, so worst case you could use your holiday to bolster your ML....

Hope you get a resolution soon x

 

[calphurnia7]

Notice for ordinary maternity leave

A woman will have to notify her employer in or before the 15th week before her expected week of childbirth, or as soon as is reasonably practicable, of the following:-

• her pregnancy
• her expected week of childbirth (EWC)
• the date on which she intends to start her ordinary maternity leave (OML).

Examples of when it may not be reasonably practicable are if the woman does not realise she is pregnant, if she does not know that it is the 15th week before her EWC, if she is abroad or if she is in hospital. A delay in giving notice may be justified if an employee has not been provided with details of her rights and obligations during pregnancy by her employer, provided she gives notice as soon as reasonably practicable. In a particular case, an employee did not give notice by the 15th week before her expected week of childbirth because her employer had not given her written terms and conditions or told her what her maternity rights were. S/he did, however, give notice as soon as she could once she discovered she was entitled to statutory maternity leave.
There may be situations when a woman does not have to tell her employer when she wants to start her maternity leave (see next paragraph).
A woman does not have to tell her employer the date when she wants her maternity leave to start if her OML starts because she has given birth, which means that her OML starts automatically.
A woman does not have to tell her employer the date she wants her maternity leave to start if she is off work for a pregnancy-related reason in the four weeks before her EWC. However, she will still have to tell her employer of the reason(s) for her absence and the date of her EWC. She must provide this information in writing if the employer asks for it in this form.
Although for maternity leave purposes, a woman does not have to inform her employer until the end of the 15th week before her EWC of the date that she wishes to start her leave, it may be advisable for her to inform the employer earlier to ensure time off for antenatal care and for health and safety and employment protection reasons. This is particularly important if she wants to claim less favourable treatment on grounds of pregnancy as this can only apply if the employer knows of the pregnancy.

Change of OML start date


A woman can change the date on which she wants her OML to start if she gives her employer notice of the new date either 28 days before the date she had originally stated or 28 days before the new date, whichever is the sooner. If it is not reasonably practicable to give 28 days' notice, she must give notice as soon as it is practicable to do so.

Employer's duty to respond to request for OML


Once an employer has received notification from an employee that she wishes to take maternity leave, the employer must, within 28 days of receiving the notification, write to the employee and state the date on which she is expected to return from maternity leave. An employer who does not give this information is effectively debarred from taking action against a woman who does not return from leave on time.

 

[calphurnia7]

Sorry just to add to that, you could always be signed off sick and need be and they may start you on maternity, so if it's four weeks before your due date you may be able to just start then.

-A woman does not have to tell her employer the date she wants her maternity leave to start if she is off work for a pregnancy-related reason in the four weeks before her EWC. However, she will still have to tell her employer of the reason(s) for her absence and the date of her EWC. She must provide this information in writing if the employer asks for it in this form.

 

[FirstBabyEek]

Notice for ordinary maternity leave


A woman will have to notify her employer in or before the 15th week before her expected week of childbirth, or as soon as is reasonably practicable, of the following:-

• her pregnancy
• her expected week of childbirth (EWC)
• the date on which she intends to start her ordinary maternity leave (OML).

Examples of when it may not be reasonably practicable are if the woman does not realise she is pregnant, if she does not know that it is the 15th week before her EWC, if she is abroad or if she is in hospital. A delay in giving notice may be justified if an employee has not been provided with details of her rights and obligations during pregnancy by her employer, provided she gives notice as soon as reasonably practicable. In a particular case, an employee did not give notice by the 15th week before her expected week of childbirth because her employer had not given her written terms and conditions or told her what her maternity rights were. S/he did, however, give notice as soon as she could once she discovered she was entitled to statutory maternity leave.
There may be situations when a woman does not have to tell her employer when she wants to start her maternity leave (see next paragraph).
A woman does not have to tell her employer the date when she wants her maternity leave to start if her OML starts because she has given birth, which means that her OML starts automatically.
A woman does not have to tell her employer the date she wants her maternity leave to start if she is off work for a pregnancy-related reason in the four weeks before her EWC. However, she will still have to tell her employer of the reason(s) for her absence and the date of her EWC. She must provide this information in writing if the employer asks for it in this form.
Although for maternity leave purposes, a woman does not have to inform her employer until the end of the 15th week before her EWC of the date that she wishes to start her leave, it may be advisable for her to inform the employer earlier to ensure time off for antenatal care and for health and safety and employment protection reasons. This is particularly important if she wants to claim less favourable treatment on grounds of pregnancy as this can only apply if the employer knows of the pregnancy.

Change of OML start date


A woman can change the date on which she wants her OML to start if she gives her employer notice of the new date either 28 days before the date she had originally stated or 28 days before the new date, whichever is the sooner. If it is not reasonably practicable to give 28 days' notice, she must give notice as soon as it is practicable to do so.

Employer's duty to respond to request for OML


Once an employer has received notification from an employee that she wishes to take maternity leave, the employer must, within 28 days of receiving the notification, write to the employee and state the date on which she is expected to return from maternity leave. An employer who does not give this information is effectively debarred from taking action against a woman who does not return from leave on time.

Sorry to hijack but this is great!! Can I ask where you got it from?
x

 

[calphurnia7]

It's from a legal database I am a legal advisor , I try not to say it all the time or i'd be swarmed with employment rights questions LOL

 

[FirstBabyEek]

Thanks! The reason I ask is that my boss has been foul during my pregnancy and hasn't responded to my letter notifying him of my pregnancy or return to work date and that was on 11th April!

You're a handy lady xx

 

[calphurnia7]

That's okay I am cool with answering other things as long as u take it as general information Disclaimer alert LOL

 

[FirstBabyEek]

Understood! No reliance implied x

 

[mumbum]

Thanks ladies. my boss is back from holiday today and has phoned to see how im doing
....so i told her and she immediately cancelled all my calls for tomorrow and i am to pop in and have a chat with her instead. i think this may be it
...mat leave may be here! I have mixed emotions on this. i had hoped to make it to 36 weeks but i just cant do it anymore and in a weird way im kinda sad and i also feel like im letting people down

Ill see what she says tomorrow.

xx

 

[calphurnia7]

Don't feel that way, if you aren't well enough why should you suffer. I had that take one for the team and that stressed me and the baby out, it's not worth it.

 

[mumbum]

Hello mat leave!

The meeting went fine with my boss infact i didnt even have to say much she pretty much figured it outby looking at me and made the decision for me which is good because i prob would have um'd and ah'd and attempted to keep going a bit longer. its such a relief and she was really lovely about it all so i need not have worried after all. i suppose it helps that she is a qualified nurse do has a basic understanding in terms of the health issues which makes all the difference in her understanding im sure.

So anyway thanks for your help ladies xxx

 

[babyem]

Thanks ladies. my boss is back from holiday today and has phoned to see how im doing
....so i told her and she immediately cancelled all my calls for tomorrow and i am to pop in and have a chat with her instead. i think this may be it
...mat leave may be here! I have mixed emotions on this. i had hoped to make it to 36 weeks but i just cant do it anymore and in a weird way im kinda sad and i also feel like im letting people down

Ill see what she says tomorrow.

xx

You wouldn't be letting anyone down!! This is what I worried about, but honestly it really doesn't matter what other people think! Your boss sounds lovely and I'm really glad she's been so understanding! Time for you to rest up! I understand how hard it is working in health care, it's killing me at times! I feel like I need a nurse to put my slippers on, nevermind my patients!!! xxx