Long before I ever got myself knocked up, I was curious as to my company’s maternity leave policies. I read over their Policy & Procedures manual and all it did was confuse me more. Without causing too much suspicion I even ask the one other mom that worked in my office how it all worked. She wasn’t much help when she told me they made some special arrangements for her based on her position with the company. I knew I would be getting no special arrangements.
My best friend, May, had her first daughter about a year before I got knocked up with my son. May worked for a small company on Seattle’s Eastside and had been there for years. The Washington state FMLA states that you are legally allowed 12 weeks of (unpaid) maternity leave if you work for a company with more then 50 employees. Because of this May went back to work days after having her baby. While her employer was nice enough to allow her to work from home, she was still working, while learning how to breastfeed her baby and recover from an emergency C-section that could have taken her life.
She was stressed. Extra stressed.
While I watched May struggle with juggling her career and motherhood I became more nervous about my own impending juggle. My place of business has well over 50 employees, but still, I knew adjusting to working and learning how to be a mom wasn’t going to be easy. And yet, I made the plunge.
During the 40 weeks I was pregnant, I contacted the corporate Human Resources contact for my company. I reviewed, with her, what my disability payments would be and for how long I would be eligible. I asked question about whether or not I would continue to get sick/vacation time while on maternity leave. I discussed, with my project managers, what my job tasks would be upon my returning to work. I located a good closet to pump my breast milk from.
And I got it this all in writing.
When time came for my baby to be born, he was born via emergency C-section. Which meant, I thought, that I got an extra few weeks off (paid). I promptly contacted my HR representative to inform her of my condition and verify that I would be getting two more weeks of (paid) disability. Yeah, apparently the wording is written so that it confuses you. Or rather, it confused me.
Basically I didn’t get the 9 weeks paid. I got like 7 weeks. Which isn’t 9 weeks…something to do with the first week being unpaid and having to use your vacation time up. Or something. Really, I never was sure what it all meant.
My friend, Vesper, is due to have her first sweet and precious baby this week. Like most pregnant women who don’t plan on going back to work after the birth, Vesper never told her employer she wasn’t coming back. We have to protect ourselves, and this is how we do it. But now, after reviewing their money situation for like the millionth time, Vesper is thinking she’ll have to go back to work. It’s a good thing she never told her boss “take this job and shove it!”, but still, this isn’t what she had planned for.
Like May, Vesper works for a very small company. She really has no legal rights to getting her job back once her baby is born. She’s hoping that her company will respect her and and hold her job for her. But legally, they don’t have to. It’s a scary thing to think about. Of course they will have to find someone to replace her while she’s on leave, but what happens if they like the temp more then Vesper? What is the temp is wiling to work for less money? Or work more hours? Again, it’s scary.
Things worked out for May. She was able to work from home, or take her daughter with her to the office and continue to bring home the bacon. I returned to work after my paid leave ran out and became a pro at pumping my breast milk in a closet on my lunch break. And Vesper will be just fine. Things have a way of working out. The crappy part is waiting for it all to work out.
And in the mean time, it’s good to know what the laws are (and to get it all in writing. Preferably in your native tongue.)
Isabel is a pseudonym for this Seattle-based blogger. She’s been working since the day she realized soda and lip gloss weren’t free. Isabel became a mom in 2006 and continues to work full time, outside the home, since diapers and mortgages aren’t free either. You can read far too much about her personal life at hola,isabel.
If you have questions, anecdotes, or topics for “Double duty. One paycheck.”, email Isabel at holaisabel [at] gmail.com.
10 responses so far ↓
1 Carly // Mar 19, 2008 at 9:27 am
I wonder about this when I get pregnant. My employee handbook says I get 6 weeks off for vaginal birth and 8 week for c-section… all at 50% pay. Which I know is better than nothing… but man only 6-8 weeks? Not enough time. Must make husband earn more money so I can stay at home.
2 In which my child solicits help from the interweb | hola, isabel // Mar 19, 2008 at 10:22 am
[...] since it’s Wednesday, you might want to check out my latest post over at SeattleMomBlogs, in which I talk about my friends behind their backs and maternity [...]
3 AmyBow // Mar 19, 2008 at 10:57 am
Coincidentally I wrote about this same topic in my blog today! Unfortunately all pregnant women have to waste time and energy worrying about this sort of thing - sad isn’t it? Many other countries (even less developed nations) recognize the importance of maternity and paternity leave and the U.S. is still in the dark ages…sigh…
4 janet // Mar 19, 2008 at 11:15 am
And even if you’re not a new mom, or a mom at all (like me!) you can try to change this by telling your elected officials that paid family leave is IMPORTANT. That you DEMAND it. And then voting for candidates who are actually out there supporting it actively (cough cough not very many “family values” republicans cough cough).- partisan rant is now over-
5 Erika // Mar 19, 2008 at 11:54 am
I would like to rant a little more, again, on how I get no paid maternity leave, I can only use my personal and sick leave that I have earned. So that gives me a hot 2 weeks, and the rest is unpaid anyway - so I don’t earn leave, I don’t get paid, AND I don’t earn time in service for promotion potential. THANKS A LOT FMLA! I think we are supposed to be grateful. It’s hard.
6 Christar // Mar 19, 2008 at 1:23 pm
I’m so glad I won’t have to worry about having kids while working at my temporary crummy job. Nope, I will be graduated and working my REAL career by the time I get knocked up. My current job sucks, and they suck with maternity leave, or ANY leave for that matter.
7 Jezer // Mar 19, 2008 at 5:23 pm
I remember that whole maternity leave/FMLA giving me a big ol’ knot in the tummy for several weeks. But I was fortunate. Having worked for the same school district for over 12 years, I had 60-some-odd days saved up, so my whole 10-week maternity leave was paid. Plus I had disability. So, we came out at least even. What sucks is that that is the exception to the rule.
8 May // Mar 19, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Every time I think about this, it makes me mad! Hello! EVERYONE is born. It’s common enough. Can’t we figure out a better system? Support the poor people who’ve just shoved a baby out their netherlands, or had them surgically removed? (Either way, it sucks, and a little support would be fabulous…) But don’t get me started…
9 Carrie // Mar 19, 2008 at 6:57 pm
I got so incredibly tired of hearing from my/my husband’s Canadian friends “why arent you on maternity leave”… “what do you mean you dont get a year of paid maternity leave?”. And not only do we not get paid leave, everything is SO confusing. I was also confused by the 9 versus 7 weeks for a C-section. And we had to send the forms back to our doctor 3 times before they were filled out properly. Who has time for that when you’re dealing with a new baby and on heavy narcotics to recover from a c-section?
10 Erica // Mar 23, 2008 at 10:34 pm
HA!! good luck getting anything in writing - *still fuming* I went in to talk to my HR after I had heard my baby’s heartbeat and it took till I was days away from my due date to resolve the translation barrier(s). I knew I wouldn’t be earning leave nor would I get any type of pay except for the sick/vacation leave that I had accumulated. The part that was up for grabs was whether or not they would continue to pay for my benefits. I don’t know about you, but it’s pretty important to me to know if I have to pay the 6k+ for the deliver of my baby or not. As it turns out I was still covered, but I would have liked to not have to argue about it. *stepping away from her soapbox* - *still fuming*
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