moms: maternity leave question

Meegs10.13.06

Did you do an "official" maternity leave talk with your boss/HR? I know I get 12 weeks from our employee handbook. What else would I have to cover? I plan on telling him that unless something comes up (or I go early), I'll work up to my due date, and then I will take the full 12 weeks. Did you give exact dates? Or is that specific enough?I work in a very small office (about 12 of us full-time) and only one person has gone on maternity leave here as far as I can tell! So we're all kind of feeling this one out as it happens. I would ask my coworker about her experiences, but it was 5 years ago, so I really don't think she would remember what they talked about.

Novemberrocks

I have not yet had a formal maternity leave discussion.  In order to do that, I need to contact HR.  I believe the rule in my office is that you have to notify HR 30 days before your EDD.  I'm planning to contact them next week, which will be 2 months prior to EDD.Do you have an HR rep in the office who can help you sort this stuff out?

Barakins

I think most employers would be preferred to be given advanced notice of your intentions of taking the maternity leave. They may be kind of nervous, though, about you working up to your due date, because sometimes pregnancies don't always go as planned. That being said, though, I worked right up until I had my daughter. I was on partial bedrest, so could only work half days, but I worked the Friday before, and went into labor on Saturday. Monday I called my boss and said that I wouldn't be coming in, and we had already made arrangements in case that happened, so he was ok with it.

Meegs10.13.06

Nope, no official HR person. There's my boss, who is the VP, and an Office Manager... those are normally the two I would contact about vacation, etc., so those will be the two I figured I'd have to talk to about this.

BermudaBride07

I'm HR for my company so I think I will have an easy conversation with myself about it. lol  I will be the first one to go out on leave so I'll be the guinea pig. We are a small company so I'm worried about who will take over my duties while I'm gone. I see that being the only real problem. That, and the big project that is schedule right around the time I hope to be out.  Meeg, do you have benefits through your job? I think that would be the biggest thing to ask about to make sure you are still fully covered. 

erica_lauren

Ugh Katie I have to take my leave as STD too.  I understand why (cost) but it's the pits working for a company like that.  Damn the man...I only get a percentage of my pay during the STD too and that just sux balls because I pay the mortgage, bills etc.