I'm about to go on maternity leave. My employer offers 4 months of leave (medical+parental), but the state I live in provides more than 4 months of statutory leave (medical+bonding). My employer told me I will not receive credit/prorated consideration for any time taken beyond their 4-month policy. if I take my full state-entitled leave, it could count against me for annual hour targets, salary increases, and bonuses. Any recommendations? Not sure how to navigate this.

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

I would take all the leave to which you are entitled and start looking for a new job. Your employer is giving you clear insights into how they’re going to treat you as a working mom, and it’s not pretty.

likesmart

This is the only answer

Take every second of leave you can. There is no replacement for that time with baby. If that messes with comp for a year, whatever. If it impacts promotion, your firm is anti-family and you should find a new one. But milk the “return period” after you take maximum leave to interview and take it as easy as possible without being too obvious you are out as soon as you land someplace sane.

And congratulations on your baby! That’s awesome 😊

likesmart

How big is your firm and which state? It sounds discriminatory to me. If this is protected leave, I don't think they can treat you adversely. Maybe consult with an employment lawyer.

likesmart

You can still consult with an employment lawyer to figure out what’s “supposed” to happen, no? They might be able to tell you whether you’re supposed to get an hourly adjustment for that year or other information.

like

Agree with A1. I’m on leave now and I extended my leave by 10 weeks (albeit without pay) which was offered by my firm. I was in no way ready to return at the 14-week mark. I’m still figuring out to manage PPD and sleep deprivation with a new baby, let alone return to working full time. I’d take all of the time you possibly can and move to a firm that will value you as a parent because it’s tough out here. I’m yet to see how it will be at my firm but they at least were cool with me taking 24 weeks. Best of luck to you!!

like

This sounds illegal? I imagine there’s something in the state code about adverse action against those who take their state-entitled leave.

Look for another job.
Think about suing.

like

Probably not going to be a popular answer but your firm is not saying you cannot take all the leave. They are saying if you miss more time than their policy provides you may not advance with your class. That seems reasonable to me. It’s otherwise unfair to everyone else in your class.

like

I agree. It sounds like there may be a difference between (I'm assuming paid) leave covered by the firm and the statutory (I'm assuming unpaid) leave during which your firm cannot fire you. At least your firm is being honest about expectations for advancement and you now understand how they may view you if you take additional time, subject to partners in your group advocating for you.

Some firms still *expect* parents to come back/be available after 2 months or fewer (especially for dads) or only offer unpaid leave. If you don't like it, you can try to argue for structural change with the powers that be, or find a different firm.

I have seen this play out at a pretty good company and the new mom took the max time off and when she returned there was complaints about her work and eventually she was laid off for performance. Not sure if that would have happened if she didn’t take the maximum time. There are ways to legally get rid of employees that would be difficult to prove.

like

Related Posts

Hi will HR reject my offer if I ask for my CTC revision after accepting the offer without having any counter offer

like

Based on the Gross salary offered I have calculated the in hand salary per month would be around 152000 considering 150000 in 80C, 50000 in NPS and 200000 deductions due to home loan interest. Total tax liability is around 400000. Any other options do I have to save tax further (other than HRA, LTA)? Thanks in advance.

Post Photo
like
like

Hello all,
I'm currently working with Sun Pharmaceuticals as Manager Global Pharmacovigilance and I'm looking for a job in Pharma consulting. Can anyone please refer me?

like

Any advice on dealing with an eating disorder in the workplace? Mine is taking over and my work is crumbling. I often can’t focus or remember anything from meetings or conversations because I havent..

Any new joiners in fidelity. How do you feel about your everyday work now.

like

How much we can expect for 9 years experienced PL/SQL position from Fidelity?

Hi folks, I have joining on 14th April. Can anyone please tell me what are general onboarding processes are? Which docs should I keep ready with me for first day?

Is not being an acting senior your third year a problem? I feel like I’m one of only a couple.

like

What's the confirmation procedure in TCS? In the offer letter it was mentioned that initial 3 months would be probation and after that confirmation. Could you guys please let me know if any action or follow ups required from our end or HR will do the needful ? Please let me know

like

As a new product manager what books should I be reading? I’ve already read Inspired but looking or more. For context, I’ve joined a series A start up and as expected there’s a lot to do and it’s very fluid. I want to be able to help the head of product as much as possible as well as provide some structure to how we work.

like

Hello!

I finished my final round(s) for a TAM position at 
Google (GCP) last week and was told by my recruiter that my feedback was great and that I made a solid impression on the team and am "firmly in the running". I was supposed to hear back this week (according to the recruiter) but he just told me that it's still in the process and that I'll have to wait for another week or so.

Is this common at Google ? I have heard they are notorious for being really slow with their hiring process.

like

What do other meteorologists in the private sector get paid? And what kind of work, generally, do you do?

Living in a HCOL area, with 10 yrs Meteorology experience and another 10 years scientific experience.

like

Cab someone tell me what is a good salary for a business analyst based in Germany?

Reporting to company management?

like

How much does an associate scientist make at Pfizer-Groton? (I have 1 year experience out of college but have published 2 papers first author, ample experience during university, internships and have an bachelors in biochemistry with honors).

like

What is the market like for entry level data scientists/ data analyst. I have a graduate certificate in data science and have spent the last 27 years as a mainframe dev so I have great SQL skills.

like

How many airline miles (award not qualifying) do you guys have - # and years in consulting

How many hours do MBBs work a day on avg? And what does the day look like - any breaks?

like

For remote folks: am I more likely to find a remote role that allows me to move around multiple times during my tenure at a big FAANG-like company, or a startup? what are things I should look out for in my search?

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal