The company I work for hasn't created a maternity leave policy.

14 Comments

1. AnonymousApril 26,2023 at 4:34PM UTC

   Check State rules first. Try for 3 months, you will need it!

2. AnonymousApril 26,2023 at 4:58PM UTC

   Have you been there a year? At minimum, if you're employer is required, you may be eligible for 3 months FMLA (unpaid leave). Are you covered by a short term disability program? Have you asked HR what you are entitled to, generally, with regards to either of those items? Take it a step further, offer to assist HR with creation of a maternity leave policy.

3. AnonymousApril 26,2023 at 5:06PM UTC

   Thanks! I'm covered by FMLA but I'll set the precedent for this company and am looking for advice for how to form a policy I can present to them. Looking for guidance on how many paid weeks off to ask for, at what percentage etc

4. AnonymousApril 26,2023 at 5:08PM UTC

   That's all over the place. Many years ago, I created a caregiver/parental leave policy at my then workplace - it evolved over the years, but I was charged with the original which required lots of research/benchmarking. Looking to see what other similarly situated companies were doing as far as length of time, what is paid, what percentage is paid, etc.

5. AnonymousApril 30,2023 at 10:12PM UTC

   3 months minimum. Work from home starting 1 month prior to due date. The baby can come anytime a month before the due date. My first came 2 weeks early, but regardless, the commute is brutal this far along and you are checking in with your obgyn frequently during this time. Then transition to return to office. A proper pumping room needs to be provided upon return - NOT IN A BATHROOM. It needs to be climate controlled (not too cold) with a sink and fridge for milk storage, strong wifi, and enough electrical plugs for the pump, phone, computer. New moms need to leave at a reasonable time to relieve child care. Even more so if a daycare center is being used. They can call CPS if pick up is late! This is serious business.

6. AnonymousApril 26,2023 at 6:17PM UTC

   This could be an HR violation to not have it based on the premise of gender discrimination. 12 weeks is standard, 16 weeks is optimal. An employee could report this to the EEOC if they need to take maternity leave and can't. As per your PTO policy, in start ups -- it's pretty common for the employee to just stay on PTO without filing any paperwork as most start ups have unlimited PTO.

7. AnonymousApril 26,2023 at 6:17PM UTC

   Check your state and local laws and then propose to them that you think it is something necessary. If they are smaller than a certain amount of employees it is not legally required and often companies cannot afford to keep roles protected or open for this reason. FMLA is always an option.

8. Regina BrownApril 26,2023 at 6:18PM UTC

   The standard is 6 weeks. As part of senior management, this should be create ASAP...

9. Regina BrownApril 26,2023 at 6:24PM UTC

   Human Resources has nothing?

10. AnonymousApril 27,2023 at 1:06PM UTC

    Do you have kids? 6 weeks should not be “the standard”

11. L.s. AlabasterApril 26,2023 at 6:25PM UTC

    Don't go for standard, set the benchmark. 1 year. No matter what advise them that this is normal is so many countries around the world.

12. AnonymousApril 26,2023 at 7:32PM UTC

    Since there's no company policy, check out where your state stands on that. Maybe you can lean into that. If that doesn't help you can only request, they aren't obligated to hold that position if that is not the employment law in your state. Also, it would be a leave of absence regardless with short term disability, very typical. Typically that first week out is out of your vacation time first. Yes, can the US catch up to other countries, sure. If they don't have a policy in place and you ask for another country's policy, be prepared.

13. AnonymousApril 27,2023 at 2:19PM UTC

    Have you considered any short term disability (STD) coverage when looking at creating a policy. I work for a small employer (under 15 employees), and we offer 1 week of paid family leave having a child (and anything that would be covered by FMLA if we were larger). After that employees can use sick time, vacation, and unpaid time. Employees can be out for up to 10 weeks, and our STD policy kicks in for days 30-42.

    Also, when we added this, we specifically added bereavement time for miscarriages at the same level as any other immediate family.

    Good luck with your ask.

14. AnonymousApril 29,2023 at 6:00PM UTC

    Many companies don't create specific maternity leave policies and defer to the state and local laws for their policies. Many progressive companies, however, provide for more than the state laws require (defined around the medical need for healing) and provide maternity and paternity leave to allow for parental bonding with the child. These companies also offer the same break for adoptions.