2torial #0427:
Learn2 Prepare for Maternity Leave

Yes, I want a vacation without sleep

Congratulations--you're having a baby! And if you're a working mom-to-be, your maternity leave will play an important part in your plans. Preparing yourself and your company for your upcoming leave may be as easy as following the steps in your employee handbook, or it may be as pioneering as walking on the moon. Either way, we'll help you identify your maternity leave rights, plus give you tips on how to prepare for the leave and (more important) how to tell your boss.

Maternity leave preserves your right to have your job back after taking time off work to have or adopt a baby, and to care for a newborn. Numerous countries around the world have special laws for workers who become pregnant, and in Western Europe, maternity leave is treated as a special welfare benefit funded by taxes. In most other countries, though, whether or not your maternity leave comes with pay will probably depend on your company.

Once you know you're pregnant, you should begin researching your rights and opportunities immediately, but don't break the good news at work quite yet. Tell your colleagues only after you're familiar with your rights, your company's policies (if any), and what you'll be asking for. Do this research before your pregnancy shows--hopefully you'll have a couple of months before your blessed condition is obvious.

Research your rights

In terms of U.S. labor law, things like pregnancy, childbirth, adoption, and caring for newborns are categorized as disabilities. This means that much of the protection you receive--from getting your job back, to receiving compensation, to maintaining health benefits--is due to labor laws protecting workers who must take time off due to medical disabilities. Here's what to expect:

National policy. In the U.S., two federal laws protect pregnant workers:

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act requires companies employing 15 or more people to give pregnant employees the same health, disability, and sick-leave benefits given to any employee who has a medical condition. Note: If your company doesn't already offer these things to all its employees, it need not offer them to you.

Further, it prohibits discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related disabilities, and makes it illegal for your employer to fire you due to pregnancy or to force you to take mandatory maternity leave.

Under the act, you can work as long as you can perform your job, and you must be granted alternate assignments or modified tasks if you're unable to continue with your usual routine. This law guarantees your job security while you're on leave.

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) applies to companies with 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius of your office's location. It allows either parent up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave in any 12-month period for the birth or adoption of a baby--if this parent has worked at her or his current position for a full year. This leave may be taken intermittently or all at the same time. Under this law, when you return you must be given a position equivalent to the one you left.

State laws. In the U.S., state laws may offer varying amendments to federal laws. About half of the states have passed legislation dealing with parental leave, and some even provide disability insurance for those who take a break from work due to pregnancy or birth. To find out more, contact your state labor office. Look in the phone book under state government agencies, or type your state name and the words "labor office" into a search engine on a computer.

Note: In some states, an employer is allowed to deny job restoration to employees making salaries in the top 10 percent compensation bracket in the company. If you make such a salary, check with state laws to see if this is true for your case.

Research maternity leave policies

If your company offers disability insurance to its employees, or your state has applicable disability coverage, it also benefits you as an expectant mother. So there are several sources of coverage you'll want to look into. You can research some of this information on the Internet by typing "maternity leave" into your search engine, or you can contact your national or state labor office.

But first, turn to your employee handbook and see what your company's maternity leave policy is. In the U.S., family-friendly companies offer from 3 to 12 weeks paid maternity leave, often depending on how much time you've spent with the company. Other companies offer unpaid maternity leave, but as mentioned earlier, some offer the option of disability pay while you're out.

Of course, you may find that your company has no maternity leave policy at all, or that it's unrealistic. In this case, you may want to do further research and be the pioneer who helps your company establish a family-friendly policy. To do this, research what similar companies offer. Also talk to friends and associates who've taken maternity leave to see what they received and find out about their experiences. Don't hesitate to ask for advice.

Decide what you want

Once you know how much maternity leave you qualify for, you need to decide when to take it (and maybe even how much of it you can afford to take). If you have a number of job responsibilities, you may also need to consider how they'll be covered in your absence in order to allay any fears your boss may voice when you announce your pregnancy. Consider these points:

Your due date. Most mothers-to-be schedule the week before their due date as the beginning of maternity leave.

Flexibility. In case of an emergency, or if your doctor orders bed rest before the baby is born, you'll want your plans to accommodate these unexpected changes. If someone is taking over your tasks, make sure he or she can be ready to do so at least one month early if needed.

Your partner's available time. Consider any time you may want to spend with your partner before the baby arrives, and when your partner can schedule that time. Also consider how much he or she may be available to care for your child when you have to return to work.

Time you want to take. Some pregnant mothers recommend taking all the time you have available. They point out that once you have your child, you're going to be busier and more involved with her or him than you could possibly expect. Don't give up your special time too easily!

Work flow. Maybe you're involved in a significant project at work, and you need to sign off on it before you embark on maternity leave. Maybe you need to avoid signing on to any new, long-term projects, plus make sure someone else is available to fill your shoes for certain tasks. All of this should be figured out (tentatively, at least) before you announce to your boss that you're pregnant. This way, you can instantly allay any fears she or he has about the company getting along without you for an extended period of time.

Your return. If you want, try to build flexibility into your work schedule upon your return by arranging for telecommuting, job sharing, or shortened weeks. It's best to propose and secure these considerations before leaving.

Tell your boss

Once you have all your ducks in a row, it's time to tell your boss. Remember that no matter how wonderful your news is on a personal level, your boss is going to have to look at it from a business standpoint and deal with the consequences of having you on extended leave.

This is where your preparation comes in. Remember to make positive statements only and to maintain a positive attitude from the start of this conversation. You may need to convince your boss that, while the company does need you, there will be smooth sailing while you're away. Here are some ways to sweeten your request for maternity leave:

Family-friendly. Remind your boss that a generous and fair consideration of your maternity leave will demonstrate that the company is family-friendly. This usually creates greater loyalty among employees, even those who don't need maternity leave, because they see their company has its employees' best interests at heart.

Opportunities for other employees. Point out that in your absence, the employees who take over some of your tasks will be able to expand their range of experience and become more valuable, flexible workers. They may also need to create strong teamwork among themselves to keep the ball rolling--and improved teamwork is a bonus for any company.

Prepare your colleagues

Now that you've assured your boss everything will be fine while you're away, decide if you need to train your colleagues to cover some of your tasks.

Inform them. If you're a manager and your boss leaves this up to you, inform everyone who's involved in covering for you that you'll need their help. Involve them in the delegation process to allow them to step in where they feel most comfortable and have the most interest.

Make sure no one feels overwhelmed--in fact, if it's a small office and everyone is already too busy, look into bringing in a contract worker to take care of part of the load while you're gone. Also make sure everyone knows when they'll be required to cover for you, and for how long.

Teach them. Schedule time to teach any unfamiliar tasks to the colleagues covering for you. Make sure you do this early enough that everyone feels confident about their new tasks before they have to perform them in your absence. You might even want to ease them into these tasks a few weeks before you leave, so you can answer as many questions as possible and let them become comfortable in their new roles.

When you walk out the office door to begin a well-planned maternity leave, you can rest assured that your position will be waiting for you when you come back. Your boss will appreciate how well you've prepared for your absence, and your colleagues will be prepared to help out. Perhaps most welcome of all, you can look forward to some peace and quiet before the baby comes, and prepare for the most important job of your life--becoming somebody's mother.

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