I'm getting ready to have my first baby in June and will be obviously taking a LOA. I do plan on taking the full 16 weeks unsure if I'll do any additional unpaid time off but those of you who have taking leave how easy was it with HR and coming back? I know system access tends to be a big issue when returning but anything else?
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I mean I told them my return date was Monday after my leave ended, since I didn't work weekends. But as my leave finished in the Friday before, somehow in the communication between Sedgwick and GHR I was considered to have unpaid leave on the sat/sun in-between, and got unpleasant emails from GHR on the several hundred dollars I owed for health care or whatever did those two days.
So eventually I got Sedgwick to change my return date to Saturday. So maybe that was all my fault for assuming my return day did be the actual day I return, but anyway it did get worked out.
Whatcha mean they wanted to charge you for unpaid leave? Did Sedgwick has your return date correct? I did a LOA for 10 weeks and it was easy to return.
I suggest taking 16 weeks minus one day, because one time I had to call Sedgwick and GHR multiple times as the bank wanted to charge me several hundred dollars for unpaid leave for the weekend between the Friday my leave ended and the Monday I actually went back to work.
I've done parental leave several times. It is a little easier if you put in an arm req for exception to being cut off from access - even if you never use it. Some UIOLI will not take into account your leave status, so you'll have to rerequest some access no matter what. And it always takes me like a week to get my badge up and working, so get added to visitor list as applicable beforehand.
@az+1jkxxhp0k - OP - glad to hear! Make sure your manager knows how much you enjoy the role, being on their team.... FLATTER the h=ck out of them ("you're the best manager I've ever had..." "I feel so lucky to be on your team"... and keep repeating how much you're looking forward to coming back and how strong your roots are where you live.
Managers want (and need) loyal people, so the more loyal you are (or seem), the better chance you have that they will fight to keep you in place.
As a hedge, if you have an opportunity to meet or network with your manager's peers, can't hurt to build out your reputation more broadly in case your manager is pushed out or sidelined. Network, network, network internally and don't give any one at any level any reason to say anything negative about you.
Happy for you.
OP here - thank you. I do plan on returning after maternity leave as I carry the insurance and while my husband makes way more than me not enough to survive on one sole income lol. I'm in Global Ops but we've also seen reallocations happen in our area so that was my biggest worry. I enjoy my role and my manager is great because he doesn't micro manage like others but I'd like to keep my title, pay, and band more than anything.
Look into FMLA and truly understand what it covers and doesn't. FMLA protects your employment for 12 weeks and 0 Days, and the bank gives an extra 4 weeks of unprotected leave. This means that anytime in those 4 weeks, you can be moved teams or even terminated. I doubt they'll terminate, but it's one thing to consider. You can also request additional unpaid leave time, but why would you do that?
Take your leave; it's deserved, but be wary once you start approaching the decision of over 12 weeks. Coming back su-ks because you will be fighting for access the first few days.
@OP+1jkxxhp0k - first, congratulations on your big news!!
Not sure which business or location you are in (both can make a difference), but generally speaking, the Company is very good about all this. Partly because they are on the record for saying the care so much, and partly because they don't want to be sued.
We've had people on our team take Maternity or Paternity leave, and mostly hope they will come back. Better success with Paternity leave people returning. but some Maternity leave do as well.
For those who do wish to return, I have never seen any difficulty in returning. (okay, your badge may not work Day 1, may take 2-3 days to get your email re-activated in the system, but those are puny inconveniences).
Just be clear with your manager if you DO want to come back, as I believe a "commensurate" job -- not your exact role is actually guaranteed.
I did have one colleague in London who had her baby, always expresses full intention to return and DID return. BUT she was not give her Head of Group same role. She was offered a "commensurate" role --- same Band, same title, same pay -- but DIFFERENT division.
She sued the bank and won. Never returned.
Hopefully you have a supportive manager and good relationship. THAT will make the difference.
Best of luck to you!
is it cheaper for the bank to have an employee have a baby in india
sounds like this is an untapped area for cutting costs