I run a small business. A key member of staff is on maternity leave and due back shortly, changing from full time to three days a week, but she wants to add holiday on to the end of her leave. Another member of staff is just about to go on maternity leave and I need the other staff member to cover this. I have offered to pay her in lieu of the holiday leave and to allow her to come back on three days a week using the other two days as holiday for a couple of months, but paying her full time. She has refused. What can I do as it is really going to impact on my business?…
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I was formally offered a post last year and went through all pre-employment checks etc, but the start date was continually delayed. In the meantime I fell pregnant and by the time they offered me work I was off sick in my current job with pregnancy-related complications. I told my potential employer that my start date woud have to be delayed until next month when I finish my maternity leave. However, I have now extended my leave to the end of March, utilising my full 39 weeks as my daughter has been unwell. I have been in contact with the new employer and they have said there is no guarantee there will be a post for me at end of March and I will have to wait till something comes up. The problem is, my current job is a fixed-term contract and actually ends the same day as my maternity leave. Where do I stand on both issues please? i cannot afford to be out of work.…
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I am 35 weeks pregnant and have been told my role is being made redundant. I have worked at the organisation for five years and have an 8 week notice period. I have been told I will not receive my full pay during this period, only my maternity pay. This is because my contractual notice period is at least one week longer than the statutory notice period. This seems very unfair. I thought the point of statutory requirements was to provide a minimum level of protection and I feel this is effectively being side stepped. Is there anything I can do?…
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I'm currently on six months maternity leave from a senior management position. I've just seen an email that someone has been appointed to a role which is almost identical to mine, with the same remit and responsibilities, but a slightly different job title. This affects the remit of the role I'll do on my return and also my seniority, damaging future promotion prospects which I've been aiming towards. I long suspected this. The company was going through an organisational restructure whilst I was pregnant and I was given no information on how my job would be affected. I pretty much felt sidelined during my entire pregnancy (my boss was openly skeptical about whether I'd return at all). I did postpone my maternity start date from 35wks pregnant to 38wks to help them recruit maternity cover for me. They hadn't sorted anything out by my original finish date (despite telling them about my pregnancy at 10 weeks!) and were vague about cover plans (my boss cancelled all my last one to ones so I lost all opportunity to discuss it properly). However, my boss didn’t like the candidates we interviewed. When I went on maternity leave, it was all still up in the air and my role and future uncertain. I was pretty stressed by it all to be honest, but didn't feel like I had any time to address it with them. This new appointment isn't a maternity cover role, but I feel it directly affects my job. What are my rights? I feel really let down by my company, especially after I postponed my leave to help them sort this. I've always shown loyalty and had glowing appraisals and top bonuses. I feel like they wrote me off the moment I became pregnant.…
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My company announced in March / April time that they would be reducing numbers and therefore we would have to apply for a role. This was shortly after I had found out I was pregnant. My line manager and task manager were informed as I felt I was struggling and as I was worried about whether this would impact my application. I was told it was bad timing by my task manager and told not to worry by my line manager. I applied for a role in my exiting team at the same level and two others (we were encouraged to apply for 3) in different teams, same level. There then followed a period of waiting where I was signed off with hyperemesis. On my return I was told I was unsuccessful and was therefore at formal risk of redundancy. The pregnancy was then known by everyone. During the time since then (1st June) I have appealed this decision due to the way the application forms were scored as I felt last year’s rating was used when I was not in the role long due to maternity leave. This was unsuccessful. I was then given three months’ notice, giving me a last working day of the day before my estimated due date. I have obviously been applying for jobs internally, but cannot really go externally as I would lose the right to SMP, although I do understand I could apply for Maternity Allowance. I have had a few interviews, but not been successful. I put in to leave early on maternity leave which was accepted. I have been signed off for several weeks now with hyperemesis. However, I attended an interview last week which again I was unsuccessful for. My line manager is saying that there will be some interviews held next week (which may be when I have started maternity leave) but I will have to travel for these 1.5 hours each way on public transport, which I don't really fancy but will do if I have to. My question is whilst I am on maternity leave - what do the company have to do to fulfil their legal obligations to me? It is a very large company so there are new roles coming up on the vacancies list pretty much daily, although obviously not all are suitable for me, but I am certain that at least one a week (if not more) would be. What do I have to do whilst on maternity leave? Do I have to attend all interviews offered? Do I have to keep my eye on the vacancies board and apply for jobs etc.?…
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