maternity paternity split

Re: maternity paternity split

Mark Hedberg — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 20:33:46 GMT

[quote user="Tanya Fielding"]

How can you check how much maternity/paternity leave is taken if the parents have different employers?

At my husbands office several fathers have now taken paternity leave to go and watch rugby tours or test matches. Is this good use of my taxes?

[/quote]

If I'd tried that just after my daughter was born, I wouldn't have been able to father the second one!

Re: maternity paternity split

Gillian Mostyn — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 20:18:33 GMT

[quote user="Tanya Fielding"]At my husbands office several fathers have now taken paternity leave to go and watch rugby tours or test matches. Is this good use of my taxes?[/quote]

There's nothing to stop a woman doing the same on maternity leave.

Re: maternity paternity split

Tanya Fielding — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 16:22:26 GMT

How can you check how much maternity/paternity leave is taken if the parents have different employers?

At my husbands office several fathers have now taken paternity leave to go and watch rugby tours or test matches. Is this good use of my taxes?

Re: maternity paternity split

Rebecca MacMillan — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 16:03:16 GMT

That's ridiculous!!!

Re: maternity paternity split

Anthony Dennison — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 11:27:32 GMT

My girlfriend's boss calved a cow in the morning, gave birth to her 2nd child in the afternoon. She was back at work within a couple of weeks due to pressure from the 2 other (male partners). Cue carrying a baby around everywhere. She went in to nursery as soon as she could, but wasn't fully weaned so regular visits to the nursery for feeding had to be fitted in throughout the day!

Re: maternity paternity split

Dagmar Steele — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 17:12:09 GMT

[quote user="Malcolm Ness"]

The pregnant unemployed are given little thought and the pregnant self-employed are left to fend for themselves.

[/quote]

True, which is why I worked until a week before due day and started work about three weeks after they were born. I would have liked to do things differently. For a few years nearly all I earned went into child care.

Re: maternity paternity split

Gillian Mostyn — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 17:02:56 GMT

[quote user="Dalya Livy"]And 7 weeks into my maternity leave, I'm already itching to get back to work (sad, I know).[/quote]

You'll feel differently when they arrive...

[quote user="Dalya Livy"]What I would like to see is not just the split mat/pat leave (though it's great for dads to have the option of spending some extra time with their newborns) but a bit of extra leave for parents of multiples.[/quote]

Really? How close in age would you say the children have to be to qualify? I had my children 19 months apart - and I assure you that a 19 month old is harder than a newborn - they don't stay where you left them! :-) If I had wanted to go back to work full time as an employee, I also would have paid 2 lots of childcare!

I am being flippant- and I know multiples are difficult (my sister had twins) - but having children is a personal choice. You shouldn't be penalized, either financially or otherwise, but neither should the tax payer be expected to fund you!

[quote user="Dalya Livy"]I don't necessarily have a workable solution, just pointing out other aspects of the issue. [/quote]

Exactly!

Re: maternity paternity split

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 15:57:37 GMT

[quote user="Malcolm Ness"]

[quote user="Clive Ansell"] pressurised in to going back to work too soon by some employers[/quote]

Your understanding of what is, and isn't permitted under present legislation is very different from mine. The mother has a completely free choice (within the legal limits) about when she returns - anything that could be construed as an employer applying pressure would be unlawful and rightly so.

[/quote]

I'd be more bothered about a lazy s**t of a husband pressurising wife to go back to work so that he can have some free paid "paternity leave" holiday.

[quote user="Bob Russell"] It would also need to planned well in advance so that employers could be given adequate notice to make aalternative staffing plans.[/quote]

As i understand Idiot Cleggy's proposals, the mother and the father could split it how they wish, big bits, little bits, change their minds as often as they like. Nightmares for their unfortunate employers.

[quote user="Dalya Livy"]Even with best of intentions, how does it make sense for me to work before the kids start school - I'd essentially be paying someone else to raise my kids and see them only on weekends! [/quote]

It makes no sense, of course. For heavens' sake, you have your children for such a short time – enjoy those pre-school years while you can!

Re: maternity paternity split

Malcolm Ness — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 15:14:06 GMT

[quote user="CatherineThomas"]So what do you think new parents should live on[/quote]

It's not about new parents, it's about employees and employment law.

The pregnant unemployed are given little thought and the pregnant self-employed are left to fend for themselves.

Re: maternity paternity split

Bob Russell — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 14:28:56 GMT

[quote user="CatherineThomas"]

[quote user="Clive Ansell"]I think all tax payer funded state handouts for maternity/paternity leave should be stopped though. [/quote]

So what do you think new parents should live on?

I dont understand why people complain so much about the cost of maternity leave. The government pays for the maternity pay after the first few weeks. I know they have to pay someone to replace the person on maternity leave but they're still only paying one person to do that job. They will usually have plenty of notice so it shouldn't be a problem finding a replacement. Am I missing something?

[/quote]

Yes I am afraid you are missing something!

You are expected to employ someone on a short term basis. Even if you can get a 'straight swap' there will need to be a period of settling in. The employer will not know exact dates so there is likely to be a period of overlap and training so two salaries instead of one. Rightly the mother to be does not have to give much advanced notice of dates (and sometimes nature determines this anyway).

Someone with particular skills may well be difficult or impossible to get a direct replacement. This particularly covers practice management staff, nurses and vets. Good reception staff take time to train. A locum pay rate is likely to be higher than a salaried member of staff.

A small practice can be thrown into turmoil by maternity leave, specialist practices left without a specialist. Equine and large animal practices can struggle or find suitable replacements impossible.

Maternity/paternity leave should be paid, it is only sensible and right. It is only lip service to say that the government pays, they don't cover anything like the cost to the business. This really can get small businesses into deep problems.

Re: maternity paternity split

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 13:50:35 GMT

I suppose 1 solution, fair(ish) to parents/employers/taxpayers would be to limit every womwn to 2 lots of maternity leave in a lifetime.In the case of multiples the 2 lots could be taken together, so either the mother has double the length,or the father shares some.

Wynne

Re: maternity paternity split

Dalya Livy — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 13:43:30 GMT

Stirring the pot a little...

I'm expecting triplets within the next 4 weeks. So I'm actually doing the government a favour :) by having all my kids in one go, and taking up only one lot of maternity leave time and pay instead of 3 consecutive lots. What I would like to see is not just the split mat/pat leave (though it's great for dads to have the option of spending some extra time with their newborns) but a bit of extra leave for parents of multiples.

With one baby, provided they are reasonably healthy, most parents can manage single-handedly. With multiples - especially 3 babies at once - thinking one person can do it on their own is laughable. Not to mention they are premature by definition, and some may have ongoing health issues because of that. We are going to need a lot of help on a daily basis for several months. If my husband had the option of taking 3-6m paid pat leave (without impacting my own allotted time) then we would cope much better. As it is, we shall likely have to pay for extra help, on top of the expense of 3 kids' needs at once.

Next gripe: 3 kids of the same age in full time childcare pretty much equals my salary, not to mention that I'd be hard pushed to find childcare that's open from 7:30am to 8pm. A nanny working those hours would also pretty much equal my salary. And 7 weeks into my maternity leave, I'm already itching to get back to work (sad, I know). Even with best of intentions, how does it make sense for me to work before the kids start school - I'd essentially be paying someone else to raise my kids and see them only on weekends!

I don't necessarily have a workable solution, just pointing out other aspects of the issue.

Re: maternity paternity split

CatherineThomas — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 12:58:22 GMT

[quote user="Clive Ansell"]I think all tax payer funded state handouts for maternity/paternity leave should be stopped though. [/quote]

So what do you think new parents should live on?

Re: maternity paternity split

Malcolm Ness — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 12:02:23 GMT

[quote user="Clive Ansell"]I think all tax payer funded state handouts for maternity/paternity leave should be stopped though[/quote]

I disagree completely.

I am a huge advocate of generous maternity/paternity/family leave and similarly a huge advocate of anything that minimises and ideally eliminates any discrimination against women of child-bearing age. However, the current arrangement is not fit for purpose as it places too much of the financial cost of providing the maternity leave on the employer with a net effect that is disproportionately costly and difficult for smaller business.

The support of mothers in the workplace is of benefit to society as a whole and that is where the financial load should be spread. Anyone with a small business to run knows that it is currently very inconvenient and costly to have a key member of staff having babies and as long as it remains inconvenient and costly then businesses will find ways to avoid or minimise that cost/inconvenience.

[quote user="Clive Ansell"] pressurised in to going back to work too soon by some employers[/quote]

I also think that the package of maternity benefits currently available to employees should be improved and extended to self-employed mothers.

Re: maternity paternity split

Bob Russell — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 11:52:54 GMT

[quote user="Clive Ansell"]

I think more flexibilty is a good idea, but one draw back could be that some women might be pressurised in to going back to work too soon by some employers? It would also need to planned well in advance so that employers could be given adequate notice to make aalternative staffing plans.

I think all tax payer funded state handouts for maternity/paternity leave should be stopped though.

[/quote]

I think small businesses should receive a lot more support (including financial) than they do. The level of disruption suffered by small businesses can be quite dramatic and may even threaten some businesses viability This does (on the quiet of course) lead a lot of employers to hesitate to employ 'high risk' female employees. Not legal but a fact of life.

Larger companies are more likely to be able to cope!

Re: maternity paternity split

Clive Ansell — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 11:20:07 GMT

I think all tax payer funded state handouts for maternity/paternity leave should be stopped though.

Re: maternity paternity split

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 10:32:53 GMT

IF all the non-veterinary fathers took 50% of the parentalleave it could be enormously beneficial.

Wynne