Taking 6 months parental leave
Discussion
A bit of a WWYD, or rather, what should I do.
The company I work for has a quite generous shared parental leave policy; up to three months full pay with a further three months half pay. Company pension contributions continue at normal level for whole six months.
We're expecting our first baby later this year and I'm extremely tempted to take the whole six months off. In fact, with accrued holiday it would be closer to seven months. The temporary dip in salary would be manageable.
This wouldn't adversely affect my partner as she's self employed so can simply not work during what would be her "maternity leave".
It seems like too good an opportunity to pass up. But I do have some niggling concerns. My value to the company is in large part due to the fact that clients will ring me and not someone else. Will those clients find someone else whilst I'm away? Likewise will I be seen as someone who isn't a team player / someone who put the company to a lot of expense, with ramifications for working atmosphere and future promotion? I'm in professional services, slightly toward the upper end of middle management.
I'm just thinking aloud really; and all thoughts welcome.
K
The company I work for has a quite generous shared parental leave policy; up to three months full pay with a further three months half pay. Company pension contributions continue at normal level for whole six months.
We're expecting our first baby later this year and I'm extremely tempted to take the whole six months off. In fact, with accrued holiday it would be closer to seven months. The temporary dip in salary would be manageable.
This wouldn't adversely affect my partner as she's self employed so can simply not work during what would be her "maternity leave".
It seems like too good an opportunity to pass up. But I do have some niggling concerns. My value to the company is in large part due to the fact that clients will ring me and not someone else. Will those clients find someone else whilst I'm away? Likewise will I be seen as someone who isn't a team player / someone who put the company to a lot of expense, with ramifications for working atmosphere and future promotion? I'm in professional services, slightly toward the upper end of middle management.
I'm just thinking aloud really; and all thoughts welcome.
K
Nickbrapp said:
Take it all. You’ll never get the chance again.
A business would cut you loose at the first sign of trouble so why be loyal, take advantage of the schemes they are offering. Clients won’t care as long as your company takes care of them who cares who they talk to.
Thanks, yes this is my thinking too really; that you don't get many chances like this.A business would cut you loose at the first sign of trouble so why be loyal, take advantage of the schemes they are offering. Clients won’t care as long as your company takes care of them who cares who they talk to.
BenjiS said:
This.
I took two weeks for my first and a month for the second, and the month was vastly better. Would have loved to take more.
The company will manage. They wouldn’t offer the policy if they couldn’t do without people for the time. All I’d do in your shoes is make sure I have a clear handover plan for all my clients before I left, and a re-engagement plan for coming back.
That's good advice thanks, particularly regarding a "re engagement plan" as that's not something I'd thought of.I took two weeks for my first and a month for the second, and the month was vastly better. Would have loved to take more.
The company will manage. They wouldn’t offer the policy if they couldn’t do without people for the time. All I’d do in your shoes is make sure I have a clear handover plan for all my clients before I left, and a re-engagement plan for coming back.
Knight_Ind_2000 said:
The company I work for has a quite generous shared parental leave policy; up to three months full pay with a further three months half pay. Company pension contributions continue at normal level for whole six months.
My little lad is 8 months old, i got two extra weeks off. Take it, as long as possible. Dont even think twice. You will never get that time back. You will not regret it.
Nickbrapp said:
Take it all. You’ll never get the chance again.
A business would cut you loose at the first sign of trouble so why be loyal, take advantage of the schemes they are offering. Clients won’t care as long as your company takes care of them who cares who they talk to.
This - life is so short. Do it. A business would cut you loose at the first sign of trouble so why be loyal, take advantage of the schemes they are offering. Clients won’t care as long as your company takes care of them who cares who they talk to.
Yes, the company will continue without you there, clients will find new contracts, colleagues will make new alligiences and on your return there will be an element of starting over. 7 months is a long time.
Babies have a rather limited appeal, as do spouses when faced with months trapped in the same house. Unless your going to mux it with a lot of DIY or a house move or similar, I'd say take the first month, plan lots of long weekends and a nice holiday for the autumn. Save the rest for any possible future children.
Babies have a rather limited appeal, as do spouses when faced with months trapped in the same house. Unless your going to mux it with a lot of DIY or a house move or similar, I'd say take the first month, plan lots of long weekends and a nice holiday for the autumn. Save the rest for any possible future children.
FredClogs said:
Babies have a rather limited appeal, as do spouses when faced with months trapped in the same house. Unless your going to mux it with a lot of DIY or a house move or similar, I'd say take the first month, plan lots of long weekends and a nice holiday for the autumn. Save the rest for any possible future children.
When my son was born, I'd planned some time off, no paternity leave back then just normal vacation, by the end of the 4th day, my then wife was chasing me out of the house, "why don't you go and play golf or something". As long as she had somebody to go do the shopping & general errands, which I could do after work or at weekends, she didn't want me getting in the way! If I'd have been home for 6 months we'd have divorced even sooner!!Knight_Ind_2000 said:
FredClogs said:
Yes, the company will continue without you there, clients will find new contracts, colleagues will make new alligiences and on your return there will be an element of starting over. 7 months is a long time.
This is precisely my worry!Knight_Ind_2000 said:
A<snip> But I do have some niggling concerns. My value to the company is in large part due to the fact that clients will ring me and not someone else. Will those clients find someone else whilst I'm away? Likewise will I be seen as someone who isn't a team player / someone who put the company to a lot of expense, with ramifications for working atmosphere and future promotion?
K
Possibly - it really depends on your current relationship with your line manager/senior manager. There are some people who are the unsung backbone of a company, the kind that will go the extra mile when the extra mile is needed, the kind the every manager relies on. There are also some people who do the bare minimum, will start exactly when their contract says, then spend 15 minutes making a brew, chatting up the receptionist and generally wasting tim and counting the minutes until they can clock off.K
If you're the first type chances are you'll be welcomed back with open arms. If you're the 2nd then it's likely your line manager will spend the next 7 months looking for ways to make your role superfluous.
Im doing 2 weeks paternity and 2 week annual leave... Its our first and I think the OH will kill me if off any longer, Im there to just assist as a slave for a month for her to recover before I go back to work.
I would like it to be longer but her work offers 6 months full salary and 6 months 1/2 salary and mine doesnt even compete and as I fund everything we cant afford for me to disappear.
I would like it to be longer but her work offers 6 months full salary and 6 months 1/2 salary and mine doesnt even compete and as I fund everything we cant afford for me to disappear.
Go for it, you are incredibly lucky to have this opportunity, your kid is only going to be born once! You can always go back early if you start missing it.
I personally feel amending male partenity / shared parental leave is one of the best ways to improve gender equality in the work place. A company should be forced to give the same financial rate for Maternity / Shared Parental / Paternity leave. If there's an equal risk of a male or female employee taking 12 months leave, with the same financial and resource implications, a company won't hire a male employee over female to reduce the risk of maternity leave.
My wife was offered full paid Maternity leave, whereas I only got offered statutory shared parental leave, therefore we were unable to afford for me to have the time off, otherwise I would definitely have shared the leave 50:50.
I personally feel amending male partenity / shared parental leave is one of the best ways to improve gender equality in the work place. A company should be forced to give the same financial rate for Maternity / Shared Parental / Paternity leave. If there's an equal risk of a male or female employee taking 12 months leave, with the same financial and resource implications, a company won't hire a male employee over female to reduce the risk of maternity leave.
My wife was offered full paid Maternity leave, whereas I only got offered statutory shared parental leave, therefore we were unable to afford for me to have the time off, otherwise I would definitely have shared the leave 50:50.
I've got 4 kids . Our youngest are 4 and 1
Depends how stressful your job is and long the hours are along with the commute .
If the above is manageable I wouldn't take more than a month , if it was me. Personally I found newborns just want their mum , as a dad I couldn't do much other than earn money to support them . My misses is a great mum and took to it all easily though (bar some PND) , my main use was to keep money coming in!!!
For me as a dad I've found my use a lot more important 10months+ in , then my kids really look up to you and you do loads more with them . Before then I felt like a spare part
I also found if I spent 6 months at home with my other half , with the stress of a baby we would kill each other 3 weeks in
Finally I'd worry about getting out the loop , even more so when you depend on salary for kids
Depends how stressful your job is and long the hours are along with the commute .
If the above is manageable I wouldn't take more than a month , if it was me. Personally I found newborns just want their mum , as a dad I couldn't do much other than earn money to support them . My misses is a great mum and took to it all easily though (bar some PND) , my main use was to keep money coming in!!!
For me as a dad I've found my use a lot more important 10months+ in , then my kids really look up to you and you do loads more with them . Before then I felt like a spare part
I also found if I spent 6 months at home with my other half , with the stress of a baby we would kill each other 3 weeks in
Finally I'd worry about getting out the loop , even more so when you depend on salary for kids
Having had 1 month off when ours was born, I don't think I would have wanted more at that point. I'd have loved the year off before she started school though.
Having said that if they are a flexible employer I'd be asking to start a bit later and finish earlier each day and may be doing a 4 day week?
Having said that if they are a flexible employer I'd be asking to start a bit later and finish earlier each day and may be doing a 4 day week?
As everyone has said, take as much as you can.
They offer these policies to attract staff, they will manage just as they would if you were the one giving birth.
But make sure you muck in, feed them if pumped milk /formula, wash up, bathe baby, laundry, soothe then in the night etc etc whatever you can, share the responsibility give your partner time off if you can.
Anyway your career progression will drop way down the list of priorities when you become a parent.
You will become much more efficient or fall apart for a while.... But you will bounce back.
They offer these policies to attract staff, they will manage just as they would if you were the one giving birth.
But make sure you muck in, feed them if pumped milk /formula, wash up, bathe baby, laundry, soothe then in the night etc etc whatever you can, share the responsibility give your partner time off if you can.
Anyway your career progression will drop way down the list of priorities when you become a parent.
You will become much more efficient or fall apart for a while.... But you will bounce back.
Edited by was8v on Sunday 28th April 21:03
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