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Ten Useful Guidelines About Your Rights On Maternity Leave

By blogger | March 12, 2010

Once upon a time it was possible for women in a relationship to be concerned only with the full-time job requirements of running a home and raising children. Society and sometimes pure economics today play into this mix and dictate that most pregnant mums have to work. While most of the attention, quite rightly so, is on the pending arrival, you also need to be aware of your rights.

1. You are entitled to 52 weeks of maternity leave at a maximum. This entitlement is yours regardless of how long you’ve worked for your employer or if you are full or part-time.

2. This maternity leave will be subdivided into two categories and will affect the amount of money that you receive from your employer accordingly.

3. The standard maternity leave ordinarily lasts for 26 weeks. You will be entitled to receive all your contractual rights during this period of time and to retain any perks such as a company car and your paid holiday earning ability. Apart from the payment that you receive, you will be treated exactly as if you were still working.

4. After the first 26, the following 13 weeks are known as “additional maternity leave,” but your contractual rights only apply in certain areas. Your notice period remains the same, your availability of redundancy pay is unchanged and your typical disciplinary and grievance procedures still apply.

5. Your statutory rights remain in place throughout the whole of your maternity leave, which could include an additional 13 weeks of unpaid leave. Fundamentally, you may not be passed over in favour of another employee and may not be discriminated against, even in the event of redundancy.

6. You will qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) if you have 26 weeks of continuous service at the end of the 15th week before the baby is expected. This allowance is calculated and determined by reference to a period of eight weeks, up to and including the 15th week before baby comes along. You must have earned at least £87 per week before tax during this period. If you do not qualify for SMP, you may be entitled to Maternity Allowance.

7. The earliest you are able to start your maternity leave is 11 weeks before your baby is due, but it is up to you to decide and you can work right up until the birth. Both the period of your leave and your payment will commence on the day that you actually begin your maternity leave time.

8. You don’t have to let your employer know that you’re pregnant from a legal obligation, up until 15 weeks before the baby is actually expected.

9. You will be entitled to free dental treatments, prescriptions and National Health Service coverage as a pregnant mother in the UK.

10. Bear in mind that it could be very much in your best interests to let your employer know that you are pregnant as early as possible, as you may then be entitled to reasonable amounts of time, with pay, for visits to the doctor. In these circumstances, you may not be expected to handle certain substances, or to be involved in some tasks such as heavy lifting, in order to protect the unborn child.

You may well want to consider professional coaching to help you get ready for your new life as a “soon to be” mother, as there are a lot of things to take into account. Everyone knows that coaching for women is widely accepted and beneficial these days and online life coaching is available for every phase of your ever-changing lifestyle!

It’s important to note that this article is only intended as a general guide for women who are getting ready for maternity leave in the UK. You should check your rights as maternity legislation changes frequently. With the available information at the time, the author has written this article accordingly. We do not intend that this article should replace the current information that you may reveal through your own research process.

Amanda Alexander is the Director of Coaching Mums and a widely renowned ICF-accredited coach who delivers professional coaching programmes to working mums across the globe who long for more time, balance and fulfilment in their busy lives. Download our free eBook especially for working mums with 5 easy ways to achieve balance.

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