Longer Paid Maternity Leave: Is It
Possible?
Note: This page is an Appendix of the Max Maternity Leave
Proposal Template & Negotiation Guide. Don't have it ?
Download your free copy.
Is it possible to get paid during the supplemental leave* segment of your
maternity leave (when there is no formal policy)?
Anything is possible. For example, over the years, I’ve occasionally heard
from WorkOptions Proposal Package users who negotiated a four-day (32-hour) workweek
without a reduction in their full-time pay.
This is an unusual outcome, but it shows what can happen when you ask.
One pregnant woman, a hotel industry professional, told me she sealed such a
deal four months prior to her maternity leave.
Likewise, getting paid during supplemental leave is unusual
(outside of vacation, disability and sick pay) but anything may happen when you
ask.
Asking works!
Do You Meet These Three Conditions?
There are three certain conditions
that foster a favorable outcome, besides your negotiating savvy:
1. Your work performance and reputation are so highly regarded that
pleasing you is clearly in your employer’s best interest. They may even fear
losing you if you don’t get what you ask for.
2. You work for a relatively small, private employer.
Its small size
allows for more flexibility in negotiated outcomes compared with larger
employers, the government or a union shop. Everything is customized and off
the books, because there are no policies! For example, one woman wrote me:
I work in a very small office. My Executive Director and the Executive
Committee thought the written request was great. They approved my request
for 12 weeks leave with 4 paid! An excellent outcome.
3. Your negotiations for the TIME element of leave (baseline maternity
leave*) went smoothly. If you get a solid sense of your manager’s
support during the first part of your request, you might segue into the pay
issue with relative ease. But if discussions were tense and the time off
segment hard-won, it’s probably better to take what you got and back off on
the pay issue.
Your gut instinct is probably the best judge when deciding whether or not
to make the request to be paid during supplemental leave. If you do, one to
three weeks is a reasonable request—aim for that range.
Are There Other Options?
Yes. I mentioned this elsewhere, but it bears repeating as a possible bargaining area:
application of “comp time” to
your maternity leave. Is there a current pressing project requiring
extra hours of work? Negotiate to apply those hours to your leave
request. If your manager is agreeable, be sure get this—and other terms
of your leave—in writing.
What if Paid Maternity Leave is Not Possible?
If you sense that you're not in a favorable enough place for requesting
paid supplemental leave, then go for the next-best options:
1. Phase-back to work on a part-time basis.
2. Get back on the payroll and do part of your work from home for several
weeks.
Find more details on these two approaches in
here.
* For explanations and
applications of “supplemental leave” and “baseline
maternity leave”, refer to your
free copy of Max Maternity Leave.
Return to Maternity Leave Articles Index
Do you need help assessing your negotiating leverage and whether you could
get more paid maternity leave?
Visit Maternity Leave Mentor for advice by phone.
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