Expectant mothers need to understand maternity leave policies

Pregnant women and new mothers face different challenges than single women, men (in general), and even working mothers face in the workplace. New mothers may have to leave their jobs for prolonged periods of time (in the case of high-risk pregnancies), they may face uncertainty about the length of their absence from the workplace (in the case of a “normal” pregnancy), and they always run the risk of being left behind as a result of their absence from the workplace on maternity leave.

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 was enacted to specifically to help employees with their growing needs of balancing family, work, and obligations and allows employees to take unpaid leave due to a serious health condition due to a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform his job or to care for a sick family member or to care for a new son or daughter (including by birth, adoption or foster care). The bill’s passing came as a relief to many soon to be mothers, some who faced uncertainties about their ability to return to work after giving birth to their child.

Even though the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) protects pregnant women and allows them to take up to twelve weeks of maternity leave without losing their position in the company, the law does not require companies to continue paying their salaries while they are on maternity leave, nor does it require them to keep the individual on the same career track they were following prior to taking maternity leave.

It is important for all soon to be mothers become aware of all of the maternity leave benefits available to them, so that they can prepare financially for the transition of leaving and returning to the workplace. Soon to be mothers need to read their company’s maternity leave plan and speak with the right people in Human Resources to learn the details of the plan.

Some soon to be mothers will find that although Federal law does not require it, their company offers the benefit of paid maternity leave. Sometimes a new mother will not be eligible for paid leave but still may be entitled to company benefits, and sometimes the state will have mandated specific maternity leave benefits that resident companies need to provide to new mothers. Some companies even allow company maternity leave in addition to the mandated FMLA leave. It can be well worth a woman’s while to learn as much as possible about their company’s maternity leave policies.

Soon to be mothers should let their managers and bosses know of their situation as soon as possible, so as to allow their employer to prepare for the extended leave time. When a pregnant employee informs her superiors is completely up to her and her doctor. It is probably not a good practice for a pregnant woman to wait until the third trimester of pregnancy to inform an employer, as that will force her employer to scramble for a replacement and to enact all of the leave benefits. But regardless of when a pregnant employee breaks the news to her boss, she should make sure that her boss understands that she is still dedicated to her job and that she plans to work through her due date (which, as many of us know, is not always right on the money).

Pregnant employees should also review their finances and begin financial planning as soon as possible upon discovering that they are pregnant. Having a thorough knowledge of the federal, state, local and company policies on maternity leave is especially helpful in planning financially for the maternity leave.

Depending on what types of maternity leave are available, a new mother might use as much leave as possible (if it’s all paid maternity leave, like at Google), she might subsidize the leave with personal or vacation days, or she may want to work out a flexible working schedule that will allow her to continue working while caring for her baby, such as telecommuting for a period of time.

Maternity leave can affect many things in a woman’s career, so it is most important that all prospective mothers become informed about the maternity leave corporate plans, federal, state, and local laws that affect it.