How did your boss react? Did they let you do it? Was your job still there when you came back?
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I think I'm going to need about 14 weeks (based on when the daycare will have an opening)... so not too much more than FMLA allows. I actually haven't talked to my boss about it yet, but I don't think he'll mind. I do think HR might require me to come back for 1/2 a day or something to officially end FMLA and then maybe I can take 2 weeks of vacation.
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Yes I did, but most of it unpaid, so no guarantee my job will be there when I return, but so far my company management is in active communication planning for and expressing solid intentions to have me return. Reaction was good when I asked since this is common at my company for women going on maternity leave. Nobody wants to take just 12 weeks with a new baby.
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I'm hoping to get 14-16 weeks this time but haven't broached the subject yet with my boss. It sort of works for me as I will be coming back in the new year so I'm hoping the holidays make it OK to stretch out!
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Weelll..my state is one of the few in the US that has it's own family leave law--called NJFLA, which has language that says it's specifically for child rearing and cannot be used during a person's own disability period.
So although my workplace had previously made people run NJFLA, FMLA, and any disability concurrently, I challenged that and showed them the language and now I will get about 4 weeks disability and THEN 12 weeks NJFLA for child rearing afterward.
Other people have asked for additional unpaid time and they were told no, so I had to have legal reasoning to get the additional 4 weeks. =(
It's unpaid, so I don't know why they care (they get long term subs who are paid quite a bit less and do not have insurance so the district actually saves money on maternity leaves), but they are not flexible about maternity leaves at all.
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I am a teacher
DD was born in Dec and with Xmas break and spring break fmla would have taken me up to April 4th
Both DH and I didn't see why I would go back for only 8 weeks?
I decided to extend my leave using maternity leave, it is unpaid and at my district only guarantees my job back if administration allows
I spoke with them before I left and my Principal was very understanding and basically was happy I decided to do so, and very assuring that my exact job would be waiting for me come August!
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@78h2o: @hellobeeboston: 14 weeks is not so bad! I would think most companies would be ok with just a couple more weeks, even though there is pressure to just come back ASAP... Hope this works out for you!
@PawPrints: if you don't mind me asking, is it a lot more? I'm thinking something like a couple more months because of our child care situation, but I'm afraid my boss will bite my head off if I mention a number like that.
@Anagram: I remember you posting about this! I'm glad it worked out, but it's so sad you had to jump through all these hoops to prove your rights. The NJ law is awesome though...
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@Mama Bird: Way more, I'm taking six months off. Fairly common at my company. I say go for it doesn't hurt to ask. When it's unpaid and there's no guarantee to get your job back, I really don't think you should feel guilty at all. You deserve more, we all do!
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@Mama Bird: can you work from home? I took a few extra weeks at home but I worked PT - it was a great way to ease back into my job
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@FaithFertility: wow that's great, sounds like the timing worked out perfectly!
@PawPrints: Great! I'm trying to get up my courage to ask. I've been here 8 years going on 9, but I feel like it's not done here and they'll either say no, or fire me.
@Mamaof2: that's the plan, if I only get three months leave. I did this for several months with my oldest and assumed I'll do the same thing again. My job is very high-pressure though, everything is an emergency, and I'm not sure how I didn't die from the stress. I guess my husband remembers and is getting nervous, because he totally surprised me by suggesting I ask for a longer leave instead. And if I'm home longer, we'd have the option of pulling DS out of day care in the winter. He pretty much takes antibiotics non-stop, and we're both sick of putting the poor boy through that.
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My company allows for a 1 year leave for any reason at all so I fully intend on asking for a year if our finances can handle not having my salary for a year.
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I asked for an extra month and got it - my supervisor took four months with each of her children, so I felt like the precedent was there. My job was waiting for me when I got back. However, none of my leave was paid.
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My company has a bonding leave that is unpaid after the standard 8-12 weeks of mat leave. My coworker who is on mat leave now is taking some extra time off. My boss asked me what my plans were and as the breadwinner of the house, I can't take unpaid leave. DH will be a SAHD, so I 'should' feel better about leaving the LOs at home.
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Yes my boss told me I could take as much time as I wanted. It was a small company that isn't even required to provide fmla. I only took 16 weeks because I couldn't afford to take any more because we decided to have DH quit his job he was miserable at.
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I was offered 12 weeks and asked for 14, mainly because I needed to wait that long for LO to start daycare. They were ok with that but they did ask that I be available to do some work from home part-time if they needed me to starting after 8 weeks. We are a very small company so it was tough for them to lose me for even those few months. Ultimately, I had to do a little work from home but it wasn't so bad. My leave was unpaid except I got an hourly rate based on my salary for the small amount of work that I did while I was at home.
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I've worked for the same company for 12 years. With my first, I had a male boss who was an ahole for lack of a better word. He made me return right after 12 weeks and denied my request for additional leave.
I now have an absolutely amazing female boss. While she's not married and doesn't have kids, she absolutely understands where I'm coming from. I've asked for 4.5 months (about 22 weeks, so 10 more than FMLA allows) and she's pushing it forward to request it for me. It's really up to the business to allow for additional leave, and there's two of us going out at the same time. We've both requested the same amount of leave, so we're hopeful that they'll give it to us!
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My due date was 10/10 and 12 weeks put me coming back to work the first week of the new year. That was also when I arranged to start daycare. I had her 2 weeks early but kept my start date at the first week if the new year. It would have been pointless to come in the week of christmas or new years.
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I am in the middle of taking six months off. Both of my bosses were very supportive – they're both men but both fathers. My senior female colleague was less supportive- she joked that I should be fired for even asking. HR was okay I guess – they made it very clear that I could only come back when there is a billable role for me but neither I nor my primary boss is concerned about that. Luckily I work as a consultant so we switch between projects regularly anyway. That certainly made the ask easier.
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@PurplePumps: that's amazing! I'm sure it actually makes things run smoother if people don't have to be working and being sick/taking care of kids/helping sick relatives at the same time.
@sotofamilia: Nice! Someone else just had a baby and is taking four months, so maybe I can ask for the same, but there's been some pressure not to.
@bluestriped bee: I'm sorry. Being the breadwinner when you have little babies is the pits. I make more than DH does, so no quitting for me ever. But he's taken paternity leave when DS was five months and it was great. Your husband will be great at it too!
@catomd00: that's good too! Nothing worse than a job that makes one miserable... it's definitely worth making sacrifices to get it of one.
@catlady: yeah small companies have a harder time filling in for people... but I guess it was a decent compromise!
@2PeasinaPod: that's great, I hope they approve! There's actually two of us on leave roughly at the same time, so I wonder if it'll make it harder for me to get more leave, or easier because the other girl got 4 months...
@Chillybear: makes sense, thank goodness for holidays!
@MrsBucky: nice, I'm glad they let you! Not cool that your colleague would say that though... I imagine it's a little awkward to work with her now.
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