https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 27 Apr 2026 09:35:16 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2026389 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 19:31:55 +0000 NorCalWayfarer 2026389@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with @looch and @blackbird. My company does not offer maternity leave, but has a generous PTO policy so I was able to take 4 months off (almost at full salary) between state benefits and PTO. However, my PTO bank is totally exhausted and I won't have the luxury of taking that much paid time off with LO#2, whenever that happens to be. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2026360 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 19:16:10 +0000 Corduroy 2026360@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>PTO/sick time that has been or could be banked for another purpose are not paid maternity leave. DH gets two weeks paid leave for the expansion of a family (birth or adoption). I get no paid leave from my company. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2026252 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 18:30:13 +0000 miramira 2026252@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No. Maternity leave should be called as such and separate from vacation or sick leave. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2026100 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 17:00:03 +0000 Grace 2026100@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@alohaorchid: That's true. Still doable though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2026076 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 16:51:31 +0000 2PeasinaPod 2026076@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No, I wouldn't consider that paid maternity leave. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2026069 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 16:46:26 +0000 alohaorchid 2026069@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would consider paid maternity leave to be a period of time away from work where you receive pay only if you have recently given birth. PTO, vacation, etc. would not be considered maternity leave benefits IMO.</p> <p>@Grace: You get 55% up to a maximum of $514 per week. This means if you make anything more than $48,600 you get much less than 55%. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025590 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 13:45:32 +0000 CakeLady 2025590@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would consider it paid time beyond PTO/Vacation/Sick Days.<br /> My company gives 2 weeks additional time off to all new parents (moms &amp; dads!). Then STD pays 100% for the next 6-8 weeks for moms. After that you can use vacation time to get paid. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025575 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 13:40:48 +0000 Ms.Badger 2025575@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Grace: I agree, this is how California's maternity leave is organized as well. I consider it real maternity leave, up to 4 weeks prior to due date and 6-8 weeks after delivery as SDI at 55% pay then an additional 6 weeks for staying with baby also at 55%. Employees (and employers) pay into a state SDI fund which is what funds the leave. This seems to be the way most state or federal maternity benefits are - collected and re-distributed from the populous (like US. Social Security). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025548 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 13:32:56 +0000 mediagirl 2025548@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If it is an additional benefit on top of sick and vacation time. It would have to be another line item in the company handbook. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025533 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 13:28:20 +0000 Grace 2025533@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: Really? By that definition Canada doesn't even have paid maternity leave. It comes out of Employment Insurance which everyone pays into every paycheck. And you get 55% of your original pay (which works out fine for most people, actually). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025483 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 13:04:59 +0000 Anagram 2025483@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I feel like paid maternity leave is separate from vacation or sick days, and not paid for by the employee (so not STD where the employee pays the premiums)--plus, I feel like it really only qualifies as "paid" if it's a decent amount, like 80-100% of your monthly pay. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025459 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 12:54:42 +0000 Mrs. J 2025459@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Definitely not having to use my sick days! Our STD doesn't kick in until 2 weeks after the "incident", so you are required to use whatever sick time you have in the ten work days prior. Our STD is about 75% of your salary for 4 weeks, 6 if you have a C-section. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025452 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 12:51:25 +0000 PurplePumps 2025452@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When you dont have to use your own vacation time to be paid for it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025430 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 12:40:06 +0000 cheert16 2025430@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: this!</p> <p>I get my Pto and that's all. So 2 weeks paid and 6 weeks unpaid because I am going back at 8 weeks pp. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025399 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 12:27:01 +0000 sapphire 2025399@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Using up my vacation and sick time is definitely not an additional benefit! However, it's all I get too. :( My DH gets one month of actual paternity leave without dipping into those things. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025312 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:51:58 +0000 looch 2025312@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What @blackbird wrote plus you continue to accrue vacation days. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025307 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:50:17 +0000 blackbird 2025307@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>paid maternity leave is "extra" that doesn't come from your sick/pto/vacation bank. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025277 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:37:37 +0000 Freckles 2025277@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wouldn't consider sick leave fund or PTO days as a paid leave. Like @lamariniere: said, it would have to be a separate benefit! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025268 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:30:48 +0000 lamariniere 2025268@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>To me, paid maternity leave is leave that is completely separate from PTO, wherein you receive compensation during your time off AND you are not deducted PTO days. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025256 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:25:07 +0000 yoursilverlining 2025256@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For what you described (similar to my experience below), yes, I would say it is "paid leave" but no, it is not "paid maternity leave".</p> <p>Background: I had 6 weeks of STD at 100% of my pay, and then used saved PTO time over the next 7 weeks to give me 4 additional weeks of pay at 100% of my salary, and 3 weeks with 0% pay. My company also paid me for the 1 week STD-waiting period week.</p> <p>So, if someone asks if my maternity leave was with pay, I would say yes, because it was. But, I don't consider having to use PTO time as having "paid maternity leave" - it was just plain paid leave that I happened to use over my maternity leave period. So, no, I didn't have paid maternity leave. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025255 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:24:59 +0000 mrbee 2025255@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jedeve: So kind of like rollover minutes, but for the whole company? If so, I would consider that as part of a paid leave! But not my own sick leave or vacation leave... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025251 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:23:31 +0000 jedeve 2025251@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: when an employee hasn't used all their sick leave in a year and is maxed out on how much they can accumulate, they can "donate" the time to the fund. So it ends up being kind of a wash for the organization - the total amount of sick days employees would take is the same. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025243 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:19:38 +0000 mrbee 2025243@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jedeve: Ooh, what is a sick leave fund? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025242 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:19:37 +0000 Meltini 2025242@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>To me paid maternity leave is maternity leave that is fully paid outside of PTO/sick time/etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025240 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:18:09 +0000 Mamaof2 2025240@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No, I don't consider using PTO as paid maternity leave. Paid maternity leave would be a separate benefit all together! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025230 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:15:31 +0000 avivoca 2025230@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope. The PTO is already a benefit I receive as an employee, but I think maternity leave should not qualify as "paid" if you have to use all your PTO for it. It really makes it hard if you have a baby early in the year and then get sick once you come back. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-do-you-consider-to-be-paid-maternity-leave#post-2025222 Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:13:26 +0000 jedeve 2025222@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My office allowed me to use my vacation and sick time, and then I used the sick leave fund for about a month. But I don't really consider that to be a paid maternity leave. It kind of bugs me though because they are lobbying for paid leave, which I find a bit hypocritical. But maybe I'm wrong? Would you consider that to be paid leave? </p>