Maternity and Paternity leave policies

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Topic Author
curious george
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Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by curious george »

Hello

I am in a small/medium medical practice and was wondering what is standard for maternity/paternity leave ??

We remain torn as we understand the needs/demand of having children but yet it is quite hard to staff and pay for this as a small practice.
ImaBeginner
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by ImaBeginner »

For employees:
We do 6 weeks paid, 6 weeks FMLA unpaid for moms.
We do 2 weeks paid, 6 weeks FMLA unpaid for dads.

Partners get whatever they want, but typically end up taking 2-3 days as dads. We haven’t had a female partner have a baby as a partner yet. All time not working is unpaid for partners, so high motivation to get working again.

Also...it sucks for staffing. And is expensive to hire other employees as overtime or locums.
GT99
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by GT99 »

Do you have a relationship with a locum tenens provider? That's exactly what my sister does for a living (staffs locum tenens physicians) and it seems like a fairly popular way to work for physicians. A good relationship with a provider can simplify the burden of replacing someone who is out (apologies if I'm stating the obvious).

To answer your question more directly, paternity leave policies are all over the place. I've worked in a bunch of places, and majority didn't have a paternity policy- it was basically use personal days and vacation days. The best I've had was 4 weeks paternity. That said, paternity policies seem to be getting more common. I'd have been happy if I was offered 2 weeks of paternity leave at either of the companies I was at when my kids were born.

As for maternity, part of the question is how it's covered. For our first kid, if I'm remembering correctly, DW got 8 weeks paid 100%, then 6 weeks as short term disability at 60% (C-section - not sure if that impacted disability eligibility). Kid 2 was at a much smaller company, and it's coverage wasn't nearly as good. I don't remember exactly, but it was something like 4 weeks at 100%, then 6 weeks at 60%, and I think she added another week or two out of her regular PTO.
Topic Author
curious george
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by curious george »

Locums sounds great but who pays for it ?
Hard to support a partners salary and pay for locums.
I think the difficult part is that in a small business or medical practice- there are less hands to cover costs and pick up the slack. If we had 100 docs - it would be easier.
toofache32
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by toofache32 »

What do you mean by "paternity" leave?
runner540
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by runner540 »

A good policy is a differentiator in hiring, and will build loyalty. A good leave policy that gives time for healing and bonding will also mean your team is better when they come back to work.
CppCoder
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by CppCoder »

I'm not sure if you are restricting your question to medical practices or if you are inquiring across various industries. In my mega corp, we give 8 weeks paid time off for mom or dad to be used within the first year after birth plus 4-6 weeks of medical leave for mom, depending on the delivery method.
KyleAAA
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by KyleAAA »

Current employer is 12 weeks paid for fathers and I think 20 weeks for mothers
Jack FFR1846
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

I think it's great that you give fathers 2 weeks paid, but under FMLA, they are entitled to another 10 weeks (12 total) if you are bound by FMLA requirements. Just doing a quick search, this seems to be for employers who have 50 or more employees. I took 12 weeks myself with the adoption of our first son. My employer wanted to give me zero. They employed hundreds.
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HawkeyePierce
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by HawkeyePierce »

My employer (tech) offers 5 months fully paid. Mothers, fathers, biological or adopted. Everyone gets 5 months.
toofache32
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by toofache32 »

Amazing world we live in.
bayview
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by bayview »

HawkeyePierce wrote: Mon Jun 17, 2019 10:13 pm My employer (tech) offers 5 months fully paid. Mothers, fathers, biological or adopted. Everyone gets 5 months.
It’s always refreshing to see acknowledgement that these (apparently) PITA babies are future employees and customers, and perhaps ought not to be regarded as parasites on the company bottom line. :happy
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HawkeyePierce
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by HawkeyePierce »

bayview wrote: Mon Jun 17, 2019 10:22 pm
HawkeyePierce wrote: Mon Jun 17, 2019 10:13 pm My employer (tech) offers 5 months fully paid. Mothers, fathers, biological or adopted. Everyone gets 5 months.
It’s always refreshing to see acknowledgement that these (apparently) PITA babies are future employees and customers, and perhaps ought not to be regarded as parasites on the company bottom line. :happy
Even though I'm not married and don't plan on having kids soon, this policy is one of the reasons I stick around. Two of my teammates were out on paternity leave earlier this year. More than half the managers in my org have taken parental leave. Even one of our C-suite execs took the full five months. Such a refreshing environment.

One of our sales engineers was pursuing an open adoption and a child needing adoptive parents showed up out of the blue. He was able to take off the full five months with *no* notice. Since this policy is so ingrained in our culture, nobody missed a beat covering for him while he was settling their adopted baby into her new family. We've built a culture where extended leaves aren't a burden but rather fully expected, even for "critical" employees. Nobody begrudges a coworker on parental leave. It's a beautiful thing.
JTColton
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by JTColton »

toofache32 wrote: Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:19 pm What do you mean by "paternity" leave?
Maternity = mothers
Paternity = fathers
toofache32
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by toofache32 »

JTColton wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 1:55 am
toofache32 wrote: Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:19 pm What do you mean by "paternity" leave?
Maternity = mothers
Paternity = fathers
I get that. I just didn’t know this was really a thing extended to males. When my wife had our kids 13 and 15 years ago I was allowed to take the day off for the delivery. It never would have crossed my mind to ask for more time.
sjt
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by sjt »

toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 6:51 am

I get that. I just didn’t know this was really a thing extended to males. When my wife had our kids 13 and 15 years ago I was allowed to take the day off for the delivery. It never would have crossed my mind to ask for more time.
Times are a-changing my friend.
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BuckyBadger
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by BuckyBadger »

I received 12 weeks of paid maternity leave - which as an American I've been brainwashed to think is generous. When i traveled to Europe three months before I was due and discussed my leave with my friends there they were absolutely HORRIFIED.

My husband got 4 weeks paid leave.

It's important to note that the 12 weeks that people are legally allowed doesn't mean your company needs to pay you. They just can't fire you.
Blue456
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by Blue456 »

1 year required paid leave, fully paid. Must return to the same position or promotion.
Topic Author
curious george
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by curious george »

I can understand this if the employee’s work can be distributed amongst many at a big Corp that has lots of money to cover the cost.

How does a small business or medical practice (not one that is covered by FMLA as it is too small) pay for this or
do the work with a vital employee gone for that long without impacting the company ?
CarpeDiem22
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by CarpeDiem22 »

In my country, mothers are entitled to 6 months paid leave by law (In case of third child, this benefit is only 12 weeks). New fathers usually get 5 paid days off in private sector (no law on paternity).
Ren
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by Ren »

My current position offers 6 weeks of paid leave for the "primary caregiver" and 2 weeks for "secondary caregiver". I took the full 6 weeks when my wife went back to work.
oldfatguy
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by oldfatguy »

My employer has no parental leave policy - just FMLA and state law.
oldfatguy
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by oldfatguy »

Jack FFR1846 wrote: Mon Jun 17, 2019 9:31 pm I think it's great that you give fathers 2 weeks paid, but under FMLA, they are entitled to another 10 weeks (12 total) if you are bound by FMLA requirements. Just doing a quick search, this seems to be for employers who have 50 or more employees. I took 12 weeks myself with the adoption of our first son. My employer wanted to give me zero. They employed hundreds.
Unfortunately, some employers seem to punish those who actually use the leave they are entitled to under FMLA.
Last edited by oldfatguy on Tue Jun 18, 2019 7:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
MichCPA
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by MichCPA »

ImaBeginner wrote: Mon Jun 17, 2019 7:39 pm For employees:
We do 6 weeks paid, 6 weeks FMLA unpaid for moms.
We do 2 weeks paid, 6 weeks FMLA unpaid for dads.

Partners get whatever they want, but typically end up taking 2-3 days as dads. We haven’t had a female partner have a baby as a partner yet. All time not working is unpaid for partners, so high motivation to get working again.

Also...it sucks for staffing. And is expensive to hire other employees as overtime or locums.
FMLA doesn't differentiate between mother and father. A man would be entitled by law to 12 weeks of leave (unpaid) to care for a newborn.
pqwerty
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by pqwerty »

curious george wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 7:23 am I can understand this if the employee’s work can be distributed amongst many at a big Corp that has lots of money to cover the cost.

How does a small business or medical practice (not one that is covered by FMLA as it is too small) pay for this or
do the work with a vital employee gone for that long without impacting the company ?
Vital people in small (and big) businesses offload as much work as possible and continue to work part time. Usually parental leave isn't a sudden event and there is time to plan for this. This is what i did for my 3 kids even though I am eligible for paid leave. In my case the my job flexibility and pay is good, so it doesn't bother me not being able to take extended periods of time off.
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Tamarind
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by Tamarind »

OP, my suggestion would be to figure out what you can afford to offer to all new parents and do that. Employees will understand it's a small group but appreciate fairness, especially if you add to leave as you grow or become more profitable, like you would with other benefits. You'll have better long term employee retention as you make your parental leave policy more generous. So compare the cost of paid leave for a new mom to the cost of recruiting and getting a new doc to full productivity. That may help you find the right balance point.
BuckyBadger
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by BuckyBadger »

Tamarind wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 8:11 am OP, my suggestion would be to figure out what you can afford to offer to all new parents and do that. Employees will understand it's a small group but appreciate fairness, especially if you add to leave as you grow or become more profitable, like you would with other benefits. You'll have better long term employee retention as you make your parental leave policy more generous. So compare the cost of paid leave for a new mom to the cost of recruiting and getting a new doc to full productivity. That may help you find the right balance point.
This. And to help sweeten the pot, perhaps you could try offering more leeway upon return. It would be less draining to your company but sweeten the pot if you're unable to offer more paid time off.

Be more flexible about part time and flexible hours and work from home for a few months following the birth.
mervinj7
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by mervinj7 »

toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 6:51 am
JTColton wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 1:55 am
toofache32 wrote: Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:19 pm What do you mean by "paternity" leave?
Maternity = mothers
Paternity = fathers
I get that. I just didn’t know this was really a thing extended to males. When my wife had our kids 13 and 15 years ago I was allowed to take the day off for the delivery. It never would have crossed my mind to ask for more time.
Yep, males can be caregivers for newborns too in this day and age. :happy

For those of us with more than 2 weeks of paternity leave, it's very common to take a week or two right after the birth of the newborn and the remainder of the weeks after one's spouse returns to work. That way, daycare can be delayed as long as possible and both parents get baby bonding time.

However, in OP's case, he is NOT working at a tech company where 16-20 weeks paternity/maternity leaves are common. I would assume that the medical field is not as progressive as tech employers and thus would offer reduced benefits, especially for new fathers (see above sentiment for male caregivers). Perhaps, in this context, 3 weeks paid paternity, 6 weeks paid maternity is more practical.
ImaBeginner
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by ImaBeginner »

curious george wrote: Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:02 pm Locums sounds great but who pays for it ?
Hard to support a partners salary and pay for locums.
I think the difficult part is that in a small business or medical practice- there are less hands to cover costs and pick up the slack. If we had 100 docs - it would be easier.
Locums is covered by the earnings of locum/excess cost split by group. At my place a Partner gets no salary/profit sharing if they are not working, so at least that expense is gone.


In response to those above, I’m sure a father could do 12 weeks FMLA. 10 of the weeks would be unpaid and none of our employees have asked for that “benefit.”

A large portion of our employees are the primary breadwinner with stay at home spouses. The practicalities of that situation limits the ability to take unpaid days.
Last edited by ImaBeginner on Tue Jun 18, 2019 12:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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8foot7
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by 8foot7 »

As a boss of a company with well under 50 employees, offering someone months of paid leave is a considerable cost that comes right out of my pocket. Someone I'm paying $75,000 will cost me fully burdened with continuous insurance and everything over $8,000 a month, or almost $50,000 for a six-month leave. And I probably have to either pay my other employees more to pick up the slack, hire a temp, or do something else. And at the end of the year that's money I could have taken home. It didn't go back into some big corporate slush fund to be redistributed next year. That money could have paid for my kid's college or maybe I could have bought a truck. Things like that.

Paid leave is a great recruiting and retention tool, but particularly in small companies, while we have our national conversation about parental leave, let's not underestimate the burden that paying you not to do your job for months on end (and then potentially having to also pay someone else to do the job I'm paying you not to do) can place on a small business like mine.

And yes, that's why the FMLA has a carve-out, I know.

(I feel like this is one of those things that is nearly becoming an "entitlement," as in, "I expect you to provide me this," and not just a perk of a great workplace--"wow, that's really generous of you, thanks!")
Afty
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by Afty »

Let's also not underestimate the burden that small companies without parental leave policies put on new parents, with the associated impact on the baby.

I am glad my employer has a progressive parental leave policy. I took 4 weeks off for my daughter, then got promoted in my first review cycle back.
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 6:51 am I get that. I just didn’t know this was really a thing extended to males. When my wife had our kids 13 and 15 years ago I was allowed to take the day off for the delivery. It never would have crossed my mind to ask for more time.
No, you weren't allowed to take the day off for delivery. You could have taken 12 weeks off under FMLA (assuming your employer was big enough to be required to). I did so in 1997.
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toofache32
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by toofache32 »

NAD83 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 12:30 pm
toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 6:51 am
JTColton wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 1:55 am
toofache32 wrote: Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:19 pm What do you mean by "paternity" leave?
Maternity = mothers
Paternity = fathers
I get that. I just didn’t know this was really a thing extended to males. When my wife had our kids 13 and 15 years ago I was allowed to take the day off for the delivery. It never would have crossed my mind to ask for more time.
And here's a perfect example of why we don't have a national policy nor do most companies/businesses (run by men) give any leave, maternity, paternity, or otherwise.

Heck, federal employees don't even get maternity leave.
I'm not opposed to taking off work for a new baby. I'm not opposed to having the job protected for a period of time to be able to return to work. But getting paid to not work is what makes no sense to me.
runner540
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by runner540 »

toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 3:31 pm
NAD83 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 12:30 pm
toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 6:51 am
JTColton wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 1:55 am
toofache32 wrote: Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:19 pm What do you mean by "paternity" leave?
Maternity = mothers
Paternity = fathers
I get that. I just didn’t know this was really a thing extended to males. When my wife had our kids 13 and 15 years ago I was allowed to take the day off for the delivery. It never would have crossed my mind to ask for more time.
And here's a perfect example of why we don't have a national policy nor do most companies/businesses (run by men) give any leave, maternity, paternity, or otherwise.

Heck, federal employees don't even get maternity leave.
I'm not opposed to taking off work for a new baby. I'm not opposed to having the job protected for a period of time to be able to return to work. But getting paid to not work is what makes no sense to me.
It makes sense to many large employers: the large banks, law firms and accounting/consulting firms offer 4-6 months paid leave for moms and various amounts of paid paternity leave.
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Quirkz
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by Quirkz »

toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 3:31 pm
I'm not opposed to taking off work for a new baby. I'm not opposed to having the job protected for a period of time to be able to return to work. But getting paid to not work is what makes no sense to me.
Vacation and sick days are getting paid not to work. This is just another class of benefit, in the same lines.

That said, while my company is subject to FMLA rules, it doesn't provide any automatic paid leave for kids. You're guaranteed the 12 weeks unpaid, but have to use sick or vacation time to get paid.
NYC_Guy
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by NYC_Guy »

I give 12 weeks paid maternity (plus another 4 weeks annual vacation). So about 4 months.

Also give 6 weeks paid paternity (plus another 4 weeks annual vacation). So about 2.5 months.
toofache32
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by toofache32 »

Jack FFR1846 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 1:05 pm
toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 6:51 am I get that. I just didn’t know this was really a thing extended to males. When my wife had our kids 13 and 15 years ago I was allowed to take the day off for the delivery. It never would have crossed my mind to ask for more time.
No, you weren't allowed to take the day off for delivery. You could have taken 12 weeks off under FMLA (assuming your employer was big enough to be required to). I did so in 1997.
I was a surgical resident. This would have delayed the completion of my training by 12 weeks.
regularguy455
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by regularguy455 »

curious george wrote: Mon Jun 17, 2019 7:29 pm Hello

I am in a small/medium medical practice and was wondering what is standard for maternity/paternity leave ??

We remain torn as we understand the needs/demand of having children but yet it is quite hard to staff and pay for this as a small practice.
As someone on the receiving end of maternity/paternity leave policy, I would strongly urge you to be as generous as possible.

The state of family leave in the US is a national disgrace. If you care about your employees and their families you should offer at least 12 weeks of full pay for mothers and 2 weeks for fathers.

Most people are financially vulnerable on a good day, let alone after having a baby. Offering less than this creates excessive stress (on top of having a baby) and increase the general misery of the population.

Be a good corporate steward and give people a good leave policy. Your employees will appreciate it and may even create additional loyalty to your business.
Sam1
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by Sam1 »

I received 8 weeks paid + 12 weeks unpaid FMLA + used 4 weeks of sick leave.

I’m in an industry where taking 5-6 months is common. My theory is that many of the women are married to higher earning men and simply wouldn’t return to work if they didn’t receive enough leave. I would have quit my job if forced to return in 12 weeks and I realize most women don’t have this option.
wineandplaya
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by wineandplaya »

Got 4 weeks paid paternity from my current big healthcare tech company, plus using sick days directly after birth. And 3 weeks vacation per year. Would not consider working anywhere without decent parental/vacation policy, no matter the pay. Priorities.
Sam1
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by Sam1 »

toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 4:47 pm
Jack FFR1846 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 1:05 pm
toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 6:51 am I get that. I just didn’t know this was really a thing extended to males. When my wife had our kids 13 and 15 years ago I was allowed to take the day off for the delivery. It never would have crossed my mind to ask for more time.
No, you weren't allowed to take the day off for delivery. You could have taken 12 weeks off under FMLA (assuming your employer was big enough to be required to). I did so in 1997.
I was a surgical resident. This would have delayed the completion of my training by 12 weeks.
Seems like a natural consequence for having children, no? In the past, only women shared this burden. I would have not tolerated my husband only taking one day off. I expect him to help with night feedings etc. If he would only take one day off then we wouldn’t be having children or anymore children. Times are a changing.
Sam1
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by Sam1 »

runner540 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 4:09 pm
toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 3:31 pm
NAD83 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 12:30 pm
toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 6:51 am
JTColton wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 1:55 am

Maternity = mothers
Paternity = fathers
I get that. I just didn’t know this was really a thing extended to males. When my wife had our kids 13 and 15 years ago I was allowed to take the day off for the delivery. It never would have crossed my mind to ask for more time.
And here's a perfect example of why we don't have a national policy nor do most companies/businesses (run by men) give any leave, maternity, paternity, or otherwise.

Heck, federal employees don't even get maternity leave.
I'm not opposed to taking off work for a new baby. I'm not opposed to having the job protected for a period of time to be able to return to work. But getting paid to not work is what makes no sense to me.
It makes sense to many large employers: the large banks, law firms and accounting/consulting firms offer 4-6 months paid leave for moms and various amounts of paid paternity leave.
I assume they aren’t giving this leave out of the kindness of their own heart. I figure there is a business reason and it’s retaining high performing women they have spent a lot of money training and investing in. I’d guess at least half of law school graduates are women. How can an employer handle half or close of their employers quitting once they have children?
SleepKing
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by SleepKing »

current position
Paternity = none. you can file and take fmla if you want
Mother = 6 weeks + fmla if you want

Prior position
paternity= none official (commonly would get delivery and first few days if you asked with pay)+ fmla if you want
maternity= 6 weeks vaginal delivery, 8 weeks c-section + fmla if you want
toofache32
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by toofache32 »

Quirkz wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 4:10 pm
toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 3:31 pm
I'm not opposed to taking off work for a new baby. I'm not opposed to having the job protected for a period of time to be able to return to work. But getting paid to not work is what makes no sense to me.
Vacation and sick days are getting paid not to work. This is just another class of benefit, in the same lines.

That said, while my company is subject to FMLA rules, it doesn't provide any automatic paid leave for kids. You're guaranteed the 12 weeks unpaid, but have to use sick or vacation time to get paid.
Yes but why the carve out? My small business offers 3 weeks paid PTO. You can use that any way you wish. You can take vacation, get sick, or have a baby.
mac808
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Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by mac808 »

toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 10:21 pm
Sam1 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 5:10 pm
toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 4:47 pm
Jack FFR1846 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 1:05 pm
toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 6:51 am I get that. I just didn’t know this was really a thing extended to males. When my wife had our kids 13 and 15 years ago I was allowed to take the day off for the delivery. It never would have crossed my mind to ask for more time.
No, you weren't allowed to take the day off for delivery. You could have taken 12 weeks off under FMLA (assuming your employer was big enough to be required to). I did so in 1997.
I was a surgical resident. This would have delayed the completion of my training by 12 weeks.
Seems like a natural consequence for having children, no? In the past, only women shared this burden. I would have not tolerated my husband only taking one day off. I expect him to help with night feedings etc. If he would only take one day off then we wouldn’t be having children or anymore children. Times are a changing.
You would have wanted him to spend an extra year in training before he could get a job to support you and your family?
Why should missing 4 weeks worth of cases prolong training by an extra 52 weeks?

Aren't residents paid above the median household income while in residency? (not attractive on an hourly basis, I understand)
Afty
Posts: 2390
Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2014 5:31 pm

Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by Afty »

My wife was a resident when our first child was born. Her residency program worked with her to make sure she could both take maternity leave and finish on time. Forcing someone to take another year is a choice that the residency program makes, not an immutable fact of life.
Cycle
Posts: 2047
Joined: Sun May 28, 2017 7:57 pm
Location: Minneapolis

Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by Cycle »

We get 6 weeks for paternity. I'm just wrapping mine up now. Maternity is 12 weeks.

Wife's work gets 12 weeks paternity. Maternity bus 20 weeks.
Never look back unless you are planning to go that way
Jags4186
Posts: 8198
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:12 pm

Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by Jags4186 »

curious george wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 7:23 am I can understand this if the employee’s work can be distributed amongst many at a big Corp that has lots of money to cover the cost.

How does a small business or medical practice (not one that is covered by FMLA as it is too small) pay for this or
do the work with a vital employee gone for that long without impacting the company ?
You pay for it out of the company’s earnings. This may mean that as an owner of a small business you are going to be making less money while this employee is out. You cover the work of the vital employee by having other employees pick up the slack and/or hiring a temp. If you offer a poor or no policy then you risk having employees look for employment elsewhere when their personal situation changes. If your stance is basically “sorry, but we’re too small and we cannot offer you time off with or without pay” then I’m sure these vital employees are capable of being vital at another, more flexible, employer.
toofache32
Posts: 2349
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2012 5:30 pm

Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by toofache32 »

mac808 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 10:26 pm
toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 10:21 pm
Sam1 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 5:10 pm
toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 4:47 pm
Jack FFR1846 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 1:05 pm

No, you weren't allowed to take the day off for delivery. You could have taken 12 weeks off under FMLA (assuming your employer was big enough to be required to). I did so in 1997.
I was a surgical resident. This would have delayed the completion of my training by 12 weeks.
Seems like a natural consequence for having children, no? In the past, only women shared this burden. I would have not tolerated my husband only taking one day off. I expect him to help with night feedings etc. If he would only take one day off then we wouldn’t be having children or anymore children. Times are a changing.
You would have wanted him to spend an extra year in training before he could get a job to support you and your family?
Why should missing 4 weeks worth of cases prolong training by an extra 52 weeks?

Aren't residents paid above the median household income while in residency? (not attractive on an hourly basis, I understand)

It's the way things were "back then". If you don't complete the requirements for that year then you repeat the year.
I don't know what the median household income was in 2004 and I don't want to derail this any further. I was paid roughly $32,000 then.
Jags4186
Posts: 8198
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:12 pm

Re: Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Post by Jags4186 »

toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 9:06 pm
Quirkz wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 4:10 pm
toofache32 wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 3:31 pm
I'm not opposed to taking off work for a new baby. I'm not opposed to having the job protected for a period of time to be able to return to work. But getting paid to not work is what makes no sense to me.
Vacation and sick days are getting paid not to work. This is just another class of benefit, in the same lines.

That said, while my company is subject to FMLA rules, it doesn't provide any automatic paid leave for kids. You're guaranteed the 12 weeks unpaid, but have to use sick or vacation time to get paid.
Yes but why the carve out? My small business offers 3 weeks paid PTO. You can use that any way you wish. You can take vacation, get sick, or have a baby.
As a culture we have decided that having children and family is a good thing. Therefore we make special exceptions for when children come into the picture.
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