Someone please talk some sense into me ….

moneypuddle

Hi ,

I am having major worries, surrounding my job and maternity leave , which I am hoping someone can tell me are unfounded.

Facts:
1. My OH are planning on trying to conceive in early 2012, which could potentially mean a baby by Oct/Nov 2012.
2. By that point I will have worked in my current job for around 5.5 years
3. I earn £25k – made up of £20k basic and a £5k bonus
4. I have never had any kind of disciplinary, telling-off etc at work, and my role is safe (as can be)

Eugh this sounds awful but I know I am well thought of at work, because I have worked hard and become a ‘can do ‘ person. My role is complex, time-consuming and I have to be highly organised to do it, and pay a huge amount of attention to detail. The company is well known as it is ‘national’ but we actually only have around 25 employees and because of poor management planning, we really do only have one person doing each role, so for example whilst there are 10 sales people, there is only one purchase ledger clerk, one credit controller, one of me (campaign manager). My boss does appreciate me and makes little digs about how she couldn’t cope without me like ‘you’d better not be planning a baby’ comments from time to time, but she’s a genuinely nice person and does it in jokey kind of way, and I am fine with that. At one point the company was struggling and needed to look at relocating. I was involved in the consultation process and my boss asked me if I would be willing to move to the new location. I was honest with her and said that whilst yes I would go, no it wasn’t ideal for me and I would be looking for another job. She immediately retracted the option of moving and said we were staying put. Obviously that did make me feel valued.

My big worry is what will happen when I go on maternity leave…. There is no-one that doesn’t already have a full time job and that could take on my work. I already do two people’s jobs so am fully pushed, as is everyone else in the office, so the only option is to get someone new in to cover for me. I would plan to be off for 6-9 months, maybe up to a year depending on how money pans out. Do I have to specify this in advance so they can include duration on the job ad?

My worries are:

What if they get someone in who isn’t good at the job? It has taken me a year to get to grips with this new system we have in place at work, and at least at that point I already had a few years experience of our old system! When I then return to work, everything could be in such a mess. It’s hard to explain, but if someone enters the wrong details onto a system, (literally .... a single letter typed in wrongly) this could lead to advertising campaigns being removed early, and would be hugely costly. Of course I would do my best to train the person as well as I could but I’m very aware that the system is complex and confusing (it was designed by my boss’s son (computer graduate) so can’t be criticised! - oh no!) and could be a nightmare. One mistake could cost thousands of pounds, and I hate the thought of having to pick the pieces up when I come back from mat leave, as I’ve been the one to pick it all up before and was working till 10pm some nights just to get things all in place. It’s taken a year, but its all accurate now, and since I’m the only person controlling the system I am very picky about how it all done.

What if they get someone in who is really good at the job? And is willing to do is for less than me? What if they will accept £16k-£18k for the role, and I become pushed out. I have read that I am legally entitled to return to my work after maternity leave but I’m just worried in case another reason would be found to push me out. I might only want to return on a 4 day week. What if this is used against me?

I know I am probably looking at this well ahead of time as Im not even pregnant yet but I’m a natural worrier and can’t help but consider these things. I am aware that I might not even want to go back to work, but we cannot survive on OH’s wage so I know I will have to work somewhere and I do enjoy my job here and would love to come back. I just seem to want it all ..... career and baby. Is it even possible?

I also would feel intensely guilty about 'landing my boss in it' because she's been good to me

Help!

scheming_gypsy

No offence but I had to skip around the waffle, so i didn't read it all. Most places will get a temp in to cover your maternity leave.

whitelabel

as good as you are, no one, is irreplaceable, ever. An unfortunate fact of life.
and equally, the company wont collapse if you leave. They also have to hold your job or a similar paid one for you so just go with what ever nature throws your away, if any thing, and dont worry... be happy !

InsideInsurance

To be honest it sounds like you are far too much of a worrier which may not be the best state for a to be parent.

Deal with one step at a time, firstly getting pregnant. Recent stats put it at 30% of otherwise healthy couple have problems conceiving and even those that dont take an average of 3 months. You cannot plan these things that much.

At a previous place of work 2 women had their first babies whilst I was there. The first was adamant they were going to take 12 months leave, which is the very reason they joined the company. The second was going to take 6 months because they saw it as the best balance between parenthood and career. The first one took 6 weeks off and of that 6 weeks 1.5 weeks was spent on holiday without the baby who was looked after by the live in nanny. The second one took a year off and then only came back part time.

If you worked hard and well then the company will want to retain you even if it is a slightly different role. If you decide you want to take a different track after parenthood then they will provide a strong reference.

Deal with 1 step at a time

dseventy

You sound like a hard-working dedicated (if a worrier) worker.

If they get someone bad in cover you, then they will be gagging for you to come back!
If they get someone good to cover you, you don't have to worry and can relax and enjoy your pregnancy.

D70

magenta22

Okay, firstly…. You plan to conceive early next year; this doesn’t always happen when you want it to and can take months to actually conceive – especially if you are under stress because of your job.

As you seem so concerned about your job you have two choices.

One: Put your job first and don’t have children, who knows what your company will do in the future.

Two: Have children and let someone else cover the job.

Most companies will get someone in to cover maternity, I am doing a maternity cover role myself and my last role was a maternity cover contract. The company has to keep a role open for you, they will give you the option of going back to your old role or taking on a new one – perhaps going part time etc….. If the person covering the role is good and they can, they may ask them to stay helping you with that role as you say you’re covering two jobs, with a family to consider you will appreciate that as you will be able to get home on time in the evenings. Or they will offer them another role within the company or they will go on to their next role.

You are not landing your boss in it, she has to get on with it. She considered you with the relocation but they may decide they need to do so again and it won’t be an option.

If they get someone to cover the role and they are that bad, they won’t keep them on – simple. You will be far to busy to worry about your job when a baby comes along or will your job still be more important to you than your child? Will you be one of those parents who will leave the child with childminders, at day-care, with who ever will look after them because you are working late and don’t have time for them?

If someone is given a good handover and are shown how to do things properly they will be fine, you would need to make sure that you provide them with a good how to guide.
What happens when you are on holiday? Does no one cover your role then?

DCFC79

As others have said i wouldnt worry about what could happen when you are off work on maternity, if the person they get in is crap then its not your fault. In no way are you landing your boss in it, people get pregnant and the partner takes time off but its part and parcel of being an employer.

moneypuddle

Thanks all. Well I've not been on holiday since 2008. Earlier this year I did go away for a couple of days but only over the royal wedding, so I only took 3 actual working days off and no-one covered my role. I just planned manically before I left and picked up the slack when I came back

Guess its decision time really. I'm well aware I might not fall pregnant right away but I would rather plan for if I did than not worry about it at all!

Hmmm ....

Sambucus_Nigra

moneypuddle wrote: »

Thanks all. Well I've not been on holiday since 2008. Earlier this year I did go away for a couple of days but only over the royal wedding, so I only took 3 actual working days off and no-one covered my role. I just planned manically before I left and picked up the slack when I came back

Guess its decision time really. I'm well aware I might not fall pregnant right away but I would rather plan for if I did than not worry about it at all!

Hmmm ....

You need to start taking holidays. Why haven't you taken them? Your employers should be making you take them. They are there for a reason.

magenta22

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

You need to start taking holidays. Why haven't you taken them? Your employers should be making you take them. They are there for a reason.

Agreed.

Sounds to me that the OP's employer then doesn't exactly think about her welfare and the fact she may need a break and help when she does so. You should take holiday and they should make sure you do.

You want to start planning a family...... plan a family and sod your boss.

embob74

I had a boss who swore he couldn't do without me when I told him I was pregnant. I had previously only taken holidays in short bursts so the company wasn't left too long without anybody doing the paperwork I did and I planned having less maternity leave than I wanted to return quickly and was prepared to do work at home should the business need it.
In return he made me redundant and kept the temp maternity cover on.
So stop worrying as what happens will happen. You can prepare as much as possible for the temp to be sufficient in the role but you can never prepare for how your employer will feel about you leaving them to have time with your baby. So just enjoy your time off knowing you have done as much as you can for your employer.
But don't write your job role down in a handy guide for the temp. My biggest regret!