What to do about work and maternity leave?

itsalmostchristmas

I'm due to go on maternity leave at the end of this month and I told work as soon as my 12 week scan that I was pregnant and as soon as I got my MATB1 form I did a letter to work with the form telling them when I wanted to go on maternity leave and when I thought this meant I was due to come back to work.


Apart from a 2 second verbal conversation with one of the HR bods confirming receipt of my letter and her acknowledgement that she knows she needs to respond I have heard NOTHING.


Part of me isn't keen to chase too much as I really don't want to come back after mat leave. I really don't enojoy my job, plus my job would be changing so much I wouldn't want to do it anyhow.



In some way I'm hoping that because I won't have a job to come back to (as in my job is being farmed out to lots of different people - some of these people in other countries!) and they are not getting a temp in to cover me that I will have grounds for industrial tribunal. They realistically aren't going to just give me my current role back - I've already been told "off record" by my boss that when I come back my job will change. Problem is, there's nothing in my company I can do that matches what I do now. I am a team of 1 so it's not like I'll be able to slot back in where I left off. I do have an inkling of what they'll be "expecting" me to do upon my return and it's not what I took this job on doing and I don't want to do it if I was to come back, I have no skills or formal training in the field. Basically I'm a buyer and I help my boss out with basic financial reporting. The buyer/procurement role is being farmed out to other people and my boss is taking her job back. I know that upon my return they'll expect me to take a more financial role. Now I can bearly count to 10 let alone do anything financial! (long live Excel).
I've been helping my boss because it's what you to do keep your job and stay in your job...that's all. Not because I wanted to really.


Also thinking their lack of acknowledgement of my maternity leave letter will go in my favour.


The problem is, me leaving it as is puts me in a position that I have no idea what's happening with regards to coming back.


Also to say it's just ordinary maternity leave, nothing additional.



So, what do you guys think I should do to manage this?

clairec79

I'd email them asking for confirmation of the start date of my maternity leave etc, noting the dates I informed them of the pregnancy and supplied the MATB1
That way you have a trail

itsalmostchristmas

Yes I think you are right.

Thing is, I'm rubbish at wording emails. Can someone help me word an email?

monty-doggy

I don't mean to sound rude but if you are clued up enough to do that kind of job, and to know about employment tribunals, you can surely type out an email asking for some confirmation?
How will you cope if you go to tribunal? No one will do it for you then!
get yourself together and if you think it's worth fighting for then fight!
If you can't be bothered now you've no chance of fighting them in court.

itsalmostchristmas

monty-doggy wrote: »

I don't mean to sound rude but if you are clued up enough to do that kind of job, and to know about employment tribunals, you can surely type out an email asking for some confirmation?
How will you cope if you go to tribunal? No one will do it for you then!
get yourself together and if you think it's worth fighting for then fight!
If you can't be bothered now you've no chance of fighting them in court.

And yes that does sound rude.

I am 35 weeks pregnant and struggling to think straight let alone compose an email related to maternity leave!

I was just after some advise not to be shot down in flames.

monty-doggy

I'm not shooting you down in flames, I'm sorry if it came across that way. I've been through the tribunal process, it's not easy, my point was you need to focus on getting all the info together before you leave and make sure you are prepared.

I wasn't trying to be rude hence me saying that.

jobbingmusician

How about this?

Following my notification to the company of my pregnancy, on xx.xx.xx, and my submission of the MATB1, I would be grateful for confirmation of the start date of my maternity leave and my return date.

Yours sincerely

And remember to forward all the relevant emails to your personal email address, and/or take hard copies, before you go on leave. Assume you will never again have access to your work computer, and that you will be going to tribunal.

itsalmostchristmas

Hi

Thanks everyone. I have all copies of all correspondence saved on my memory pen.

I'm obviously hoping I don't have to end up going to a tribunal about anything but best to be safe than sorry.

monty-doggy

As said above assume you will never go back. Get copies of everything you can including any evidence of how your job is being advertised. A tribunal is very stressful but if you are armed with all your evidence you can do it without the need for a solicitor, that's what I did and it saved me a fortune. ACAS are very good at guiding you through it.

I am sorry you are having a stressful time, it probably feels awful worrying what will happen in 12 months time so I'd just get all the information, file it away and concentrate on Christmas and your baby.

You never know what will happen when you go back, you might be surprised.

I'm sorry if I came across harsh before, I didn't mean it that way.
Best of luck with your baby

Takeaway_Addict

A tribunal for what exactly?

You can be made redundant whilst on maternity but they do have to be more careful but if they are farming your roles out then chances are they will see the role has gone and might look to either move you to another job and then its down to whether you are capable or not to do this job.