Childless women should get maternity leave

[Anonymous]

Compared to my male co-workers, the women in my office carry most of the mental load and do all of the emotional labor. This increased stress recently caused me to snap at the office and I started crying in front of some of my direct reports. I don't have children but could really use a 90 day break to fully refresh. I think all women should get something similar to maternity leave, even if they don't have kids. How can I go about making this a policy in my office ?

[Anonymous]

Everybody should be able to take a lengthy amount of time off work, every so often. Don't make this about women vs men or parents vs non.

Many workplaces now offer sabbatical for employees who have been there x years. This is a nice retention perk and a way to refresh someone who's been there a long time.

Some workplaces lock employees out of the system (paid) for a week or so every year to do audits and make sure no inside info has been shared or misused.

Easiest would be to get the amount of PTO increased, and make it normal/encouraged/mandatory to use some each year. Take 2 week vacations unapologetically, and encourage your reports to do so. Insist of staffing and cross-training sufficient to cover someone being out. The latter is just good planning but companies try to shirk it.

[Anonymous]

It’s called short term disability. Maternity leave is for mothers (though often we have to take STD).

[Anonymous]

My office would never let me take 90 consecutive days of PTO. Don't I need to get a medical diagnosis to qualify for short term disability ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s called short term disability. Maternity leave is for mothers (though often we have to take STD).

+1. If you can't handle the stress of life without breaking down what you have is a mental health problem that needs treatment. Look into STD.

[Anonymous]

Peri needs are just as legitimate but should be within a broader mental health category. I actually took a permanent step back at work bc of peri since my work has no good options for my situation and no possibility of a real long vacation.

[Anonymous]

Maternity leave isn’t about “refreshing” OP … it’s about recovering from childbirth and caring for a newborn.

If you are having a mental health crisis you can ask for leave. I have a single friend who did this recently.

[Anonymous]

It’s just called “leave”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Peri needs are just as legitimate but should be within a broader mental health category. I actually took a permanent step back at work bc of peri since my work has no good options for my situation and no possibility of a real long vacation.

“Peri needs” are not a thing. Stop it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maternity leave isn’t about “refreshing” OP … it’s about recovering from childbirth and caring for a newborn.

If you are having a mental health crisis you can ask for leave. I have a single friend who did this recently.

It's definitely possible. My wife took both maternity leave and STD when she was in the psych ward/partial hospitalization program.

[Anonymous]

Agree that everyone should get some time off of work, but don’t make the mistake of thinking maternity leave is a vacation or a refresh. It’s grueling work. I came back from maternity leave more stressed than when I left. Agree with the one of the posters above that you should utilize your vacation as much as you can, or take sabbatical if your company offers it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maternity leave isn’t about “refreshing” OP … it’s about recovering from childbirth and caring for a newborn.

If you are having a mental health crisis you can ask for leave. I have a single friend who did this recently.

It's definitely possible. My wife took both maternity leave and STD when she was in the psych ward/partial hospitalization program.

Assuming she took maternity leave for the actual birth of a child?

[Anonymous]

Maternity leave is not a refresh—it’s a war zone.

What you are asking for is a sabbatical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maternity leave isn’t about “refreshing” OP … it’s about recovering from childbirth and caring for a newborn.

If you are having a mental health crisis you can ask for leave. I have a single friend who did this recently.

It's definitely possible. My wife took both maternity leave and STD when she was in the psych ward/partial hospitalization program.

Assuming she took maternity leave for the actual birth of a child?

Oh yeah, she took maternity for a kid and STD for psychological issues. My point was that there is a potential solution for mental health crisis, but it's different than maternity leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Peri needs are just as legitimate but should be within a broader mental health category. I actually took a permanent step back at work bc of peri since my work has no good options for my situation and no possibility of a real long vacation.

They are not, and you know it.