Would you use up all your leave before returning to work -- or save a few days so u have a cushion?

[Anonymous]

I'm a fed and scheduled to return to work in early January after having DD No. 2. I've been out for just under 3 mos., and would like to use the remainder of my leave (1 week) so that I can return a week or so later. With the holidays approaching, I feel like I need time after the holidays to get ready for work, etc. I was originally planning on saving the 1 week of additional leave for when the kids get sick. Would you save the 1 week of leave, or use it? I'm in a pretty high stress position, and so, once I return, I feel like work is going to consume me, and I would use that 1 week to get the kids' rooms organized, freeze some food, and get things ready for my return to work. I will continue to accrue leave once I return -- just wondering whether I should have a cushion or use the time to finish household/personal stuff I'd like to get done.

[Anonymous]

Split the difference and return to work on a Wednesday and have a little buffer in case you need it.

[Anonymous]

Definitely save a few days!! My DD was sick the second week I went back to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Split the difference and return to work on a Wednesday and have a little buffer in case you need it.

Definitely this- returning on a Wed is also much easier than a Monday.

[Anonymous]

Depends on whether there is someone else available to take off when the kid gets sick. Dad? Family? If you are it, you'd better save some days.

[Anonymous]

Save the leave. Kids get sick. Daycare closes early, opens late, nannies get sick, etc.

[Anonymous]

I would save it. I used all of mine with my DS, and while I got lucky and he managed to go an entire month in daycare without getting sick, it could have just as easily gone the other way.

Do you have a good friend(s) in town, or a family member willing to help with the stuff you have mentioned? Sounds like this might be a good time to call in the cavalry.

[Anonymous]

Save a few days. The baby will get sick, daycare may close for snow, the nanny may not show, etc. You may get sick (I got sick so much the first year back).

Definitely go back midweek if possible, regardless of your decision on saving days.

[Anonymous]

Save it. Babies get sick. And you don't want to be *that* employee, who is running on empty and pissing off supervisors.

[Anonymous]

Save a few days if you can. My daughter was sick quite a bit the first year.

[Anonymous]

Another consideration is that if you pay a portion of your own insurance, you won't be at risk for losing your insurance for nonpayment of your portion since payments will come out of your leave balance.

[Anonymous]

Also fed here.

With DD#2, I ended up using advanced sick leave during pregnancy/maternity leave... I also had basically wiped out my annual leave in conjunction with that. DD#2 was born in March 2004 and I didn't finish paying back the advanced sick leave - 4 hours per pay period - until August 2006.... which of course meant that I could never really get ahead with my annual leave, since I used a combo of annual and LWOP if needed when either of the kids were sick or daycare was closed for whatever reason.

The first year, because my kids decided to get sick consecutively instead of concurrently, I ended up having to use a fair amount of LWOP... so much that my take home-salary was down by about $20K that year.

As some of the PPs have said, unless you have someone else who will be watching the kids when they get sick, I'd save some of that leave for the "rainy days" which will come.

[Anonymous]

You should look at your finances. In my office, they would be fine if I needed to take leave without pay in this situation. We are able to save most of what I make, so that would not really be a stressor. I probably would use most all of my leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another consideration is that if you pay a portion of your own insurance, you won't be at risk for losing your insurance for nonpayment of your portion since payments will come out of your leave balance.

The LWOP taker PP here... I don't understand this. As a fed, so long as you are in a pay status, your portion of your insurance will come out of your pay. In my case, I was fortunate that I was never in a LWOP status for an entire pay period, and thus was in a pay status for part of every pay period. So if you end up having to do LWOP, make sure you mingle the time with paid time within each pay period, and you should be fine for your benefits....

[Anonymous]

I agree that it depends on the culture of your office. If your supervisors would be cool with using advance leave or LWOP (and you can afford it), it's probably not such a big deal. But in general, I agree with those who recommend saving some.