Reply to How do you feel about those who take a paid maternity leave then quit?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think this causes some anger because of the way the US system is set up. I've previously worked for multiple companies in Canada (12-18mon mat leave), when someone goes on mat leave they generally hire a contract for the same amt of time. There are no hard feelings because someone else has to cover and do 2x work. The person who just got a new job/promotion/stretch assignment is thrilled! If the person decides not to return to work, that job is basically theirs on a permanent basis. 
I don't fault anyone for taking their full, entitled leave, and using that time to decide what they want to do going forward. Maybe thats being a SAHP, maybe it's a different job. Either way, it really doesnt affect me. [/quote]

Ooof, 12-18 months of isolation. I would have killed myself. Literally. The isolation and PPD was so bad that going back to work saved my life.[/quote]

It's not 18 months of maternity leave. Moms get 15 weeks of maternity leave, and after that it become parental leave, which can be split between parents, which can last 40-69 weeks depending on how you structure it. None of it is 100% of salary -- it's max 55% of salary up to a salary cap, and if you take extended leave it's less than that. We're talking somewhere in the realm of $400-600 a week. Some companies offer "top up" to make it 100% of salary, but obviously that's going to be for the person actually taking the leave (the mom during maternity leave or either parent during parental leave) and is more time limited.

[b]So it's actually not common for someone to take the total available leave unless they are in fact planning to leave their jobs[/b], whether to SAH or to change jobs/careers. People want to get back to their full salary, and also often want to get back to work, for a wide variety of reasons including feeling it will help with PPD.

For what it's worth, I had awful PPD and it's what led to me quitting my job at the end of my maternity leave (in the US), because my company would not even allow me the flexibility to go to my weekly therapy appointment, much less other accommodations that might have eased that transition (PT for a period, or some hours flexibility to help with childcare restrictions). The nice thing about Canada's system is that it would meet either of our needs, instead of only serving the needs of someone who is better off back in the office.[/quote]
Where do you get that from? The 18mon option is relatively new (2017), but 99% of everyone I've known has always always taken the full 12 months offered previously. The new version is more split, but I know many people who take the full 18 months and still come back to their jobs. This is particularly helpful for when it's a second/third baby, and they can stay home for 18mons and get the older child off to pre-k/kin, thus majorly lowering daycare costs vs having two youngins in care. [/quote]

I meant the 18. Agree 12 months is pretty standard. I don't personally know anyone who has taken the 18 and returned to work -- the payout just winds up being quite low. But I see your point about 2nd and 3rd babies. I don't actually know anyone with 3 kids yet![/quote]
Yes, the payment is quite low, and that's also the only people I've known who take it [bridge daycare]. But being able to stay home that extra bit and avoid crazy daycare $$$ and still get a small stipend is worth it for them. [/quote]

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