Usa 6 Month Mat Leave Quit and Find Work Again
Discover out what the UK rules are when it comes to resigning after motherhood go out, and hear from one woman who did it - and hasn't looked back.
Motherhood leave is past no means 'fourth dimension off'. There's the pocket-size matter of keeping a tiny human live, as well as navigating the lack of sleep and the dramatic change to your social life. Merely that doesn't mean mat leave doesn't provide ample time for reflection – particularly career-based reflection.
And that's why some people end up concluding, during this time away from piece of work, that they want to quit their jobs after maternity leave.
It's a major determination, merely with the staggering cost of childcare, issues around flexible working, and the temptation of starting a whole new career, information technology'due south not entirely uncommon. In fact, it's on the rise, with lx% of women in i survey saying they had changed jobs after maternity get out.
Shortlyhoped-for mum-of-two, 31-year-old Roanna Day, made the selection last year. After having worked as digital editor of a lifestyle magazine for about four years earlier going off on motherhood exit, she didn't exactly plan not to return – merely somewhere, the thought had always been there.
"I grew up knowing that my mum went on maternity leave every bit a nurse, only then later on taking some time out to heighten us, she retrained as a phsycotherapist," Roanna explains. "Her career alter wasn't so much of a correction, but rather her exploring another thing she'south brilliant at. And so, I had always framed maternity leave in this style – as an opportunity to redefine my career."
With very few companies truly facilitating mothers coming back to work, Roanna found this to exist the example with her quondam employer. "While the render to piece of work conversations I had while on maternity get out were very amicable and all the 'right' stuff was said, in essence, the company [maintained it] would proceed to exercise as it had always done – expect its employees to piece of work Monday-Friday, 9-5."
For Roanna, "that only wasn't an option" anymore, with the full fourth dimension childcare costs information technology would have incurred beingness but 1 of many reasons.
And so information technology was a case of going back to the cartoon board. "I committed to not thinking nearly what I would do, or what my plan was, for at least 6 months. I indulged in half a year of falling in dearest with my girl and starting to daydream near the kind of life I wanted to build for us," she tells me. During that process, Roanna sifted through various thoughts, dreams and ideas, and towards the finish of her year-long maternity exit, two business organization ideas had actually stuck.
In that location were fears around the prospect of leaving her job, however. Finances being ane of them. "I absolutely could not afford to exit my task. Myself and my husband had countless discussions about what to do; we both wanted to indulge my new business organization dreams only we can't brand ends meet on his salary lone," she explains.
And then, there was the risk of losing the identity and sense of self that came with her role. "Becoming a female parent already shakes who you are, and now I was thinking about giving upward my job. A task that gave me huge pride, cartel I say fifty-fifty ego, and a real sense of identify and success," Roanna reflects.
But afterward making the decision to take on some freelance clients to keep a regular income stream – and with the headspace that maternity leave allowed helping Roanna to conclude that the sense of ego and the perks that came with her job were "in essence, fairly meaningless trifles" – she decided to have the plunge.
Now, she's the proud owner of ii businesses: ThinkSmall, a consultancy that exists to champion and cheer on small businesses, and Bully House Subcontract Stores, a refillable scented candle visitor.
"Most days I experience liberated, if a little terrified!" says Roanna. "Sometimes I miss the security of a monthly pay cheque, or the goodies I used to get sent equally part of my part, simply those moments are fleeting," she contemplates. "I love the two businesses I'm edifice now. There'due south real potential for both and we but grow calendar month afterward month. Information technology feels actually good to be growing a business organisation where the expectation is growth, is momentum, is opportunity."
Roanna might have done it, just if you're notwithstanding concerned about the ins and outs of resigning after motherhood exit, and wondering where that leaves you financially (do you have to pay back your maternity allowance, for example?) so keep reading. We asked Capital Law employment lawyer Alex Christen to explain everything you demand to know earlier deciding to do it yourself…
So, do yous take to pay back your motherhood pay if you quit during mat leave?
"If yous decide to resign at the end of your maternity leave, yous are non required to pay back any Statutory Maternity Pay you received during your get out. You may also exist entitled to the residue of your statutory motherhood pay, depending on when your employment ends," explains Alex.
In instance yous demand a refresher: Statutory Maternity Pay in the UK is paid for up to 39 weeks. For the showtime 6 weeks, y'all'll get 90% of your average weekly earnings (before tax). For the remaining 33 weeks, you'll get whichever is lower: £151.97 per week, or 90% of your average weekly earnings.
There is a but, when it comes to paying your company if you quit mid-or-post mat leave, however. "You may need to repay whatsoever enhanced motherhood pay that you lot received from your employer that is over and above your statutory maternity pay entitlement," notes the lawyer. "Employers tin can crave you lot to repay all or some of whatsoever enhanced motherhood pay merely if you practice not return to work. Typically, the contract will state that the employee must return to work for a minimum period after maternity leave ends to avoid repayment of enhanced maternity pay," she adds.
Roanna didn't finish upwards having to repay annihilation she was paid throughout her motherhood exit, but not everyone is quite so lucky. Generally the rule is: if your contract or benefits handbook sets out that y'all'd need to repay your enhanced maternity pay in the eventuality you quit, so you lot may take to pay back some or all of the money. If not, you should be fine.
"When yous go on maternity get out, your employer should remind you of your rights during maternity go out and details of any repayment obligations should be given to you again in writing. If you take non had this information, or if information technology is not articulate when yous would be asked to repay enhanced maternity pay, you should ask your employer," advises Alex.
How should yous best time handing in your notice afterwards motherhood leave?
"If yous are hoping to quit during or after maternity leave, y'all should resign giving discover in the usual way in accordance with your employment contract," says Alex. Simply, she adds, it's worth being wise virtually when you practise it. "If you are planning to resign, depending on finances you may desire to time the concluding date of your observe menstruum with the terminal date of your maternity go out," she notes.
If your contract does country that you need to repay enhanced maternity payments, however, the legal adept advises "it may be financially sensible to return to work earlier handing in your notice."
How should you go nigh explaining in your resignation letter of the alphabet why you desire to quit later maternity leave?
Alex has some good advice for this. "If employees do decide to resign, it is helpful to explain to their employer why this is, and whether there is anything their employer could be doing differently to encourage women to return to piece of work following maternity leave," she suggests.
"An open up dialogue can be incredibly helpful to both sides to assistance find a way forward that makes the women feel valued at work, and stops her employer losing a valued member of its workforce."
Tin you modify jobs to piece of work for another company straight later maternity leave?
Subsequently the birth of your child, whatever Statutory Motherhood Pay entitlement volition end when y'all kickoff working for a new employer," says Alex, adding that the same legal obligations discussed before may arise in terms of repaying enhanced maternity pay, depending on the terms of your employment contract.
The only other thing to consider is whether your employment contract contains any restrictions on what you can and cannot do after your employment ends. "You may be prevented from working for a competitor, for example, for a fixed period of time later on your employment ends," she suggests. "Whether these clauses are enforceable will depend on a number of factors, such as whether it is reasonable to restrict your activities when you have already been out of the workplace for some fourth dimension."
What about quitting after maternity leave to stop working or go self-employed?
"If you quit piece of work entirely, you may exist able to continue receiving your Statutory Maternity Pay for the remainder of the 39 weeks of your motherhood exit," notes the lawyer. This, still, depends on your eligibility for statutory motherhood pay, which factors in things such equally whether you started work for your employer before you became significant.
"Simply," Alex adds, "maternity get out will come up to an end when employment ends. Where applicable your employer must continue to pay statutory motherhood pay for the residuum of maternity go out, merely your employer can recoup this from HMRC."
If you move to being self-employed, the legal expert advises that "you may still be entitled to receive statutory maternity pay from your employer. If not, you lot may exist eligible for a maternity assart." You lot tin can read more about that on the government website, here.
What should you do if your company tries to make you redundant office-way through maternity get out?
Rest assured: at that place is boosted protection for women who are on motherhood exit who face a back-up situation. "If you lot are on motherhood exit, and there is a genuine reason to brand your role redundant, your employer must offer you suitable culling work if they have it. They should give you this as a priority over other employees," says Alex.
"This is a rare instance of positive lawful discrimination every bit women on maternity leave are given preferential handling to others at risk of redundancy," she explains, adding that "at that place are plans to extend this protection then that it applies not only to women on motherhood exit, merely from the point an employee outset tells her employer she is pregnant through to 6 months after her return to work."
Are there any other important things y'all should know most resigning during or after maternity get out?
"Employees should always bank check what their employment contract says and as well what their employer'south maternity leave policy says. In that location may be back up or other options bachelor to women thinking almost resigning during or later their maternity leave and they may be able to discuss these options or support mechanisms confidentially with HR," advises the lawyer.
From Roanna'south perspective, leaving your job after maternity leave can definitely exist an empowering conclusion. "Information technology's not like shooting fish in a barrel merely, if you tin can, give yourself some time while you're on motherhood leave to imagine your career equally a blank piece of paper and cartel to remember virtually what story you lot would similar information technology to tell," she says. "It takes real dust, decision and an incredible amount of plate-spinning to pivot your career while you lot're still learning to become a mother, so make sure you've got a team of people who love you and who tin can hold you up past your side," she adds.
Wise words indeed.
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Source: https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/life/work/quit-after-maternity-leave-752942
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