segs@mhuxn.UUCP (slusky) (08/05/85)
[] Several postings have lately referred to maternity leaves and the boon they are to women and how it is that men are less able to take time of for child-rearing because they are not granted such leave. I work at AT&T Bell Labs, and our leave policy doesn't seem to fit the descriptions I'm reading. I'd be interested in hearing about the leave policy at other companies. I'll describe ours. Before the birth of a child, a woman can take leave under a general "anticipated disability" heading. (Men can also take such leaves for anticipated disability, for example, for planned surgery.) However, such leave is unpaid. This tends to encourage working up to the last possible minute, since it's so costly to stay home. After childbirth, a woman receives disability payments for a time period determined by the company (to some extent in consulatation with the woman's physician). The period of time is supposed to be that time that one physically cannot show up for work without endangering one's health. Typically it's said to be four weeks for a normal delivery. The disability payments you receive are either half pay or full pay depending on length of service, in accordance with the general disability payment policy. Any parent of a child under the age of six months may take childcare leave (unpaid, again). This includes adoptive and natural parents, male and female. You're guaranteed a job if you return within the right time frame, but not your old job. All around, this maternity leave business doesn't seem to work out to such a great deal. It basically adds up to four weeks of possibly half pay. Nor does it seem to particularly encourage women to stay home as opposed to men. However, my impression is that few men take advantage of the childcare leave possibility. Let me say, by the way, that I may be incorrect as to some of the particulars of the policy of AT&T Bell Labs. I'm not trying to act as a benefits counselor here. This is my understanding of the policy. Susan Slusky mhuxn!segs --
mfs@mhuxr.UUCP (SIMON) (08/05/85)
> All around, this maternity leave business doesn't seem to work out > to such a great deal. It basically adds up to four weeks of possibly > half pay. > Nor does it seem to particularly encourage women to stay home > as opposed to men. However, my impression is that few men > take advantage of the childcare leave possibility. > > Susan Slusky Agreed. My wife works for a company whose policy provides the bare minimum required by New York State law: whatever vacation the parent may have saved up prior to and following delivery, then up to 90 days leave, unpaid, with your job guaranteed afterward. Beyond 90 days, you are on your own; you would have to re-inerview to get *some* job back, with no guarantee that you would get a comparable salary, etc. Incidentally, I speak of "parent", but the company would consider it *very* weird, and cause for *severe* suspicion of the employee's dedication if the *father* were to take the 90 days in question. So although the AT&T policy is not *that* much of a boon to either parent, it is still much more generous than at least one other company's. Marcel Simon Disclaimer: although I work for AT&T-IS, this posting and others I may post or have posted on the subject reflect my own views of company policy, as well as my own opinions thereof. Any inaccuracy is my responsibility.
greenber@timeinc.UUCP (Ross M. Greenberg) (08/12/85)
> >Incidentally, I speak of "parent", but the company would consider it *very* >weird, and cause for *severe* suspicion of the employee's dedication >if the *father* were to take the 90 days in question. > Ah..there is the rub! -- ------------------------------------------------------------------ Ross M. Greenberg @ Time Inc, New York --------->{vax135 | ihnp4}!timeinc!greenber<--------- I highly doubt that Time Inc. would make me their spokesperson. ---- "I had a cat. She died. Had a goldfish. Died. Guppies. Died. Gerbils. Died. Tippy. Died." - little girl "Alright! So I don't like small animals!" - Mr. Death