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Well, mothers get a year paid maternity leave here and it's paid for by the unemployment insurance primiums you pay on every single paycheck. There have been many years where the scheme actually has had a surplus and the government uses that to pay down the debt.
So how long do think paid leave should be? Keep in mind a lot of woman already earn less for doing the same job a man does.
If it were up to me...
I don't think it should be a given that any paid leave is available to everyone. You have put in time, have paid into a disability plan, earned some sick/vaca days then perhaps up to 12 weeks can be covered at some kind of reduced pay. After that it's up to you to figure out if you want to be unpaid or go back to work and the company should have a say in this since they are running a business and not a child birth support group.
Someone like armychick who started work right before giving birth probably wouldn't have any paid time off so if there does need to be a minimum time off for birth without loosing your job I'd make it 6-8 weeks, like it's always been, and an employer should know this upfront to make decisions regarding staffing and such. Nobody has to hire a pregnant woman. 6-8 weeks allows for maximum healing for difficult births but doesn't preclude someone from returning earlier if they need the money. Individual companies can do whatever they like if they want to offer something to their own workers, an employee benefit if you will.
Thankfully we do get to control when/if we have kids. Things can go wrong and those things need to be addressed if they happed via medical insurance and/or disability coverage, but the decision to even go down that road is always ours.
It is against the law to pay someone hourly as an independent contractor. Many in my industry have tried and many found out the consequences the hard way.
You dont understand how temp agencies work, do you?
You dont understand how temp agencies work, do you?
Yes I do. He wasnt talking about a temp agency , he was talking an independent contractor. Big dif as with an agency the employee actualy works for the temp agency.
I don't think it should be a given that any paid leave is available to everyone. You have put in time, have paid into a disability plan, earned some sick/vaca days then perhaps up to 12 weeks can be covered at some kind of reduced pay. After that it's up to you to figure out if you want to be unpaid or go back to work and the company should have a say in this since they are running a business and not a child birth support group.
Someone like armychick who started work right before giving birth probably wouldn't have any paid time off so if there does need to be a minimum time off for birth without loosing your job I'd make it 6-8 weeks, like it's always been, and an employer should know this upfront to make decisions regarding staffing and such. Nobody has to hire a pregnant woman. 6-8 weeks allows for maximum healing for difficult births but doesn't preclude someone from returning earlier if they need the money. Individual companies can do whatever they like if they want to offer something to their own workers, an employee benefit if you will.
Thankfully we do get to control when/if we have kids. Things can go wrong and those things need to be addressed if they happed via medical insurance and/or disability coverage, but the decision to even go down that road is always ours.
FMLA works if you have worked for a company for a year and a minimum of 1,250 hours but a woman cannot be turned down for a job because she is pregnant unless she is physically unable to and that can be proven. Being pregnant is not a legal reason to refuse someone a job and is covered as sexual discrimination.
You dont understand how temp agencies work, do you?
He is talking about 1099 not a temp and while it's not "illegal" it is part of the requirements to be classified as an Independent Contractor. Usually an IC will have a Statement of Work that defines a set amount of money to be paid for a project. If they get it done in 2 hours great. If done in 3 months. Doesn't matter. They get the same amount so they are not paid hourly.
Hiring an IC in replacement of a worker out on maternity leave makes no sense IMO. Hire a temp because you have the flexibility of just letting them go when the person comes back. If you get into a statement of work with an IC there could be complications unless all aspects of the SOW are covered fully.
I have been torn about maternity leave. My conservative side detests the idea of yet another gov't funded social program. However, my family centered side wishes more families could have one parent stay home with the child. Pure economics make this an impossible choice for most families. The reality is that this is a complex problem. I wish it were so easy as to say don't have any children unless one parent can stay home. However, that could be forever for most families.
I think people tend to oversimplify this issue. It's actually pretty important because I firmly believe the erosion of the familial unit has been the cause of many of our modern day issues with respect to crime, lack of values, lack of personal responsibility, etc. I guess, for me, if I had to choose something to spend gov't funds on, I would prefer maternity leave over some other useless gov't programs. However, I also think my fiscally conservative side would likely never embrace such an idea. Interested to see what ideas other people have about maternity leave.
My children are in their 30s and 40s, so my childbearing days were pre gov't assisted everything.
Back in the 70s, maternity insurance was NOT an employee benefit. Couples desiring children paid extra for maternity coverage. As a teacher, I was allowed up to 3 years of UNPAID maternity leave - my job was guaranteed upon my return. However, we could not afford the 3 years and I went back two work 7-8 months after each birth.
We do have competing philosophies in this country. We have a strong push for children to be raised by a parent - usually the mother - while at the same time a huge negative knee jerk reaction to the idea of compensating women for doing exactly that.
I worked with a number of women who interrupted their careers to stay home with their young children. Many of them were married to men who made enough money to support their families - the key word being 'were'. These women gave up 10-12 years of income producing, retirement contributing years only to find themselves single moms by the time their children were teenagers.
I advise young women to never give up their careers - for any reason. It is just as important for a woman to prepare for her retirement years as it is for a man and you can't prepare if you're not working.
I am telling it because people need to be held accountable for their own choices and decisions in life. I couldn't afford to take 3 months off without pay. I wasnt about to ask others to support my family. I am not one of those who think other people need to pay up.
Funny how I was told by a few people to go to the welfare office and ask for a handout. No thanks.
Working sucked because I was uncomfortable for a week or so but my boss is very understanding of the situation seeing that he had 3 c-sections herself. It's been a year and I don't regret it. We are all alive and have a roof over our heads and food in our bellies... And we are happy.
If I can sit on the couch at home... I can sit on a chair in front of the computer at work.... And get paid for it.
If you went back to work 2 weeks after a C section for God's sake that tells me one thing, you couldn't afford to have a child. Ridiculous, lucky you didn't die.
If working new mothers would take the time to figure out how little they earn per hour when all is said and done, they would gladly stay home and take the small monetary loss. The kids would gain so much and the marriages would also benefit.
Only if they are ignorant of the economic consequences of giving up their careers.
FMLA works if you have worked for a company for a year and a minimum of 1,250 hours but a woman cannot be turned down for a job because she is pregnant unless she is physically unable to and that can be proven. Being pregnant is not a legal reason to refuse someone a job and is covered as sexual discrimination.
Maybe legally. Realistically it can be done. All you need is another applicant who isn't pregnant. There are multiple reasons not to hire a pregnant woman and as a woman I get that.
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