Talking to your manager or senior leadership team about improving your Maternity Leave can be daunting and many women are often unaware that it’s even negotiable. But as the cost of living bites and people are feeling the pinch more than ever, having a maternity leave in place that serves you financially will give you one less thing to worry about when it comes to your parenting journey.
In this article, we’ve outlined some tips for approaching your company about negotiating maternity pay. The key to good negotiations is feeling prepared, having data to support your request, and knowing how to build your case.
Understand what’s included in your current policy
Firstly, look at your contract to review your current maternity leave policy and make sure you thoroughly understand what's currently offered. If you have questions or there are clauses you don’t understand, contact your HR department to clarify.
Next, make sure you upload your maternity leave allowance to the NuggBase, a database offered by Nugget Savings which brings greater transparency to parental leave policies and pay, this also helps to benchmark your employer against the industry standard.
Your policy may also offer options outside of the traditional maternity/paternity policy such as enhanced parental leave so think about whether this would be more beneficial for yourself and your partner.
Beyond monetary gains, look for perks that enhance your experience, for example, flexible working options, IVF leave, compassionate leave.
Lastly, make sure you investigate any policy updates, find out when it was last updated and by whom as the updated policy may be better than the one identified in your contract.
Speak to your HR department
As mentioned previously, if there’s anything in your contract that you don’t fully understand, clarify the terms with HR.
Additionally, it’s important to find out whether your HR department regularly benchmarks their parental leave policies, this ensures they’re in line with the industry standard and you’re getting a fair offer.
Time to crunch the numbers
To successfully negotiate your maternity leave pay, it’s important to do the maths. Understand the financial impact of your maternity leave on the company to make sure your requests are reasonable. Identify any additional non-monetary adjustments to your maternity leave that would be beneficial, for example, are there any non-financial improvements like reduced hours, remote working on flexible hours when you return?
Once you have a proposal, make sure you have the calculations of the costs incurred. Then, give the data on how your financial position would look on the current policy - and what this would mean for your family currently vs. your new proposed adjustments.
Additionally, think about parts of your policy that could be removed that would help, for example eliminating a clawback policy.
It’s also worth seeking guidance from help centres open to the public, such as Citizens Advice, ACAS, Maternity Action, CIPD, and Working Families.
Schedule a conversation with your manager
Once you have a clear case for a better maternity leave, schedule a meeting with your manager to discuss your proposal and reference the data you’ve collected to support your argument.
Make sure you provide a clear agenda of the points you’d like to raise and take notes. Keep track of the discussion and actions throughout so you can follow up in an email after the meeting.
Remember…
Negotiating for better maternity pay is not just about the money; it's about fostering a supportive workplace for your journey into motherhood. So, embrace the process, ask for what you deserve and it’s always going to be no if you don’t ask.
For more information about preparing for your maternity leave, visit Nugget Savings.
About the expert
Kate Guild is the co-founder of Nugget Savings. Katie has a background in tech sales and a degree in politics. She feels Nugget is the perfect blend of her passion for feminism and building businesses.