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Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died

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Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died

#11

Post by fghorow »

ttul wrote: post #8

I had a baby that died. It was an excruciating experience and nobody around us knew what to do or say. From personal experience I can say it should be treated as a grave mental health issue and companies should be forced to provide a great deal of leave to both parents. Whether leave is paid or unpaid, this should be treated in the same way as any disability or health related leave. IMHO it would be cheap for compani…

I am also a bereaved parent, although my child died at age 25. I utterly agree about the grave mental health issues being caused in the parents.

May peace be unto you.

(Ping me if you want info about an organization called "The Compassionate Friends" specifically for bereaved parents.)

Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died

#12

Post by baron816 »

> Discrimination is particularly flagrant in Silicon Valley, where women hold just 5 percent of leadership positions.

This is particularly inflammatory. Just because women hold 5% of leadership positions, it doesn’t mean discrimination is the cause (or sole cause).

Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died

#13

Post by cperciva »

sethammons wrote: post #3

> Some companies have policies that can discriminate against people who are on protected leaves by denying them commissions they have already earned Wtf? How can that possibly be a thing?

There aren't enough details in the article for me to know what's going on here, but my first thought was "the commissions are being paid to whoever is leading the team in her absence". The crucial (and unanswered) question is whether she would have received commissions which she "didn't earn" based on work her replacement did in her absence.

Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died

#14

Post by fghorow »

Just in case there are other bereaved parents (of whom I am one) reading this. I want you to know about an organization called The Compassionate Friends, composed solely of family members of a deceased child.

https://www.compassionatefriends.org/

"You need not walk alone."

Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died

#15

Post by d357r0y3r »

akudha wrote: post #7
sethammons wrote: post #3

> Some companies have policies that can discriminate against people who are on protected leaves by denying them commissions they have already earned Wtf? How can that possibly be a thing?

Do these people just sit around and spend time coming up with ways to screw others over? How the fuck is this thing even legal, let alone ethical? Makes me so mad

Nah, I don't think so. Most rules come about because one person, at some point, abused the policy, and so the company tries to make a more explicit rule to prevent the abuse in the future.

I don't know the specifics of this case, but maternity leave is absolutely something that has been abused. My spouse worked with a woman who got hired while she was pregnant, had the baby and took advantage of the company's extremely generous paid maternity leave, and then came back in and quit on her first day back. From the company's standpoint, this hire was simply a cash giveaway and a huge loss.

Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died

#16

Post by optimiz3 »

high_derivative wrote: post #4

Well this may be a controversial stance, but her baby passed at birth. There was no maternity leave to take any more. What there was to take maybe was a bereavement leave.

I'd assume there would be some physical recovery, but agree that while tragic, bereavement is more appropriate.

Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died

#17

Post by dwoozle »

high_derivative wrote: post #4

Well this may be a controversial stance, but her baby passed at birth. There was no maternity leave to take any more. What there was to take maybe was a bereavement leave.

Sure, but the bereavement leave for a child should be much more than 8 weeks. And it costs so little to provide since it is relatively rare in the developed world.

Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died

#18

Post by avisser »

high_derivative wrote: post #4

Well this may be a controversial stance, but her baby passed at birth. There was no maternity leave to take any more. What there was to take maybe was a bereavement leave.

To be pedantic:

Maternity: the period during pregnancy and shortly after childbirth

She birthed a child. This cuts a little close to denying that.

Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died

#19

Post by silencio »

high_derivative wrote: post #4

Well this may be a controversial stance, but her baby passed at birth. There was no maternity leave to take any more. What there was to take maybe was a bereavement leave.

the differentiation that needs to be made is for recovery vs bonding. it sounds like the company in question has that now. bereavement would be good to cover folx that otherwise wouldn’t have this (eg miscarriage). but going from 8 to 6 weeks for the last weeks of pregnancy and first weeks of postpartum is pretty brutal.

it took me 5-6 weeks after giving birth to be able to drive again for short distances. won’t even go into the other indignities and needs in that period.

Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died

#20

Post by 52-6F-62 »

ttul wrote: post #8

I had a baby that died. It was an excruciating experience and nobody around us knew what to do or say. From personal experience I can say it should be treated as a grave mental health issue and companies should be forced to provide a great deal of leave to both parents. Whether leave is paid or unpaid, this should be treated in the same way as any disability or health related leave. IMHO it would be cheap for compani…

I had a coworker who went through this. My bosses were very gracious. She was on leave for some time, purely for mental health reasons. And I’m sure returning to work with her job intact was a major comfort. Our direct boss at the time would meet with her for lunch occasionally until she felt well enough to come back. I’m willing to bet it was the best way it could have gone for her in light of what she experienced.

She has since had a healthy baby and is usually beaming.

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