Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.)
FYI, Hacker News doesn’t have a DM feature.
Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died
191–200 of 229 posts
Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died
#192I 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.…
Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died
#193I 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.…
Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died
#194Earlier quoted context omitted.
I can't imagine what it would be like, and I'm terribly sorry that this happened to you. BUT what's the limiting principle behind 'forcing' companies to provide 'a great deal of leave' for this? I certainly agree that it's reasonable for an employer to offer bereavement time for the loss of a close family member, but why should this be made into law?
Because of cases like this article. Evidently this woman's employer does not have the insight to behave like decent human beings and needs to be forced. Your argument can be turned on just about any labor law. "It may be reasonable for a company to do this, but why should they be forced?" The answer is without reasonable minimum standards, some people will exploit their employees.
My preference would be for law makers started with laws that forced companies to give theirs workers a fair days pay for a fair days work.
Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died
#195Earlier quoted context omitted.
Competition goes both ways: employers that offer better benefits will attract more applicants, so they can higher higher quality employees.
Which means that those employees not deemed higher quality will only get the minimum market rate of benefits.
Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died
#196Earlier quoted context omitted.
I can't imagine what it would be like, and I'm terribly sorry that this happened to you. BUT what's the limiting principle behind 'forcing' companies to provide 'a great deal of leave' for this? I certainly agree that it's reasonable for an employer to offer bereavement time for the loss of a close family member, but why should this be made into law?
It is reasonable, but reasonable employers for the most part don't exist. That's why we have laws establishing a minimum wage, nondiscrimination, paying out PTO in California, and the FMLA act which gives us parental leave in the first place.
Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died
#197Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died
#198Earlier quoted context omitted.
You’re lucky you didn’t bet him, because you’d have lost. I’d have bet against you as well. The SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer at Informatica when this incident happened was Maureen Brennan. She’s also a former VP and BoD Trustee of the Women's Health and Counseling Center in New Jersey, which focuses on reproductive healthcare services.
And how do you know that she was the one to make this decision? And that men below her tried to stop this but were overruled? It all looks highly speculative to me.
But yes, of course it’s speculation :)
Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died
#199Earlier quoted context omitted.
IMHO it would be cheap for companies to simply buy infant life insurance for all employees Individuals can buy this sort of life insurance for themselves without the help of their employers. Given that it is, as you say, "cheap" there isn't an economic burden either. Why would we want employers intruding into yet another aspect of individual's lives? We're all well aware of the problems that come from having employer…
Who the hell plans for their baby to die? You don't even consider the possibility, too much cognitive dissonance. And after all, how common is it these days? And then when it happens to you, so many other people have a similar story. Turns out it happens all the time, it's just that nobody talks about it. Also, consider for a moment how you'd feel being given a huge payout for a lost child. The money can't fix anythi…
Businesses aren't your parents. They shouldn't be involved in stuff this personal.
Re: Engineer Says Software Firm Cut Her Maternity Leave Short After Her Baby Died
#200I 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…