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

vice.com

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

#121

She was given conflicting info on if her leave would be 6 or 8 weeks. Ended up being 8. Baby died an hour after birth, so leave was cut from the 8 weeks to 6 due to no longer having baby-mommy bonding. No mention of time off for mourning. The company has now amended their policy to 16 weeks for birth and adoption, so this case would have been covered.

Thanks. Lately Vice has been writing more and more outrage-bait titles/leads and burying the true story way below the fold. I guess it gets them the most shares.

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

#122
post #36
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for sharing this!

As we say at our local meetings: "We are desperately sorry for the reason you are here, but we are glad you found us." (Edit: typo.)

It's ok to edit posts on this site; you don't have to mention your edit.

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

#123

She got six weeks instead of eight. How dare they. She could've applied for more days based on her psychological state. Also how dare they not pay her commissions earned by her team while she was away. I think the tone is all wrong here. Economically, it makes sense to "discriminate" against pregnant women, so the discussion should be more "Here's why you shouldn't do it" and less "How dare you do it!". Just my $0.02…

> Economically, it makes sense to "discriminate" against pregnant women. I've heard this repeated a lot but I don't get it (I'm an employer). I mean I can't think of many things that would hurt team morale and hiring reputation more than treating a young female employee like shit just because she got pregnant (let alone went through something as horrific as losing a child). What kind of short-sighted psychopath boss…

> I just don't get it.

I think someone's simply looking at the first-order consequences and calling the analysis done, rather than taking into account the sort of company that enacting the policy will result in.

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

#124
We're in an odd state of paralysis as a society. On the one hand, we acknowledge that there are birth rate / population-related issues coming rapidly down the pipeline at us, problems we acknowledge can only be solved by either supporting existing citizens/families in having more children or mass migration.

Through exhaustion with unaccountable corruption and reckless, ineffective public spending by all parties on the political spectrum, our societies won't support any social move (more taxes, better laws) in the name of the former, whilst being by-and-large in opposition of the latter.

Neither of the above will help in themselves though without a drastic change in the pressures requiring dual income families for mere survival, convergence in the metropolis for work, stagnant income growth coupled with soaring costs, especially around child rearing and education, and the modern narrative toward women (largely by other women) that they're nothing unless they're building a meaningful career for themselves.

While the rest of the Western World is by no means perfect and is still suffering declining birth rates due to some of the factors listed above, America's approach and policies toward social well-being - financial and moral support for maternity leave, general time off work and compassion for the sick - is utterly reprehensible. It is the most prosperous, wealthy nation on the planet and seems to be content to resign itself to a society benefiting a very small handful of people at a massive social, financial, economical and physical cost to everyone else.

A mere 8 weeks leave for going through pregnancy and bringing a child - that which we depend on for future taxes, productivity, volunteer work, philanthropy, innovation and social policy - into the world and then 2 weeks being cut in the name of money because that child died? How can anyone who supports or justifies this look at themselves in the mirror in the morning?

If you deem your country / nation / peoples to be important and worthwhile, its future to be crucial and investment in that future to be a necessity but support these policies then you're either a monster or an utter moron.

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

#125

Earlier 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?

Obvious answer I didn't see from others: Because hypothetical employers who are actually benevolent are forced to compete with those who aren't, absent regulation? AKA a "race to the bottom". When corporations send me stuff in writing every day saying that they can only do the minimum mandated by law in respect to any ethical matter, I have to wonder whose opinion it really represents to say that minimum standards ar…

Competition goes both ways: employers that offer better benefits will attract more applicants, so they can higher higher quality employees.

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

#126
The United States is infamous among world nations for lack of mandatory paid maternity leave. Even the unpaid leave is incredibly short: Only 12 weeks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maternity_leave_in_the_United_...

This, while the total _paid_ leave available to mothers among OECD nations is ~54 weeks, including 18 weeks average paid maternity leave plus another long period of paid parental leave following it:

http://www.oecd.org/els/soc/PF2_1_Parental_leave_systems.pdf

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

#127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pretty normal in the United States.

Who looks after the child? I don’t understand how this is possible?

We've got three kids in the US, they all started daycare when they were 6-8 weeks old so we could return to work. I don't think there was serious physical recovery still happening then (they were uncomplicated births), but the sleep deprivation is very rough.

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

#128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who looks after the child? I don’t understand how this is possible?

Simple, you just pay 1500/mo to someone else to look after them at some sort of group child care company.

Now around $3000/mo in Manhattan/Brooklyn!

https://twitter.com/markpopham/status/1189253197841350661?s=...

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

#129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obvious answer I didn't see from others: Because hypothetical employers who are actually benevolent are forced to compete with those who aren't, absent regulation? AKA a "race to the bottom". When corporations send me stuff in writing every day saying that they can only do the minimum mandated by law in respect to any ethical matter, I have to wonder whose opinion it really represents to say that minimum standards ar…

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

#130
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Daycare workers, grandparents, etc?

and you think that's normal?

Yes? Its routine in traditional societies for non-parents to raise children. The idea of "intensive mothering," where mom is stuck taking care of the baby alone for months or years, is a blip in the history of time. (In Europe, lengthy maternity leaves are also financially costly for mothers. While European countries generally offer "paid" leave, the salary caps are pretty low. France offers up to $650 per week. The median woman working full-time in America makes $800 per week.)
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