part time work while on maternity leave????

:-k
Does anyone know ??? if your employer refuses to let you return to work earlier than you requested , can you gain part or full time work else where while on maternity leave????

Hi Madi5,

I don't know for sure, but I think it would depend on your contract or award. My contract says I can't work anywhere else without getting my employer's permission first, and I think the same would probably apply if I was on maternity leave. Yours might be different though...

Are you able to discuss it with your employer? They might be refusing because the person who's taken over your position while you're on leave has a contract and they don't want to break it early, but that might mean they'd be okay with you working somewhere else until you were planning to go back originally.

Hope that made sense! Good luck with it, whatever happens.

Hi there,

As Fenella says, it's a tricky one, and really varies between employers due to variance in contracts of employment. Many organisations state that they will allow you to come back early if you want to, as long as you give 4 weeks notice of your intent to return, and you usually need to supply a medical cert to say that you are fit to resume your old job.

Also, many employers won't allow you to work for anyone else whilst you are on any type of leave, as it can constitute a "conflict of interest" for the company (ie you could go get part time work for a competitor).

My advice would be to speak to your manager or is there an HR representative in your workplace that you could call? Also, dig out your original contract of employment and see if that gives you any clues. Did you get a letter from your employer when you left for maternity leave? Does this outline any "terms and conditions"?

Hope this helps, & best of luck,

Hey Madi5,

I can't help you with your question unfortunately, but I just wanted to welcome to you BellyBelly :) I look forward to chatting to you around the forums!

Take care.