Work during maternity leave - WDID?

[Nai]

After this week I have 5 more weeks of work to go!!! I am the HR Manager at the company I work for and the only HR person. I work part time. I have been trying to recruit for a replacement for myself for the 12 months that I am planning for maternity leave.

Last week my CEO told me that they were not going to replace me while on mat leave and see if they "can make do" with a consulting arrangement. However, yesterday the CEO asked me if I would be like a consultant/advisor while on mat leave and then they would pay me for the time that I spend on work stuff. They would send me emails and I might provide advice to them maybe for an hour or 2 a week.

I'm not sure what to do - do I say no, I want a complete break or do I keep my hand in and get a few extra dollars?

[Heaven]

Hmm....that's a hard one. What do you think? Is it likely to only be 1-2hrs a week or will they be asking you questions non-stop and getting cranky when you don't have time to answer?

[Tinks]

I'd do it. As long as it is only a couple of hours a week and set times when they can contact you if they need to.

[Aimz]

I would say yes - but only when you are ready. You won't want to do it as soon as you go on leave - but maybe 3-6 months after when you are settled you might feel up to it. The extra cash is always handy.

At my work we had the same thing happen with our Marketing Manager. We had an "acting" person for three months and then she worked from home on a fairly relaxed arrangement for 9 months until she came back.

[Indadhanu]

If its very relaxed and you can put a limit on the time you'll spend on work then I would do it. After 3-4 months. Jazz is four months, and at 3 months I started studying again. And I was relieved, I really wanted to do something that wasn't baby or housework related!!!!! But nothing strict, I mean one day I might have 8am free to do something. Another day I might have 1pm free. I defiantely couldn't be strict to a schedule of, say, 11am each day as she's just not that regular!

So if work is willing to say "do what you want, when you can" then yes I'd take it.

[Arimeh]

One question - will DD be going to daycare or anything? Cos its hectic during the day with 2 - especially if tantrums because of jealousy arise!!!!

If yes, then I would do it - as long as it was pretty casual in the amount of time you had to get back to them by...

[Nai]

DD will stay in care 2 days a week and my mum will be coming down for the day 1 day a week as well. I think if I can say that all contact is to be via email and I will check my emails twice a week. I can go into the office on the day that mum is there for an hour as she can look after the kids.

So I guess I will have 2 days where I have just the baby and 1 day where I will have 2 kids but my mum will be there.

[Beach Mama]

Could you say yes but that you will start after 4 or 6 weeks time? It sounds good so you can keep your foot in the door and get some income for only a few hours a week hun but you will probably want the first few weeks off at least to have time for DD and bub.

[tk1999]

Not to put a dampner on this but would it affect your maternity leave (if your company has a mat leave "program") at all? I also work in HR and we our policies are quite strict re working whilst on paid leave - even if the CEO has tapped someone on the shoulde...

[Nai]

Not to put a dampner on this but would it affect your maternity leave (if your company has a mat leave "program") at all? I also work in HR and we our policies are quite strict re working whilst on paid leave - even if the CEO has tapped someone on the shoulde...

It is a small company and has no paid mat leave program - I am the only HR person in the company and even though I tried to get paid mat leave in the policies it didn't happen

[Shanti]

Nup! enjoy the time off and i'd say NO but that's probably only cos' i feel like i haven't stopped working for years and this will be the first time since forever that i haven't been working (out of home anyway). I'm about to finish up as of next Tues for a while woohoo (although we have our own business and i can work from home )
Enjoy your maternity leave while you can i say
Spend that time resting as much as possible before bubs arrives.

[tk1999]

Well in that case it may be beneficial to have the extra $$$ - just make sure you don't get taken advantage of and don't take on too much (lol if someone was telling me this I would be going yep yep blah blah) - ultimately it is up to you... best of luck either way.