Jobs That Provide Maternity Leave

Your Rights Under FMLA

In the United States, leave covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is what most people are referring to when they discuss maternity leave options. This legislation allows you to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave following the birth of your child without worrying about losing your job, benefits, or seniority when you return. However, you must meet certain criteria to be eligible:

• Your employer must be the federal, state, or local government or employ at least 50 people who work within 75 miles of your workplace.
• You must have been employed at the company for at least 12 months with 1,250 work hours – approximately 25 hours per week for 50 weeks.
• You must not be in the highest 10 percent of wage earners in the company with a position that is considered "vitally important" to the operations of the business.
• If both you and your spouse work for the same company, you must agree to split the 12 weeks of leave between the two of you.

An Overview of Jobs that Provide Maternity Leave

While FMLA is the only piece of legislation that legally entitles mothers to time off after the birth of a child, there are other ways to find jobs that provide maternity leave. For example:

• Many companies allow employees to save personal days, sick days, or vacation time to be used after the birth of a child. This can alleviate some of the financial burden of maternity leave by giving you a paycheck for all or part of your time home with your baby.
• Companies that offer short-term disability insurance will generally allow mothers to take time off for childbirth with approximately 50 percent of their regular pay.
• Some businesses will allow mothers with newborns to return to work on a part-time schedule for the first six months or year after their child is born. While this isn't as nice as paid maternity leave, it can be a good way to provide an income for your family while still enjoying some extra time at home with your baby.

Generally, only very large employers will have specific policies allowing paid time off for new mothers. For example, Google recently implemented a policy providing 18 weeks of paid maternity leave to mothers as well as seven weeks paid leave for new fathers.

Best Companies for Working Mothers

What can you do if you're unhappy with the amount of maternity leave offered by your company? Assuming you're not already pregnant, switching to a more supportive work environment may be a smart decision. Even if you're only planning to have one child, a company that offers generous maternity leave benefits is likely to provide additional services such as flexible work hours that will make it easier to care for your baby after he/she is born.

Working Mother recently named these employers the best in the nation for their maternity leave policies and commitment to maintaining a family friendly working environment:

• Baptist Health South Florida
• Booz Allen Hamilton
• Ernst & Young
• General Mills
• IBM
• KPMG
• The McGraw-Hill Companies
• PricewaterhouseCoopers
• UBS
• Wachovia

The CNN list of the best companies to work for also includes a number of businesses that provide generous maternity leave benefits.

If you're not willing to relocate for a new position, begin talking to the women in your local community about where they work. Most mothers are happy to discuss their efforts to balance work and family; they will be able to provide detailed information regarding their own experiences with particular employers.

Another good way to find out about jobs that provide maternity leave is to visit the "Careers" section of a company's Web site. This is generally where vacation, health insurance, and other employee benefits are discussed in detail.