Latest news with #maternityLeave

News.com.au
05-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Boss under fire after texts to pregnant employee revealed
An awkward text exchange between a pregnant employee and her boss over maternity leave has sparked outrage online. UK career expert Ben Askins, known for calling out toxic workplace behaviour on social media, shared the exchange with his followers, branding the employer 'one of the top three of the worst bosses I've come across'. The TikTok video, which has been viewed nearly 590,000 times, features Ben reading aloud the highly uncomfortable text conversation. It all began when the employee messaged her manager to confirm receipt of her email about taking maternity leave from February. The boss' response immediately raised eyebrows. 'I saw it, and I wanted to talk to you about it. Is there any way you'd consider reducing how long you want to take? If you are sure you are going to go ahead with it, would you be open to discussing it all? I am just a bit worried about the costs from our side,' the boss said. Taken aback, the woman tried to explain why she wanted to take her full, legally entitled leave — even offering to help ease the transition for her replacement. 'Oh OK, um I was kind of hoping to take as much time as possible. This is my first child and I wanted to get as used to being a parent as possible, especially as my family lives quite far away,' she replied. 'I will ensure all my responsibilities are handed over seamlessly and help interview for mat cover but I really do want to take the full amount.' But her boss doubled down, insisting her leave would place a 'burden' on the small company. 'The challenge is that this is a small company, and it's quite a burden to have to pay both your mat leave and your mat cover. I am just not sure how we can cope.' Remaining polite, the woman stood her ground. 'I appreciate that but this isn't fair to put on me, I am happy to support but I am well within my rights to do this,' the employee said. 'I will try and support however I can, make sure everything is in place for a smooth handover and can also be on call for emergencies if that helps? 'Is my pregnancy going to be a problem for my role in the company?' Sensing he may have gone too far, the boss back-pedalled. 'Not at all! Your pregnancy is absolutely fine by me, we are a family company.' But he couldn't resist adding another guilt trip: 'Just not ideal timing for me that is all. But if you are not going to help out and reduce the time then nothing really further for us to talk about I guess.' Ben was appalled, telling viewers the exchange was 'disgusting'. 'He's trying to use guilt to basically get her to kind of waive her rights … because you can then sort of go, 'Oh no, she agreed with it,'' he said. 'That is not her f***ing problem, that is your problem. If she's not an equity holder, she's not a director in the business, it's not her company, that is your problem.' Ben then praised the employee for making a 'reasonable' request, even going above and beyond to offer extra help despite being entitled to her full leave. The video has since been flooded with furious comments, with many calling out the 'manipulative' boss and others even suggesting legal action. 'This is not her problem,' said one viewer. 'This is a lawsuit waiting to happen,' said another. 'She should not have to explain herself,' wrote a third. It seems the incident struck a chord because many had similar horror stories. 'I had a line manager refuse to discuss it with me because 'your baby could still die right up until the end,'' shared one user. 'My old manager tried to convince me to have an abortion … they wondered why I didn't want to go back after having my baby,' wrote another. In Australia, the Fair Work Act guarantees eligible employees up to 12 months' unpaid parental leave after 12 months of continuous service. Some also qualify for government-funded parental leave pay or employer-funded leave — sometimes both. And as many pointed out, maternity leave isn't a 'favour' — it's the law. 'Wow …. save this, go to an employment lawyer. Get settlement, enjoy!' one commenter advised. 'This is a slam dunk mat discrimination case. Employers need to understand that claim awards are potentially unlimited,' added another.


The Sun
04-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
‘Beyond diabolical' – Boss sparks fury over shocking texts to employee about her maternity leave
A BOSS has been branded as being 'beyond diabolical' over the text messages they sent to an employee regarding her maternity leave. Ben Askins, a UK career expert, regularly shares videos calling out questionable workplace behaviour to his social media sites. 4 4 In a recent post, Ben highlighted an 'ugly' response to a pregnant woman's 'reasonable' request for maternity leave where he branded her employer as being in 'the top three of the worst bosses I've come across'. Ben shared the text exchange to his TikTok account which has since notched up nearly 590,000 views. The text message exchange begins with the pregnant employee confirming that her manager had received her 'email about maternity leave requests for February'. The boss then replied: 'I saw it, and I wanted to talk to you about it. 'Is there any way you'd consider reducing how long you want to take? 'If you are sure you are going to go ahead with it, would you be open to discussing it all. I am just a bit worried about the costs from our side.' Clearly taken aback by her manager's reaction, the female employee tried to justify her reason for taking her legally-entitled maternity leave. To help ease the situation, she offered to be as helpful as possible to the person who would temporarily filling her position. She wrote in reply: 'Oh ok, um I was kind of hoping to take as much time as possible. 'This is my first child and wanted to get as used to being as parent as possible, especially as my family lives quite far away.' Vick Hope finally reveals pregnancy - and date she's going on maternity leave from BBC Radio One She added: 'I will ensure all my responsibilities are handed over seamlessly and help interview for mat cover but I really do want to take the full amount.' The boss though continued to badger his employee over the 'burden' she was allegedly creating by going on maternity leave. He wrote: 'The challenge is that this is a small company, and it's quite a burden to have to pay both your mat leave and your mat cover. 'I am just not sure how we can cope.' The woman though continued to advocate for her rights and even offered to assist her employer while she was off on leave. She said: 'I appreciate that but this isn't fair to put on me, I am happy to support but I am well within my rights to do this. 'I will try and support however I can, make sure everything is in place for a smooth handover and can also be on call for emergencies if that helps?' The concerned employee then ended the message by saying: 'Is my pregnancy going to be a problem for my role in the company?' The boss then responded: 'Not at all! Your pregnancy is absolutely fine by me, we are a family company.' However, they then continued: '[J]ust not ideal timing for me that is all. But if you are not going to help out and reduce the time then nothing really further for us to talk about I guess.' As Ben read out the series of text message in the video, he couldn't help interject with his own comments about the situation, calling the manager out for their 'disgusting' behaviour. Ben also claimed the boss in this case was 'fully aware of what he's doing'. He said: 'He's trying to use guilt to basically get her to kind of waive her rights [to take the full length of maternity leave]… because you can then sort of go, 'Oh no, she agreed with it.' Ben also added the woman's request was perfectly 'reasonable' and noted she had gone above and beyond by offering additional assistance in regard to the recruitment and handover to her replacement. The expert also added that it was not the woman's 'problem' the business may struggle financially due to her leave entitlement and it was her right to take maternity leave. Ben said: 'That is not her f**king problem, that is your problem. 'If she's not an equity holder, she's not a director in the business, it's not her company, that is a YOUR problem.' The clip has gained a lot of attention, along with nearly 1,000 comments, many outraged by the behaviour of the boss. One person wrote: 'This is the kind of boss that makes you start looking for another job while you're on leave.' Another added: 'She should not even have to justify anything.' A third said: 'The gaslighting and guilt is beyond diabolical.' Others took issue with the manipulative language used by the boss in the text exchange. One commenter said: ''Not ideal timing for me.' Yea, I mean sheesh, couldn't think of your boss while conceiving your baby?' Another asked: 'Did they just suggest she get an abortion for the sake of the company's bottom line?!?' While a third posted: ''If you're not going to help out' is an insane thing to say especially after she already stated she's more than happy to arrange cover and everything else before she leaves.' From the video, it is unclear what jurisdiction the worker was in, but many commentators noted that maternity leave was a legal employment right in a number of countries, including Australia, and the employee may have grounds to take legal action. One commentator wrote: 'Wow… save this, go to an employer lawyer. Get settlement, enjoy!' Another opined: 'This is a slam dunk mat discrimination case. Employers need to understand that claim awards are potentially unlimited.' Other commentators used the opportunity to relate their own horror stories about requesting maternity leave. One person wrote: 'I had a line manager refuse to discuss it with me because 'your baby could still die right up until the end'.' Another commentator added: 'My old manager tried to convince me to have an abortion… they wondered why I didn't want to go back after having my baby.' While a third said: 'My old boss tried to tell me I only got half maternity time with my second child cos I'd already done the full maternity bonding time with my first.' While most comments expressed outrage by the response of the boss, there were some commentators who said they understood where the employer was coming from. One reply said: 'Whilst he's being improper, you can't avoid the fact that small companies will avoid employing women of childbearing age to reduce costs.' Another commentator said: 'For small businesses, maternity leave - even if protected by law - can have a massive impact on the company, especially if it's not performing well financially.' Someone else posted: '[S]o many companies like this don't like hiring young women because the potential for taking maternity leave is high.' One comment from a disheartened female worker gained more than 1,600 likes which said: 'We're judged by society if we don't want kids and then punished by work when we do. 'We're judged for working 9-5 and having a career with kids but then also judged if we stay home full time with kids. Women can't win.' Under the Fair Work Act, all employees in Australia are able to get up to 12 months unpaid parental leave, if they have completed at least 12 months of continuous service with their employer. The Paid Parental Leave scheme is run by Services Australia which provides financial support to eligible working parents to take time off work so they can care for a newborn or recently adopted child. Some employees are able to receive parental leave payments from the Australian Government Parental Leave Pay, while others will get employer funded parental leave payments. In some cases, it is possible a person can receive both.


Daily Mail
04-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Boss sparks outrage over shocking texts to employee's maternity leave request: 'Is this a joke?'
An uncomfortable text message exchange between a pregnant employee and her boss regarding a request for maternity leave has sparked an online firestorm. UK Career Expert Ben Askins regularly shares social media videos calling out questionable workplace behaviour. But a recent video the author and expert posted recounting an 'ugly' response to a pregnant woman's 'reasonable' maternity leave request saw him branding her employer as among 'the top three of the worst bosses I've come across'. Ben shared the text exchange to his TikTok account in a video that's since been viewed almost 590,000 times. The messages started with the pregnant employee confirming that her manager had received her 'email about maternity leave requests for February'. The boss replied: 'I saw it, and I wanted to talk to you about it. Is there any way you'd consider reducing how long you want to take? If you are sure you are going to go ahead with it, would you be open to discussing it all. I am just a bit worried about the costs from our side.' The female employee - clearly stunned by her boss's reaction - then tried to justify her reason for taking her legally-entitled maternity leave. She even offered to be as helpful as possible to the person who would be temporarily replacing her. She replied: 'Oh ok, um I was kind of hoping to take as much time as possible. This is my first child and wanted to get as used to being as parent as possible, especially as my family lives quite far away.' A boss has been slammed online for his guilt-laden response to a female employee's reasonable request for maternity leave 'I will ensure all my responsibilities are handed over seamlessly and help interview for mat cover but I really do want to take the full amount,' she continued. However, the uncompromising boss continued to badger his pregnant employee over the 'burden' she was allegedly causing by taking maternity leave. 'The challenge is that this is a small company, and it's quite a burden to have to pay both your mat leave and your mat cover. I am just not sure how we can cope,' he replied. By this point, the pregnant woman continued to politely advocate for her 'rights' – even making generous offers to assist her employer while she's away on leave. She wrote: 'I appreciate that but this isn't fair to put on me, I am happy to support but I am well within my rights to do this.' 'I will try and support however I can, make sure everything is in place for a smooth handover and can also be on call for emergencies if that helps?' The worried employee ended the message: 'Is my pregnancy going to be a problem for my role in the company?' Most likely aware that he was wading into precarious employment law territory, the boss at this stage tried to downplay the discussion. 'Not at all! Your pregnancy is absolutely fine by me, we are a family company,' he replied. Nevertheless, he continued to guilt his employee about the maternity leave request. He continued: '[J]ust not ideal timing for me that is all. But if you are not going to help out and reduce the time then nothing really further for us to talk about I guess.' Employment expert Ben, who is reading aloud the text messages in the social media video, is unable to bite his tongue at various points during the re-telling. One of his interjections dissected the 'disgusting' behaviour of the manager. Ben was adamant that the boss in this scenario was 'fully aware of what he's doing'. 'He's trying to use guilt to basically get her to kind of waive her rights [to take the full length of maternity leave]… because you can then sort of go, 'Oh no, she agreed with it'. The workplace commentator added that the woman's request was entirely 'reasonable' and noted that she went above and beyond with offers of additional assistance as far as recruitment for her replacement and handover. Ultimately, Ben said it was not the woman's 'problem' that the business may struggle financially with her leave entitlement - and that it's her right as a company employee to take maternity leave. 'That is not her f***ing problem, that is your problem,' he said. 'If she's not an equity holder, she's not a director in the business, it's not her company, that is a YOUR problem.' The video has attracted nearly a thousand comments – many of them outraged by the employer's unconscionable behaviour. 'This is the kind of boss that makes you start looking for another job while you're on leave,' read one reply. 'She should not even have to justify anything,' added another. 'The gaslighting and guilt is beyond diabolical,' chimed in a third. Many of the comments were also aggrieved by the manipulative language used by the manager in his text messages. One commenter wrote: '"Not ideal timing for me." Yea, I mean sheesh, couldn't think of your boss while conceiving your baby?' Another boldly questioned: 'Did they just suggest she get an abortion for the sake of the company's bottom line?!?' A third added: '"If you're not going to help out" is an insane thing to say especially after she already stated she's more than happy to arrange cover and everything else before she leaves.' It was unclear from the messages what jurisdiction the worker was in, but many commenters noted that maternity leave was a legal employment right in several countries – including Australia – and that she may have grounds to take legal action against her employer. 'Wow….. save this, go to an employer lawyer. Get settlement, enjoy!' read one reply. Another wrote: 'This is a slam dunk mat discrimination case. Employers need to understand that claim awards are potentially unlimited.' Unfortunately, it also appeared that this exchange was not an isolated incident with many commenters piping up to share their own horror story responses to previous maternity leave requests. 'I had a line manager refuse to discuss it with me because "your baby could still die right up until the end"', read one jaw-dropping comment. 'My old manager tried to convince me to have an abortion… they wondered why I didn't want to go back after having my baby,' read another wild reply. Worryingly, comments on the TikTok video saw other female workers recount their own stories about the reaction to their requests for maternity leave (Image: stock photo) Another person wrote: 'My old boss tried to tell me I only got half maternity time with my second child cos I'd already done the full maternity bonding time with my first.' While many comments were outraged by the boss's responses, there were a small chorus claiming to understand where the employer was coming from. 'Whilst he's being improper, you can't avoid the fact that small companies will avoid employing women of childbearing age to reduce costs,' read one reply. 'For small businesses, maternity leave - even if protected by law - can have a massive impact on the company, especially if it's not performing well financially,' read part of another comment. Another contributed: '[S]o many companies like this don't like hiring young women because the potential for taking maternity leave is high.' A disheartened female worker responded to the viral video with a defeated comment that attracted over 1,600 likes. The woman wrote: 'We're judged by society if we don't want kids and then punished by work when we do. We're judged for working 9-5 and having a career with kids but then also judged if we stay home full time with kids. Women can't win.' In Australia, the Paid Parental Leave scheme is managed by Services Australia and provides financial support to eligible working parents to take time off work to care for a newborn or recently adopted child. Some employees will receive parental leave payments from the Australian Government Parental Leave Pay, while others will receive e mployer funded parental leave payments. In some instances, a person may receive both. According to the Fair Work Act, all employees in Australia are eligible for up to 12 months unpaid parental leave if they have completed at least 12 months of continuous service with their employer.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Yahoo
I moved to Mexico for my maternity leave. It was the best decision I've made.
My train broke down returning home, and I started a conversation with another passenger. I told him my husband was Mexican and that I was due in September. He suggested we move to Mexico for my maternity leave and skip the London winter. In February 2009, I was on the Eurostar returning to London from a day of meetings in Paris. Somewhere in rural northern France, the train broke down. We were asked to disembark and wait on the platform indefinitely for a replacement. A stranger asked me a question that changed my life. I had been sitting at one of those four-seat tables where you face strangers across a shared surface. We hadn't spoken until that point, but as we stood on a freezing platform together, we each began to tell our story. One woman in our group had been to Paris to deliver an engagement ring to a hotel for her son, who was flying in later that day and planned to propose to his girlfriend. The other two were businessmen also heading home. I mentioned I was pregnant with my second child and had just finished a long day of meetings with advertising clients. Eventually, I shared that my husband was Mexican and working on a bar opening in London that would wrap in September, right around my due date. One of the men looked at me and said something that changed everything: "I guess you will be spending your maternity leave in Mexico then?" I didn't understand his comment, so I asked him to expand. He said that if I was going to be off for a year, why weren't we going somewhere warm for the winter? It stopped me in my tracks. I hadn't even considered that option. But he was right. Why should we stay in cold, gray London when we could be bonding with our newborn in the Caribbean sunshine? By the time I got back to London — many hours later — I called my husband from the taxi and asked, "Is there any reason we shouldn't spend six months in Mexico after the baby's born?" He paused, thought about it, and said, "No. Let's do it." And so we did. We rented out our London house to friends of friends. On December 6, 2009, with a 2.5-month-old baby and our 3-year-old in tow, we flew to Mexico. After a stop in Mexico City to spend Christmas with family, we settled in Playa del Carmen, a beach town on the Yucatán Peninsula, for four months. The house we stayed in was very basic — plastic garden furniture, mismatched dishes, and borrowed essentials from generous relatives. No washing machine, no microwave — which, with a newborn, felt pretty daunting. But we were in heaven. We swam every day, ate fresh fish, took turns to go to the gym, and spent true quality time as a family. Our toddler became fluent in Spanish. My husband and I got fit, tanned, and rested — something I never expected to feel just a few months after giving birth. We actually made money while we were away. The rent we earned on our London home covered all of our expenses in Mexico. Our cost of living there was dramatically lower — no tube passes, no childcare, no expensive dinners or work wardrobes. We came back refreshed and financially ahead. The basic but very happy life we lead completely reset my understanding of what I need versus what I want in life, a benefit that lasted for many years after our trip. When I returned, a friend's husband swore I'd had "work done" because I looked so rejuvenated. I hadn't. It was just sunshine, sleep, and a simple life. That spontaneous decision, sparked by a stranger's comment, became one of the best of my life. It taught me that the obvious path isn't always the smartest one. Sometimes, the most logical next step is the one you hadn't even imagined. Read the original article on Business Insider


CBC
25-06-2025
- CBC
Ex-CBSA dog handler who contested maternity leave policy faced 'mobbing' of harassment: report
A former Canada Border Services Agency dog handler who filed a grievance over the program's maternity leave policy went on to face a "mobbing" of bullying and harassment that management knew about, a third-party investigator found. For years Danielle Getzie said she had her dream job, working with her canine partner Nova to help sniff out contraband at the Vancouver airport. But the program's family leave program never sat well with her. The CBSA's Detector Dog Service policy capped the length of time trainers can be away from their animals at 90 days — making it incredibly hard for new parents, especially mothers, to return to the job. At the time, the border agency justified the policy as necessary to ensure that detector dogs stay connected to their trainers and don't lose their skills. After watching a colleague come back within 89 days of having a baby in 2018, Getzie said she decided to make a formal complaint about the 90-day policy, arguing it was discriminatory. An adjudicator agreed with her, but Getzie said she hasn't had much to celebrate in the years since. Not only did the policy remain on the books until this year, but Getzie told CBC News in 2023 she was "terrorized" by her colleagues and ultimately frozen out of the specialized dog program. The case landed with CBSA's National Integrity Centre of Expertise (NICE), an independent unit that responds to allegations of inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. According to a third-party investigator brought in to review the case, Getzie "was a victim of harassment through mobbing, through a lack of management responses." The report, which was shared with CBC News, defines mobbing as bullying and harassment from a group of employees. In Getzie's case, the investigator found one colleague had "a strong dislike" of her and because they were in a position of power, other staff members "used tactics of intimidation" to either comply or side with the ringleader. Management response lacking: report It had harsh language for the upper levels at CBSA and how the organization operates. "It is a failure by the system," it reads. According to the investigation, "harassing behaviours were reported to management, which were received with a lack of action, and a subsequent lack of accountability towards the alleged individuals who committed the harmful acts." It said the only real action management took was to change the work schedule "which was an insufficient response." "Mob mentality is alive and real," said Getzie in an interview. "Management did not protect me against severe bullying and harassment in the workplace." The NICE investigation process is not mandated to find blame. It recommended that CBSA should have a workplace assessment done in order to "demonstrate the lack of policies or the enforcement of such policies if they exist." Luke Reimer, a spokesperson for the CBSA, said they couldn't comment on Getzie's case citing privacy laws, but added the agency "takes all findings very seriously and works to ensure a safe, healthy and harassment- and violence-free work environment for all employees." Policy updated in April Reimer said the dog-hander program's leave policy was modified in April and "now assesses all situations on a case-by-case basis when deciding how to manage the detector dog during these periods." "When the reason for leave is protected under the Canadian Human Rights Act, the handler will be permitted to resume their assigned position upon their return, which may be with their previous dog or a new canine partner," Reimer said in a statement. Getzie's case isn't the first time bullying and harassment within the CBSA have surfaced. A scathing 2020 auditor general report found CBSA knew about ongoing problems with harassment, discrimination and violence in its workplaces — but didn't do enough to address them. It's why Getzie, who is still on unpaid leave as she fights her labour grievance and waits for the Human Rights Commission to weigh in, said she's willing to put in the work to push for more changes. "The next person that chooses to stand up and fight about this, I want it to be easier for them," she said. "I need to make what happened to me — this attack, this punishment, the retaliation, all of that — I need to make that mean something."