Checklist for pregnant women at work

This checklist for pregnant women members sets out the steps that we recommend you take before and during your maternity leave to protect your rights and enhance your benefits at work.

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Your actions

❱ Keep records and screenshots of your conversations and communications with your employer and confirm all important conversations by email.

❱ Ask your NEU rep for support if your head, line manager or employer tries to deny your rights at work.

❱ If you need further advice about your rights at work, contact the NEU AdviceLine on

0345 811 8111 or email us at [email protected]

Before you notify your employer of your maternity leave

❱ Let your NEU rep know your plans (asking them to keep your information confidential if you haven’t shared news of your pregnancy yet) and discuss how best to exercise your entitlements and protect your rights.

❱ Familiarise yourself with your terms and conditions – they should be listed in your letter of appointment. Look out for the family-related

policies that apply in your school or college – your NEU workplace rep or school office should be able to help you locate them.

❱ Use the practical packs of NEU Maternity Matters1 resources to protect and assert your employment rights at work as a pregnant woman and plan your maternity leave.

❱ Read our overview on the source of your maternity rights, our guide on maternity leave and the guidance on the maternity scheme that applies to you.

❱ Read our guidance on Pay rises and maternity leave and follow the steps to protect your pay.

❱ Consider speaking to women at work who have recently given birth for tips and advice.

Networking with other women with similar experiences can help you understand and assert your rights at work.

❱ Advocate for your school to adopt the NEU model policies – to improve the pay and working conditions of other new mothers at work

❱ Ask how keeping in touch (KIT) days operate in your school or college. You won’t need to commit to certain days yet, but it is worth thinking about in advance. Find out from other women how they have made use of reasonable contact and KIT days but don’t be put off if they were treated poorly. View this as an opportunity to assert your employment rights and to pave the way for future working mothers to be treated fairly at work.

❱ Check out our guidance on shared parental leave and consider whether you might wish to utilise the arrangements to enhance your access to full pay before you return to work.

❱ Give some thought to what working arrangements you would like to be in place when you return to work after taking maternity leave. Let your rep know if you expect to request flexible working and discuss how other colleagues work flexibly.

Before you start your maternity leave

❱ Have to hand our resources on maternity leave and pay.

❱ Follow our guidance on giving notice of your pregnancy and notice of your intention to take maternity leave and claim maternity pay.

❱ If you are disclosing your pregnancy for the first time, it is important that you discuss with your head or line manager whether, when and how you wish to inform other staff, students and parents of your news.

❱ Notify your employer of your intention to take maternity leave and maternity pay by the end of the 15th week before your expected week of childbirth (EWC). You can use our sample notice of maternity to inform your employer of your intended maternity leave and pay start date. Include your MATB1 form if you have it or send it to your employer as soon as you receive it. You can attach the NEU maternity checklist for leaders with your notice or you can ask your NEU rep to bring the checklist to the attention of You can attach the NEU maternity checklist for leaders with your notice or you can ask your NEU rep to bring the checklist to the attention of your employer/head teacher.

❱ Use the government calculator to check whether you qualify for statutory maternity pay (SMP) or maternity allowance (MA).

❱ If you qualify for SMP, make sure that you give your employer notice of at least 28 days before the date on which you expect your SMP to be payable, e.g when you expect to start your maternity leave.

❱ If you don’t qualify for SMP, your employer must give you an SMP1 form. Apply for maternity allowance using the MA1 claim form as soon as possible. Include the estimated date of birth on your form.

❱ If your employer or agency has not paid you SMP or has made a deduction from your SMP, seek advice from the NEU and write to the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) within six months of the earliest date for which your entitlement to statutory payment is in dispute. For example, if your employer has not paid you any SMP, apply to the HMRC statutory payments disputes team within six months of the start of maternity leave.   

❱ Let the NEU know when you plan to start and end your leave. You don’t have to pay membership fees for the duration of the period of maternity leave up to a maximum of 18 months. The simplest way to tell us is by updating your details on my.neu.org.uk/login

❱ Once you have logged in, go to the workplace tab, click the change hours button and fill in your anticipated dates under paid leave. If you have any difficulty accessing myNEU, you can tell us your leave dates by emailing [email protected] or calling 0345 811 8111.

❱ Read our guidance on reasonable contact and keeping in touch. Agree with your line manager and head reasonable contact arrangements during your leave, including how you would prefer to be contacted, eg by phone or by personal email. Ask your line manager to explain how KIT day arrangements work in your school or college and let them know your plans if you are already thinking of working some KIT days.

❱ Stay in contact with your NEU rep and networks. Let them know how you would like to be contacted during your leave – you may benefit by staying in touch.

While you are on maternity leave

❱ Follow our maternity leave guidance.

❱ If you gave birth before the 25th week of your pregnancy or before the intended start of your maternity leave, follow our guidance on giving notice for SMP.

❱ Make use of any arrangements you made for reasonable contact with your employer and your colleagues during your maternity leave.

❱ Consider joining NEU workplace meetings so that your voice is heard while you are on leave.

❱ Consider whether you could benefit from taking shared parental leave; for more information, see our guidance on shared parental leave.

❱ When you have an opportunity, think about your maternity and return-to-work plans. Look into requesting some paid KIT days to help you ease back into work. Use our guidance on Reasonable contact and keeping in touch days and adapt the NEU sample letter to request paid KIT days.

❱ Discuss your return-to-work plans with your NEU rep and follow our evolving advice on flexible working.

❱ Prepare yourself and your baby in the run-up to your return to work. If you are breastfeeding your baby, check  out our guidance on   support for breastfeeding women.
 

Ending your maternity leave

❱ Make sure your NEU rep is aware that you are returning to work and discuss your return-to-work arrangements if necessary.

❱ If you are returning to work within six months of giving birth, you are entitled to a further risk assessment. Check out our guidance on risk assessments in our pregnancy resources.

❱ Let the NEU membership team know that you are returning to work so that they can ensure your membership information is up to date – [email protected]

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