My bonus was pro-rated to deduct my maternity leave
- Thread starter mh86
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dandylionel
New member
@iwishgodwasgone I covered for my coworker so he could leave early to pick his daughter up from a custody exchange. I didn't mind.
Life happens. When you're at work, you're a team.
Imagine you had an accident, so your husband had to leave work early to help you. But coworker Karen has to cover for him. She then proceeds to bitch "I'm single! Why am I being punished for not having a husband?!"
See how silly that sounds?
Life happens. When you're at work, you're a team.
Imagine you had an accident, so your husband had to leave work early to help you. But coworker Karen has to cover for him. She then proceeds to bitch "I'm single! Why am I being punished for not having a husband?!"
See how silly that sounds?
iwishgodwasgone
New member
@dandylionel One does not consistently get in an accident. If it happened every once in awhile, no biggie. It’s not right that a man has to work longer/more so a woman can go pick up her kid every day.
dandylionel
New member
@iwishgodwasgone I highly doubt your husband is staying late every day to cover for an employee going to pick up her child from daycare.
It probably happened once, maybe twice, and yall are mad about it.
It probably happened once, maybe twice, and yall are mad about it.
iwishgodwasgone
New member
And many single employees do feel like they’re taken advantage of over employees with children!
@iwishgodwasgone I would argue i cover my male coworkers during their absences as well. Thats part of being a team.
And my husband picked my daughter up from.daycare just as much as I did
And my husband picked my daughter up from.daycare just as much as I did
iwishgodwasgone
New member
@iwishgodwasgone It seems like your negative experience with one woman based on your husband's complaints has affected your ability to acknowledge that other experiences could exist.
Edit to add:
I'm truly sorry that this affected your family negatively
Edit to add:
I'm truly sorry that this affected your family negatively
its_me1945
New member
@iwishgodwasgone Why is your husband not leaving early to go pick up his kids like other parents at his workplace do?
iwishgodwasgone
New member
@its_me1945 Because his kids don’t go to day care!
its_me1945
New member
@iwishgodwasgone Lucky him then. Maybe time to learn and grow empathy for other parents who don't have that privilege. Note I say "parents". Because it is not just mothers who leave early to make it to daycare time. Also even if your husband doesn't do daycare pick up, he could use that early time to be at a playground with his kids, make diner, do bath time, read a book or any other shared time with his kids as opposed to feeling like a hero who owes corporate to stay late.
iwishgodwasgone
New member
@its_me1945 He did all of those things…which is why is sucked that he had to work late to accommodate those who ‘can’t’. Shouldn’t the woman have had some empathy and realize that others have kids?
its_me1945
New member
@iwishgodwasgone He cannot do all those things and work late hours. You are not being honest, unless your kids go to bed at 11pm. And pretty sure no one forces him to do late hours if everyone else leaves at normal hours. He is zelous, that's on him. And why do you keep blaming women when I talk about parents? Seems like in your view, taking care of kids is mothers scope only. At my job, men excuse themselves because they have to go pick up/drop off their kids or have early diner time.
iwishgodwasgone
New member
@its_me1945 It’s not like they all consistently worked late…there are certain times of the year that working past 6 happens frequently. There were many times he and his team had to stay longer because one mom ‘had’ to leave early. Sometimes women use their mother role as an excuse to cut out of work early.
@mh86 I work in a specialty area of HR (compensation) and I would say this is very common due to the way most companies/states think of giving birth = short-term disability = time away from the company and not contributing to results.
I have successfully changed this policy at two companies by pointing out this disproportionately harms the birthing parent who is treated under short-term disability, but the non-birthing parent who receives parental leave does not have a bonus reduction. I’ve also advocated for including pay for all leave types for fairness, and recommended a cap (so if you are gone 12 weeks or less, no change in bonus. If you are out beyond that, the extra time doesn’t count. My company has a very generous leave though, and we have EEs who are out a full 6 months for leave).
I would look at the terms of your bonus plan to see if short-term disability or maternity leave are excluded, but bonding or parental leave are included. If that’s the case, I would try that tactic to change it.
Sorry this happened to you, it really stinks!
I have successfully changed this policy at two companies by pointing out this disproportionately harms the birthing parent who is treated under short-term disability, but the non-birthing parent who receives parental leave does not have a bonus reduction. I’ve also advocated for including pay for all leave types for fairness, and recommended a cap (so if you are gone 12 weeks or less, no change in bonus. If you are out beyond that, the extra time doesn’t count. My company has a very generous leave though, and we have EEs who are out a full 6 months for leave).
I would look at the terms of your bonus plan to see if short-term disability or maternity leave are excluded, but bonding or parental leave are included. If that’s the case, I would try that tactic to change it.
Sorry this happened to you, it really stinks!
sheamusofcountycork
New member
@ames96 I work adjacent to compensation in HR systems (so I work alongside our comp team to configure systems during comp planning) so this is nothing new to me either.
My company prorates bonus if the employee has worked at the company less than 8 months in a calendar year. When I started in September 2021 it also affected merit, which changed this year luckily for everyone hired after me lol.
Whether they started later in the year or went on extended medical/mental health leave or parental leave, the proration is the same. The non-birthing parent has the same amount of leave available to them as well. The leave can be taken any time within a year from DOB which is a nice little loophole. I gave birth in September so I was able to naturally split my 5 months of leave in a way where my bonus was not prorated. If I have another one I’ll just be taking 3 months and 3 weeks immediately and saving the rest starting January 1 of the following year.
My company prorates bonus if the employee has worked at the company less than 8 months in a calendar year. When I started in September 2021 it also affected merit, which changed this year luckily for everyone hired after me lol.
Whether they started later in the year or went on extended medical/mental health leave or parental leave, the proration is the same. The non-birthing parent has the same amount of leave available to them as well. The leave can be taken any time within a year from DOB which is a nice little loophole. I gave birth in September so I was able to naturally split my 5 months of leave in a way where my bonus was not prorated. If I have another one I’ll just be taking 3 months and 3 weeks immediately and saving the rest starting January 1 of the following year.
@sheamusofcountycork See the thing that passes me off the most is that the policy was not disclosed during my talks with HR when we discussed all this before leave. If I’d taken less than 90 days leave, my bonus wouldn’t have been impacted at all. But because I took 98, I loose 25%. Who the heck would have taken those last 8 days had they known that? I’ve been there 8 years with glowing performance reviews and now I’m about to loose $8k over 8 days of leave
sheamusofcountycork
New member
@mh86 I understand. The benefits team at my company did not disclose that either - I asked proactively having already had my prior years bonus and merit prorated due to start date. I wonder if it’s due to concerns over sounding coercive to return to work early and not take all allowed leave.
This is also why I always read the handbook and policies in full - if it’s not stated there, you might have a case to push back. If it is, they can say well it’s your job as the employee to read and understand all policies and come to us with concerns.
This is also why I always read the handbook and policies in full - if it’s not stated there, you might have a case to push back. If it is, they can say well it’s your job as the employee to read and understand all policies and come to us with concerns.