There was a time when a woman who was in a relationship could concentrate completely on the task of running a home and raising children, full-time jobs in themselves. Society and sometimes pure economics today play into this mix and dictate that most pregnant mums have to work. While most of the attention, quite rightly so, is on the pending arrival, you also need to be aware of your rights.
1. You are entitled to 52 weeks of maternity leave at a maximum. This entitlement is yours regardless of how long you’ve worked for your employer or if you are full or part-time.
2. This maternity leave will be subdivided into two categories and will affect the amount of money that you receive from your employer accordingly.
3. The standard maternity leave ordinarily lasts for 26 weeks. You will be entitled to receive all your contractual rights during this period of time and to retain any perks such as a company car and your paid holiday earning ability. In other words, you are treated exactly as if you are still working, except for the payment you receive.
4. You will get “additional maternity leave” for 13 weeks after the initial 26 have been completed and now your contractual rights will apply only in certain areas. Your notice period remains the same, your availability of redundancy pay is unchanged and your typical disciplinary and grievance procedures still apply.
5. Statutory rights are effective throughout the entire period of maternity leave, including the potential for another 13 weeks of leave, which is unpaid. Fundamentally, you may not be passed over in favour of another employee and may not be discriminated against, even in the event of redundancy.
6. You will qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) if you have 26 weeks of continuous service at the end of the 15th week before the baby is expected. This allowance is calculated and determined by reference to a period of eight weeks, up to and including the 15th week before baby comes along. Your before tax earnings doing this period must have been at least ?87. If you do not qualify for SMP, you may be entitled to Maternity Allowance.
7. The earliest you are able to start your maternity leave is 11 weeks before your baby is due, but it is up to you to decide and you can work right up until the birth. Both the period of your leave and your payment will commence on the day that you actually begin your maternity leave time.
8. You are not legally obliged to tell your employer that you are pregnant until 15 weeks before the baby is expected.
9. As a pregnant mother, you are entitled to free National Health Service, dental treatment and prescriptions as well.
10. It may often be in your best interests to tell your employer you are pregnant as soon as possible, as you will then be entitled to a reasonable amount of time off with pay for doctor’s appointments. In these circumstances, you may not be expected to handle certain substances, or to be involved in some tasks such as heavy lifting, in order to protect the unborn child.
There are so many things to think about when preparing to live life as an expectant mother, and you should certainly consider professional coaching to help you prepare. Everyone knows that coaching for women is widely accepted and beneficial these days and online life coaching is available for every phase of your ever-changing lifestyle!
Please note – the above article is intended only as a guide for women planning maternity leave in the UK. It’s important to keep in mind that maternity legislation can – and does, change quite frequently. With the available information at the time, the author has written this article accordingly. It is not intended to replace your own research.
Amanda Alexander is the Director of Coaching Mums and a widely renowned ICF-accredited coach who delivers professional coaching programmes to working mums across the globe who long for more time, balance and fulfilment in their busy lives. Download our free eBook especially for working mums with 5 easy ways to achieve balance.
Tags: (coaching, business, Family, Parenting, work life balance)
For anyone dealing with someone who is sick, death is the one thing that will bring sorrow in the end. Although it is the obvious end to the circle of life, a lot of people will still be unable to cope with it when it confronts them. However, with a natural burial, some of this shock will at least be nullified. In a natural cemetery the deceased will be laid to rest with dignity and quietness which gives solace and comfort to the people left behind.
It has become customary over the past several decades or longer, to put the deceased into a non bio degradable container. What those who advocate for the green movement have decided though is that we should be laid to rest with no casket at all. That is, giving back to the earth to replenish the ground and help the planet in future.
We sometimes ignore that our ground needs to be replenished and just stick to tried and tested routines of putting copper, brass and hardwood in the ground. On top of this the deceased is usually embalmed with formaldehyde which leeches into the earth over time. Even cremations send out tons of toxic gases and chemicals each year and then we wonder how on earth we can stop this.
There is just one place in America which does not lay people to rest in the hard and wasteful caskets that we are used to. This is a vast tract of land of over twenty acres set in a preserved forest that will always be there. Here, graves are lined with sage and the body is allowed to decompose and feed the flora and fauna. As it does so, nutrients that were contained within now leech back into the soil to help all the forest life surrounding it.
This must be like a dream come true for anyone who endeavour to live a ‘clean’ life. How great it must feel to know that the body will be giving itself up nature when life is over. Indeed, this is probably the healthiest way to dispose of loved ones and seems more personal and moving when the family gathers there.
Many people will wonder how they can avail themselves of this unique service, but it is really quite easy to arrange if a little research is done before the event. If death is impending, funeral directors can still get involved but with the addition of having the service and site detailed so that they know what to do. They are the ones who can take over the paperwork, as before, but in the end the body will lie in eternal piece in a wonderfully peaceful valley. This would also be a great place to hold memorials or to visit when the anniversary rolls around and is much less emotional than a graveyard.
For sure, we do not like to contemplate death at all, but it is a natural progression and putting some thought into it beforehand will ease the way for anyone who has to deal with the arrangements. Some people will even feel so strongly about this that they will make a living will noting all the arrangements well before hand so that nothing will go wrong.
Tags: natural burial, natural cemetery
It is important to keep in mind is that wedding favors are customarily supplied as a thank you to people attending the wedding and the party following the wedding ceremony. Whilst the budget may dictate the need for reducing spending, supplying discount wedding favors that look like they cost considerably more than they did, can certainly make a stronger impact on the guests. The reception attendees are likely to be family and close friends, and no one wants to look cheap in the eyes of their friends and family, but they also do not want to start off their married life in debt.
A large number of discount wedding favors can be fashioned from affordable items, and will give the overall look of costing so very much. For instance, a small goblet with a bright ribbon tied around it, filled with candy is certainly more gladly accepted than a bag of nuts in a little nondescript container.
A small picture frame used as placeholders, or unique name plates on the tables are sure to make first rate discount wedding favors. Frequently guests will be able to take these favors home and exchange the card with a favorite picture of their own choosing as a momento of your wedding and reception. Sometimes these frames can be located for a couple of dollars each, or even less depending on the quantity you order. They may be inexpensive wedding favors but have a look of having spent much more. Name cards can easily be ordered through many sources, or printed on your home computer if cash is a serious worry.
Attractive candle holders may also make cheap wholesale wedding favors with the candles chosen in the same color theme of the wedding. Candles can be something your guests are going to take away and benefit from, if they wish. Candles can also be replaced when they burn down.
Alternative nice ideas for wedding favors may include themed wedding favors including golf wedding favors. Because there are so many type of wedding themes, there are countless ideas for wedding favors that you will be happy to present to your wedding guests.
So you can see that there are plenty of ideas for wedding favors that you could pick from for your special day. You can choose from candles, mint tins, picture frames, and bags of coffee, tea, mixed drinks and name placeholders and so many more inexpensive wedding favors. Various other ideas for wedding favors also include key chains, bath beads, disposable cameras and silver wedding favors.
Tags: cheap wholesale wedding favors, inexpensive wedding favors, popular wedding favors
