Specific Benefits Questions
Benefits was not the deciding factor for my first job...and I'm still not sure if it should be the deciding factor now..
I have questions about three aspects ...401k plan, sick days/personal days, and maternity leave
Whats a good 401k plan? Is having your first 4 percent of your contribution matched by 50 cents per dollar a deal?
Whats the average or a decent sick day or personal day accrued rate per year?
I have yet to see maternity leave addressed in any benefit packets I've seen during an interview or after an offer has been made, why is that and should I ask after the offer has been made?
Thank you !!
Ouch. I would absolutely never ever ask about maternity leave in the interview process, when accepting the offer or even in the first year of a job. Although they can't officially discriminate against you for pregnancy, it is definitely a CLM (Career Limiting Move) to bring it up so early on and you'd be hard pressed to prove that was the cause if it came down to it. Do some research on your own quietly.
As a baseline, you can expect that if you have been with a company for 12 months and have worked the minimum number of hours (1250 which is about half time), AND if the company qualifies (company has more than 50 employees in one location) then you will qualify for FMLA. FMLA allows you to take off a total of 12 weeks (including all leave before and after the birth and recovery) UNPAID, and that your job (or an equivalent one) will still be there when you come back. If you have vacation and/or sick time, that usually gets used up during the 12 weeks of FMLA and can offset some of the unpaid time. In some states (California for example) there is a program through the state unemployment/disability department that will cover some of your unpaid time as well. In some companies, you may also be covered under short-term disability for some or all of that 12 week period. If several things apply, you'll get no more than what you would have made if you were working. You can't double or triple dip and get vacation pay, disability pay, short-term disability pay and a state disability pay all for the same day. When you get your detailed benefits info after you start work, you should be able to find something on maternity in your handbook, possibly under medical leaves or disability leaves. Short-term disability is also something that usually requires you have been employed 6 or 12 months first.
Because FMLA does not kick in for 12 months, it would be wise not to plan to get pregnant before that point. Once you're pregnant (even if the birth isn't until after the 12 month anniversary), you may need a bunch of time for doctor's appointments, morning sickness- even bedrest! You may need to be off the last month of your pregnancy because you just can't manage work. If you don't qualify for FMLA, you're at serious risk for ending up unemployed and pregnant which makes it incredibly hard to find another job.
As to the sick day policy, I'd say most places have you accrue it over time. They may allow no sick days during a probationary period (or only 1). Many employers now use PTO (Paid Time Off) where they lump all your vacation and sick days together, you don't have to say whether you're out sick, going to Disneyland or just don't feel like coming in. The only danger there is if you use it all on holidays and don't have any sick days at the end of the year when you come down with the flu.
If a company offers a 401(k) plan, they may require you to work there a full year before you can start contributing to it. The company match may not start until some later date as well. Usually you have to be "vested" (often 5 years) before the money that the company puts in really belongs to you. If you leave before then, you can take what you put in, but not what the company put in for you.
All in all, all three of these things are going to be set policy. There won't be any negotiation that can be done, it is going to be what it is going to be.
Tess
Not to give you a flippant answer, but being offered any type of 401K plan in which the company participates is a good deal. Not all companies offer any type of savings plan and fewer still contribute to them. Most have a longevity requirement which means employer-contributed funds aren't available to the employee until they've been there X number of years. More basically, however, whatever is offered is what it is and won't be a negotiable item.
You second question about sick days and personal days is almost impossible to answer except to say that it depends on the company. Many employers are going to one category called "paid time off" that eliminates vacation days, sick days, and personal days and keeping track of each. It's easier to lump all 3 together and call them "paid time off." Obviously, from your standpoint, more is better, but there's no "average" against which you can benchmark the number of days off you should expect. Again, this is one of those items that's usually set by company policy and non-negotiable.
Maternity leave is controlled by the Family & Medical Leave Act. For it's provisions to apply the company must have at least 50 employees and the employee has to have been employed for a minimum of one year before it's provisions kick in. For maternity leave, the law requires the employer to keep your job or one comparable to it available for 12 months, but it does not require the employer to pay you while you're gone. One final time, what the employer decides do in terms of pay depends on the employer. Some will offer half-pay for X number of weeks, for example but, again, it depends on each company's policy which isn't ordinarily negotiable.
In a nutshell, all three questions you asked depend on the policy established by the employer, with the exception of the requirements of the FMLA on employers with 50 or more employees.
Paul W. Barada
The Negotiation Expert
For maternity leave, the law requires the employer to keep your job or one comparable to it available for 12 months, ...
I believe you mean 12 weeks.
Thanks for answering. I knew never to ask at the interview, but did however (out of ignorance) wondered why it never was a topic of interest in those fancy, heavy benefits packages. You'd think companies would try to attract career-oriented- mothers -to -be by offering competitive maternity packages...Im sure some brilliant companies out there do so and publize this to potential candidates. However, Im not planning to really consider until 3-4 yrs down the road..just thinking ahead.
Interesting...I assumed company participation in 401ks were more prevalent these days. I assume the deal offered is fair, not that Im going to be placing 10 or 5 percent in my first year. However, I believe plan begins once hired and matching begins once uve started saving. there are no probation periods.
Thanks for the advice.
Yes, of course, it's 12 WEEKS, not 12 months. Sorry...
Paul W. Barada
The Negotiation Expert
Phew! I thought you'd gone over the border to Canada. They do get 12 months (paid mind you) there, but that's another thread for another day.
Tess
"To err is human...to forgive, divine."
Paul W. Barada
The Negotiation Expert