unfairness to working mother

[June2012]

I am a new mother with 5 months old baby girl. Last month I returned to work, looking forward to continue my job as usual. But I found out that I am being blame for the work undone by my backup colleague while I am away for maternity. Worst still I can't defend myself as I am not invited to the meeting (the news was from another colleague). Why should I take the blame? Is the mgmt so blind?

The above is incident is still bearable. The most injustice is when c-boss announce my pathetic bonus. Although my performance appraisal is same as last year but reason given is I just came back from a long maternity leaves in which the company still paid me. They actually wanted to cut headcount and didn't think my service is needed. But didn't do it, so consider treat me good.

Such crap!!! Isn't the 16weeks ml is employee benefit? Don't tell me you did me favor by paying my long leaves. It's given and company only paid 4 weeks. Don't make up excuses for not paying me the bonus I deserved just cos company want to cut cost. I did my job well, even work from home from I was on leaves and helped colleagues. if bonus is not decoded by performance, then what's the appraisal form for? I maybe away for 4 months, but how about the 8 months of work, doesn't that count? Why is all hardwork gone due to ML?

Such injustice to working mothers. Very disappointed with Singapore society. Work-life balance and having more kids? All nonsences!

 

[pipilili]

Hi dear mommy,
I just wanted to let you know your rights being employed or have taken maternity leave as I just attended something HR has organised and wanted to share more with you.

Like you, I thought I will be paid badly for bonus since I was on 4 months maternity. (and honestly I was paid lesser than my previous year). I raised this point to HR. According to what some managers shared around the table, if you are a B performer and you suddenly get a C grade or lower bonus, management/HR will question why mgr are paying you lesser. They would have to come up with justification. However, to me, this is all "by right" talk. There are multiple "by left" managers or people who will sabotage you during your maternity leave - ie: they may say things like 4 months paid is as good as bonus.) We are unlucky we are born here, in such a society. Partly to blame is also how our system has brought us up. I heard in UK, you can raise such issue up and get investigated by a 3rd party.

Another point also to share is - In Newspaper we often hear them reporting about mothers going back to work on flexi plan etc. In actual fact, in order to work flexi, you need to get your mgr's and head's approval to work flexi. If they dont think the nature of your work allows you to work flexi, chances is you will not be able to work flexi. (In another words, the company is forcing you to resign if you cannot work full time). One sad case which happened to my colleague is her baby was born prematurely and needed alot of attention. She asked to work flexi to care for her baby and was rejected by mgr directly. I am unsure how many other singaporeans have similar issues and hope they raise this up. Hopefully some journalist will see it, and do some research on this topic.

It's not easy to be a mommy in Singapore. Let's try together and not give up. At the end of the day, work is just a place to bring back the bread. Home and Family is where we should place our priority. My 2 cents thoughts to you - Work and go Home. Don't bother to voice it out at workplace as there are many wolfs around. Seeing your baby is better than staying longer hrs in office.

 

[violetangelz]

Hi mommy june2012,

I agreed with what pipilili said. Being a mommy at Singapore can be stressful. My working environment is a stressful one that required and expected us to work OT and our OT is a flat rate amount once we hit a certain timing and no matter how late we work, we won't get paid much and recently my colleague came back from 4 months of ML and she tendered at the 2nd day as she need to care for her baby boy which is very cranky and I can understand why she wanna left as my working environment required us to OT and boss always like to ask us OT, it we leave on time, she will find tons of excuses to say us when tiny mistakes are made and will bring up things like "you wanna leave on time so call report early" and what so ever to say us.

But the true of the matter is, we should have the freedom to leave on time but some boss just want to control us and when come to bonus, it is another round of condemnation and denied of our rights even if MOM already stated very clearly the guidelines esp when half of the maternity leave salary are paid by government. So why is then the company trying to make things difficult for us?

Is it an excuses for them to deny paying us what we deserved even though we work hard for the company. My MIL advised to leave this company because managers are so low-class and to say the truths, I rather forfeit all these if not because my MIL also said at least take the deserved ML then leave and don't let the company take away what you deserved.

But I am happy for a supporting MIL who actually if I can choose, I can every work for her which she suggested before. And actually I can stop working if not for my husband who want me to keep up with society by either working or go into business next time.

My MIL said, bad company always seek to make mother to be or working mother's life miserable but just bite it through, take what we deserved then change working environment. No point continue working for bad bosses after ML and see their ugly faces everyday.

 

[Nikitan]

Hi mommy june2012,

I feel you... I was having the same issues here, but the different is I have a working mother manager who understand my concerns. Unfortunately, my company top management / HR are not so nice. They cut my bonuses after I returned to work from ML despite my performance was good. Furthermore, I don't get paid when I do OT, and my top management check our day-in-day-out time (using gantry at office entrance). When it comes to appraisal, those who come back during sat/sun will only maintain their rating while working mother like me, will only get 'average' grade despite I can manage my work load efficiently. That's why I will not do OT anymore, I don't care about those kacang putih bonuses anymore, my family is still my priority!

In Singapore, we have nobody to speak for us in workplace, Union and MOM will never help us. No wonder Singaporeans find it difficult to have babies here...
Hope that our Govt can do something about it...

 

[spect2013]

I totally agree. After I delivered my #1, my immediate mgr told me I will not be receiving a good bonus no matter how good my performance is because I was away 4 months in a year. It's unfair and discriminating... To think, my company is a large reputable MNC... But I guess it's a fact of life. When I was preggie with #2, I was retrenched. There's no women charter here protecting preggies....

 

[violetangelz]

Yes, that is the sad part and my boss even hint at increasing my workload when I am back from ML. With a newborn baby, how to stay OT? My boss who children so she never know how hard it is. We already work hard from morning till evening and all we seek for is a work-life balance. I am also working for a big MNC that is reputable and has good profits every year.

Just 2 days ago, our bonus letter is out. I start my ML so my colleague contacted and told me highest boss actually wanna drag my bonus letter until aug but my boss scared people will leave as now lack of manpower just said give me first and the bonus rating though look decent but yet the pay out is lesser than last year same rating. A bit feel like the company earned but never shared.

 

[Qookie]

I know what you mean. When i went back after ML, i indicated to my bosses my longing to work part-time as i needed time to be with my baby. They were okay with it, the big boss even supported my idea (he's a family oriented guy).

But in the end because of some crazy HR policies and how inflexible the company is, i ended up quitting, as i wasn't offered a part-time position. And mind you, this is a stat board!

 

[Nikitan]

If I am not wrong, company can not retrench pregnant women in sg, you have the right to expose those company to MOM. But not sure MOM will help us or not, that's sad....

 

[violetangelz]

Sometimes is the company policies that make life hard for working moms.

By right is can't retrench but MOM only protect pregnant women who passed the 1st trimester and if your company know you are pregnant before you hits the 3rd month safety zone, they can find an excuse to terminate us and MOM can't do anything. But if they terminate us from 2nd trimester onward, MOM can help us to get back the maternity leave benefits from the company and ask them to compensate.

I do seek clarification from MOM when my boss wanna eat up my HL and start my ML early which is 2 and a half month earlier than my initial EDD.

 

[spect2013]

I wrote to MOM, they replied that company is only obliged to compensate me with my ML. My job is not safeguarded. Since my company was willing to grant me my ML, I cant complain to MOM

 

[Nikitan]

Then what kind of protection that we have? Apparently we have NONE! How sad! :'(

 

[spect2013]

Job protection NONE, only ML protection

 

[darialim]

work life balance doesn't really exist, it's just an ideal many talk about, like financial freedom.
although govt is pushing for more babies, companies don't really support as it's inconvenient to deal with maternity leave and paying 2 months for an absent worker.
also taking childcare leave is not without stigma, colleagues will eye your position and make it seem you're incompetent as work is not no. 1 priority,
legally, we have protection. socially, we're a liability

 

[June2012]

very sad to hear that working mummies in Singapore are so helpless.

I don't understand why should we have more babies then? just let the government import more foreign workers and PR to boost the country economy. Since we are not protected, we do not have the obligation too.

MOM and Union will not help us. They will just say it's up to company policy. If the company fire working mothers due to lack of performance (which is made-up stories), although the real reason is do not wish to provide working mothers benefits, we can't do anything about it. 'right' or 'left' managers will not support us as well, because they have their own job to safeguard.

At the end of the day, everybody is selfish and we can only help ourselves.

 

[Nikitan]

you are right! we can only help ourselves. Going to quit my day job and become SAHM! Meanwhile just do some online biz part-time. ^.^

 

[mums the word]

Hi mummies, I should be re-joining the workforce after i pop. I must say it's quite daunting reading these.

Do you find that it's easier for working mums in administrative roles rather than executive/professional roles? From my personal observation I find that working mums in exec roles are heavily disadvantaged due to things you have mentioned (competition, demanding work envt etc), but the mums in administrative positions seem to get by. Less pay = less expectation = less problems?

With the baby coming i must say achieving career excellence is not my priority anymore and I am intending to take a paycut and do something easy 8am-5pm kinda jobs and i won't have to 'prove' anything..is this something you would consider?

Yes it sucks that there's no support for working mums from employers/government..i think it comes down to mindsets and enforced by legal protection. The FTs I have worked with come from places where mat leave is 6 mths upwards and you can take even more unpaid leave, with no consequence to your job. The companies cannot terminate them no matter what (or pay lots and lots of $$$). So were quite shocked that after 4 mths maternity leave there will be people who come back to work and their roles got eaten up so they have to be transitioned out.

 

[June2012]

there are companies that provide good benefits and work flexi to working mothers, but in general, most companies in Singapore, doesn't care. If they could get out of employee benefits to save cost, they will just do it.

It is already not easy to cope with new baby, have to cope with stressful and bad employer, it feels like crap