Don’t forget your performance and salary review on maternity leave
Maternity and child care leave are an essential period in a mother’s life, and it is crucial to ensure that your career does not suffer during this time. Many working mommas hesitate or forget to ask for a performance and salary review when going on maternity and child care leave, assuming that it may not be the right time or they may appear pushy.
In the maternity leave survey that I have started only 18.8% indicated that they asked for a performance review before going on maternity leave and 6.3% asked for a reference letter. More than two thirds, 68.8%, did not ask for one. There were no follow up questions to find out why they didn’t but with this article I want to remind every momma-to-be to not drop neither your performance review and more importantly not your salary review when going on maternity leave.
Reasons to not forget about your reviews
It is important to remember that they are an opportunity to assess your career progress and make sure you are on the right track and to not miss any rounds of salary reviews, hopefully increases. According to Female Invest it will take 267 years to close the financial gender gap. That is why we can’t miss out on any salary rounds if you ask me.
Here are some other reasons why you should request a performance and salary review before going on maternity and child care leave:
- Recognition of your hard work
Taking time off from work can make you feel as though you are losing touch with your career, and it’s easy to forget about the work you have put in. Requesting a performance and salary review before your leave will give you the recognition you deserve for your hard work and achievements. It also helps your supervisors and managers to remember the value you bring to the organization both at the time you leave as well as when you come back.
- Opportunity to set goals
A performance review is an opportunity to set goals for the future. By discussing your future plans with your manager, and this should include the timing of when you will come back from your leave, you can ensure that you are on the right track and that you have a clear vision of what you want to achieve when you return to work. Depending on the organization you might not know what position, team or department exactly you will go to after your return but it is still a chance to show general goals you have or voice ideas for a new position you would like to gain experience in.
- Salary negotiation
A performance review also gives you an opportunity to discuss your salary. Maternity and child care leave can be a financially challenging time, and it’s essential to ensure that you are paid fairly for your work. By discussing your salary with your manager, you can make sure that your pay is aligned with your responsibilities and experience. Mommas, this is an important one. If you’re working in a big organization, salary reviews are likely not very flexible and adhere to a yearly review. If you go out on maternity leave for a year you want to make sure that you don’t miss two rounds of salary review and possible increase. Therefore make sure to get the review and increase for the last period you worked for. Also remember that a salary review should not only be looking backwards but also forward. If you were managing a team of 4 but coming back to manage a team of 8 then your salary should reflect that increase in responsibility not only after you have done it for a year.
- Job security
Requesting a performance review before your leave also ensures job security. By having an open and honest conversation with your manager about your performance, you can ensure that your position with the company is secure while you are away from work. It shows that you care about your work, achievements and place within the organization.
- Career development
A performance review can also be an opportunity to discuss career development. Maternity and child care leave is an excellent time to reflect on your career goals and aspirations. By discussing these with your manager, you can ensure that you are on the right track and that you have the support you need to develop your career.
Examples of salary increases while on maternity leave
For me it has always been helpful to see examples of what I want to do or have someone encourage me to do it. So here are just a few examples of women who successfully increased their salaries despite their maternity leave.
Sarah Kauss, Founder and CEO of S’well: In 2018, Kauss negotiated a 50% increase in her salary while she was on maternity leave. This increase was due in part to her company’s successful partnership with Starbucks, which resulted in S’well bottles being sold in Starbucks stores across the US.
Katie Donovan, Founder of Equal Pay Negotiations LLC: Donovan negotiated for her own salary increase while on maternity leave and later went on to found a company dedicated to helping women negotiate for equal pay and benefits.
Admittedly, I didn’t ask for a performance review during my first maternity leave as it was only 3.5 months in total. I was conveniently coming back when the discussions on performance and salary review were starting. For my other two maternity/child care leaves I made it a point to have a meeting with my manager to discuss both my performance as well as my salary. While the feedback wasn’t as detailed as I would have wanted it to be and the salary increases weren’t as high as Sarah Kauss’s one with 50%, I am happy that there was an increase. It leaves me with a confidence to tell every momma to ask for the pay rises that they deserve.
Conclusion
In conclusion, requesting a performance and salary review before going on maternity and child care leave is essential for your career development and financial security. It’s an opportunity to assess your career progress, set goals, discuss salary negotiation, ensure job security, and plan for future career development. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of this opportunity to ensure that your career stays on track during this important time in your life.
