Conference 7.286::digital

	When my son was born, I asked my manager about paternity leave.
	He checked with personnel and they told him it was manager's
	discretion.  My manager let me take off as much time as *I* felt
	appropriate as sick leave.  Since I am WC4, that meant I was in
	no way docked for the time.  This was in 1984, don't know
	what may have changed since then.

Frank

    I'm in the same situation (first child due in a week or so).  I
    just checked the Policies and Procedures manual on this.  The only
    thing that it talks about is an unpaid Leave of Absence of no more than
    90 days.  Sounds like .1 got a good deal.  I'm just planning on
    taking a few weeks of vacation, myself.
    
    Steve

    I'd heard a rumor that there was some kind of policy in the making
    but that it would be at least a year out.  So when Eddy was born
    on Christmas morning, I took three weeks of accumulated vacation
    time.  With the holidays and whatnot, this amounted to almost a
    month.  It was extraordinarily good timing. :-)
    
    						Proud papa,
    
    						    Ralph

    My wife is due in about 10 days. I'm WC4, but in only my 4th year
    at DEC. I face a tough decision. I get two weeks vacation, and I'm
    sure my wife will need a break this summer -- I know I will. But
    if I spend any time at home after the delivery I'll have no vacation
    to go away in the nice weather when we'll really need a break. What
    a choice!
    
    Certainly I'll have to take a few days to help my wife after delivery,
    and I'll have a cold, a sore throat, and other ailments. I never
    take sick time, so I don't feel too guilty about this. But when
    you get only two weeks, every minute counts. I'll really have to
    balance the importance of days at home after delivery with days
    on vacation in three or four months.
    
    I wish I didn't have to do this. I wish Digital has a policy on
    this that didn't force these kinds of choices. I've heard that a
    policy stated that paternity leave was up to two weeks without pay.
    If that's true, great policy! Just what I need right now is to lose
    two weeks of pay! If I stayed home from work for no good reason
    I wouldn't get paid either. Is that the "Staying home for no reason"
    policy?
    
    In general I think DEC has great benefits, and what's not addressed
    by benefits or policy I've always been able to work out with
    understanding managers. My current manager is great about these
    sorts of things. But still, compared to many other developed countries,
    the US is very bad about maternity and paternity, and DEC is just
    a reflection of the prevailing trend.
    
    DC

	  You know, the Personnel Policies and Procedures manual is no
     secret tome consulted only by the light of the full moon.  Go to your
     supervisor, ask to borrow the big orange binder, and read.  Or consult
     the VTX database.

	  Digital has no paternity leave.  Digital also has no maternity
     leave.  Pregnant women go out on short term disability, not maternity
     leave.  Leave starts three weeks before the due date, and ends when
     the woman's doctor say she is fit to return to work.  This could be
     never, given certain medical conditions -- but short term disability
     runs a maximum of six months.  After that, hope you paid the long term
     disability insurance premiums.  If you [the father] could get your
     doctor to certify that you were unable to work because of the stress
     associated with a baby being born, I would bet you could get out on
     short term disability too.

	  Most managers are willing to let at least WC 4 fathers have a few
     days on an unofficial basis to handle the upheaval of their lives.
     But this is between you and your manager.  You can take an unpaid
     leave of absence for personal reasons -- but there is no guarantee
     your job will still be here when you want to come back, as with any
     leave of absence.

	  You will almost certainly need to take days because the child has
     kept you up all night, or something like that.  Plan for them from two
     to four weeks after the birth, when the realization that you're stuck
     with the little monster sets in.  [At six weeks, the parents' brains
     turn to mush, and they cease categorizing the child as a little
     monster.  I know, it's happened to me twice.]

	  And good luck.

				  Brian Hetrick

    
    I really appreciate all the advice here.  I suppose I should have
    mentioned that I am a WC4 and have only been with DEC since 9-FEB-1987
    and as such do not have any vacation time accrued.  Luckily I have
    a very understanding manager and hopefully we can work something
    out with comp time, sick time, and working from home.
    
    This is my second "monster" and with no relatives nearby and my
    wife having a c-section this is a particularly touchy situation.
    I guess my point is that this thing really needs to be addressed
    as a policy here at Digital and how is this done??
    
    JR    

See note 101 also...

Ray

>	Sounds like .1 got a good deal.  

	Sorry if I made it sound so good.  I only took 4 days and 
	I felt guilty about taking that many.  I didn't realize
	that you guys were talking in terms of weeks.

Frank

    
    Thanks for all the info.  Just thought I'd tell you all what finall
    happened.  There is a policy that a manager can give up to 5 paid
    discretionary days to an employee for just this type of thing.
    
    So I took the 5 day's and had a BOY!!!
    
    I thought this was a pretty good deal and reinforced most of the
    reasons I wanted to work here in the first place.
    
    Thanks again.
    
    JR

    So, is the boy to be named JR Jr. ?
    
    Heh heh... and congrats!

    
    As a matter of fact the first one was.
        

    But I never thought of it that way--I like it. It'll make a great
    vanity plate on his first Ferrari.    

    	I guess it depends on the country.  Here in France I believe
    the paternaty/maternaty leave is 3-4 months...& can be split between
    either person, and I dont think thay have to work for the same company.
    I think 1/2 year is more appropriate.
    
    Keith