Pregnancy myths shattered with a rant.

I got an email from a business coach the other day, and halfway through it, I felt like I’d been slapped.

In the middle of a perfectly acceptable rant about poor service, the rant segued into saying how no business owner should ever employ a woman of childbearing age, as they “take a year off on maternity leave – again and again”!

Ignoring the gross over-simplification that all women always get pregnant, it was interesting that he thought pregnancy was the biggest thorn in an employer’s side.

We work at the “sharp end” with staff issues, and I can tell you straight away that it’s absolutely nonsense.

In fact, the reality is that 95% of the staff issues we deal with are to do with men over the age of 30.

Very occasionally we have had a “tricky” pregnancy situation to resolve (by occasionally, I mean two in the last 14 years!):

One was a lady who thought her company sick pay was going to go on forever, so took extreme amounts of non-pregnancy related sick leave.

The other was a lady who did go off on maternity leave and get pregnant again before she came back to work.

In that case it was annoying but as the maternity cover was brilliant, it wasn’t actually a problem.

Not according to this coach, who claimed that the real cost of maternity leave is “crippling” to small businesses and that the government need to “revisit the rules”.

We work with 115 small businesses and I can honestly say that none of them are crippled by maternity leave costs.

In fact, if your business ends up being crippled by maternity leave, you’re being negligent.

You can claim back all the maternity leave you pay out at 103% if you are a small business, meaning that the government actually rewards you for being the conduit.

I would suggest that the costs of maternity leave are nothing compared to the cost of recruiting a sales person via an agency (thousands in fees) only for them to not deliver.

Or a greenkeeper on £30k who is refusing to work with his colleague because “he’s poisoning me”.

Or an employee who goes off long term sick, on full pay for 3 months, for “stress at work” because their new boss is not hanging on their every word.

Sure, you’ll need to find a replacement if one of your staff members go on maternity, but you usually get about 6 months’ notice to do so (unlike sick leave or resignation).

Sure, you have to pay them holiday, but surely that’s a given as an employer?

Plus, these are the ‘rules of the game’. If you can’t keep to them, then maybe it’s better to find a game you’ll be better at?

Rant over!

If you know of a company that could do with our help, please let us know – we always reward referrals with chocolate!

Reviews

     EXCELLENT rating  
 Based on 37 reviews 
    
  
 
       It is great having Gap HR working with us for all our HR.  Brilliant company.
     
   Nick Jobson 
 05/12/2023
 
 
 
 
     I absolutely enjoyed my recent experience working with Gap HR. There are several aspects of their service that stood out to me. Firstly, their responsiveness is truly remarkable. Gap HR consistently demonstrated the fastest response time to all our communications, which not only streamlined our processes but also instilled a sense of confidence in their support.

Secondly, their expertise in HR solutions for medium and small businesses is unparalleled. Gap HR's in-depth knowledge and experience in this niche are highly valuable. Their ability to navigate the complexities of HR for smaller enterprises is a significant asset and brings peace of mind.

Lastly, the team at Gap HR is an absolute pleasure to work with. Their caring and dedicated approach goes beyond the ordinary, making them not just service providers, but trusted partners. They bring a level of commitment that is truly exceptional, and it's evident that they genuinely care about the success and well-being of their clients.

In summary, Gap HR has become our first and foremost point of contact for any employment law support. Their combination of responsiveness, expertise, and unwavering dedication makes them an invaluable resource in the realm of HR and employment law.
     
   Alisa Tolmaciova 
 07/11/2023
 
 
 
 
     I work for a local council and we began working with Gap HR a few months ago. I have found them an absolute pleasure to work with - very responsive, thorough and knowledgeable. Above all I feel that I am working with a friendly and empathic team who understand our needs and are dedicated to helping us achieve what we need to achieve. I am very grateful to have their support.
     
   Claire Bird 
 11/10/2023
 
 
 
 
     GAP HR has been supporting our business for a while now and they are very helpful and thorough in everything they assist us with, from the small to big issues.  Great company to support your business.  All staff are friendly and on point with all the knowledge they share.
Thank you GAP-HR
     
   Neath Afan Gymnastics And Activities 
 15/09/2023
 
 
 
 
     It has been great working with Gap HR, their guidance has helped immensely with the day to day running of the business.  The whole team are extremely responsive and knowledgeable which makes the experience a pleasurable one.
     
   Will Cairns 
 27/06/2023
 
 
 
 
     Great support from the whole team. The knowledge, advice and support that Gap HR give is second to none. They give me the confidence to know that i am doing the right thing. 👍
     
   Jeff Wicks 
 06/06/2023
 
 
 
 
     We are really delighted to have hooked up with Gap HR Services Limited – the team interpreted our brief perfectly and their advice and assistance was delivered in both a pragmatic and professional way. A big THANK YOU to both Carolyne and Cathy who steered us through the legislation with a best practice and smart approach.

Gap HR’s sense of urgency in fulfilment and delivery matched our own so we can do nothing but positively recommend the team for your HR needs.
     
   BCAS Ltd 
 28/04/2023
 
 
 
 
     We receive excellent advice and service from the team at Gap. Professional, but helpful with any question big or small. They save us from many hours of debating if we should do x or y - just email Gap is the answer, which makes it easy for us and minimises mistakes - thank you Gap HR!
     
   Jacqueline Shields 
 24/04/2023
 
 
 
 
     Brilliant company and I highly recommend their services, professional HR services.
     
   Robert Creer 
 13/01/2023
 
 
 
 
     I have been using GapHR for many years and find them a great company to work with. All of the team I have worked with are very professional and experienced in many areas. I would highly recommend using GapHR as there services are fantastic.
     
   Tommy Fisher 
 11/01/2023

Who We Work With

It is great having Gap HR working with us for all our HR. Brilliant company.

Nick Jobson

05/12/2023

I absolutely enjoyed my recent experience working with Gap HR. There are several aspects of their service that stood out to me. Firstly, their responsiveness is truly remarkable. Gap HR consistently demonstrated the fastest response time to all our communications, which not only streamlined our processes but also instilled a sense of confidence in their support. Secondly, their expertise in HR solutions for medium and small businesses is unparalleled. Gap HR's in-depth knowledge and experience in this niche are highly valuable. Their ability to navigate the complexities of HR for smaller enterprises is a significant asset and brings peace of mind. Lastly, the team at Gap HR is an absolute pleasure to work with. Their caring and dedicated approach goes beyond the ordinary, making them not just service providers, but trusted partners. They bring a level of commitment that is truly exceptional, and it's evident that they genuinely care about the success and well-being of their clients. In summary, Gap HR has become our first and foremost point of contact for any employment law support. Their combination of responsiveness, expertise, and unwavering dedication makes them an invaluable resource in the realm of HR and employment law.

Alisa Tolmaciova

07/11/2023

I work for a local council and we began working with Gap HR a few months ago. I have found them an absolute pleasure to work with - very responsive, thorough and knowledgeable. Above all I feel that I am working with a friendly and empathic team who understand our needs and are dedicated to helping us achieve what we need to achieve. I am very grateful to have their support.

Claire Bird

11/10/2023

GAP HR has been supporting our business for a while now and they are very helpful and thorough in everything they assist us with, from the small to big issues. Great company to support your business. All staff are friendly and on point with all the knowledge they share. Thank you GAP-HR

Neath Afan Gymnastics And Activities

15/09/2023

It has been great working with Gap HR, their guidance has helped immensely with the day to day running of the business. The whole team are extremely responsive and knowledgeable which makes the experience a pleasurable one.

Will Cairns

27/06/2023

Great support from the whole team. The knowledge, advice and support that Gap HR give is second to none. They give me the confidence to know that i am doing the right thing. 👍

Jeff Wicks

06/06/2023

We are really delighted to have hooked up with Gap HR Services Limited – the team interpreted our brief perfectly and their advice and assistance was delivered in both a pragmatic and professional way. A big THANK YOU to both Carolyne and Cathy who steered us through the legislation with a best practice and smart approach. Gap HR’s sense of urgency in fulfilment and delivery matched our own so we can do nothing but positively recommend the team for your HR needs.

BCAS Ltd

28/04/2023

We receive excellent advice and service from the team at Gap. Professional, but helpful with any question big or small. They save us from many hours of debating if we should do x or y - just email Gap is the answer, which makes it easy for us and minimises mistakes - thank you Gap HR!

Jacqueline Shields

24/04/2023

Brilliant company and I highly recommend their services, professional HR services.

Robert Creer

13/01/2023

I have been using GapHR for many years and find them a great company to work with. All of the team I have worked with are very professional and experienced in many areas. I would highly recommend using GapHR as there services are fantastic.

Tommy Fisher

11/01/2023

Pregnancy myths shattered with a rant.

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