A maternity leave letter of intent is a document written by expectant parents/ employees to their employer requesting partial leave from work to give birth, recover, and tend to the newly born baby. Maternity leave can be for both parents, father, and mother. The letter helps prepare the employer to understand how long you plan to be absent and plan how your responsibilities will be redistributed.
The duration allowed under U.S. law, § 825.100(a), is up to twelve (12) weeks off. This, however, is dependent on the fact that they do qualify under state and federal law. Under federal law, the requirement is for the employee to have worked a specified number of hours in the preceding 12 months, and the company/organization must have at least fifty (50) employees.
It is a federal law that dictates that employees can take a maximum of twelve weeks unpaid to care for their newborn. The parent is assured of getting their job back after they leave. Other applicable rules and regulations are provided under the Employer’s Guide to the FMLA.
How to Write a Maternity Leave Letter of Intent
When writing a maternity leave letter of intent, it should be done in a professional manner as it is considered an official document. To help you have an in-depth understanding of what is required in a maternity leave letter of intent, we shall guide the steps you should take and what to include to ensure you capture all the relevant information required.
These steps include:
Use proper formatting
The first step is format selection. The format of this letter should be business formal. This includes the font, text margin, and general structure of the maternity leave letter of intent. An easy-to-read font is recommended, and fonts such as Arial and Times New Roman have been known to be effective. A one-inch margin on all sides would suffice.
Include the date and address
As with all formal letters, begin by providing your name, address, and any other contact information like email. This is then followed by the date. This information helps the employer know who exactly will be unavailable, and the date is important for record-keeping.
Include the recipient’s address
The next step is writing the recipient’s details. That is the name and address of the company. You can opt to include the name of your supervisor before the company name.
Use the proper greeting or salutation
Follow this up by using the proper salutation. Remember, as this is an official document, the salutation should be made using appropriate titles such as Mr. or Mrs. Regardless of whether you have a casual relationship with your supervisor.
Explain why you’re writing
The next step is explaining your reasons for writing the maternity leave letter of intent. Be direct to the point from the beginning by stating your intent to be away as you are an expecting parent and include how long you plan to be away. Ensure that you use specific dates when declaring when you will be leaving and returning. Outlining the expected date of delivery can also be done in this section.
Provide a workload proposal
The succeeding paragraph should be used to highlight how the employee wishes his or her duties (workload) are handled in their absence. An employee’s leave can influence a lot of activities in an office or company, so you should be truthful and state work you believe you will not be able to get done within set deadlines and work activities you wish to be completed when you are away.
In cases where you are involved with ongoing short or long-term projects, let the employer know where you currently are and the potential impacts of your leave on the project. In most cases, you as the employee are in a better position to identify who within the company can effectively carry out different tasks when you are away, so it is important to make suggestions. You can also suggest specific tasks you can handle at home meanwhile or after the arrival of the newborn.
Share method of communication
The next step should be declaring the level of communication you intend to maintain while on leave. This could be weekly or after a few days via email or conference calls. This is especially for employees who plan on working from home. Where you plan on being entirely away without communication, state it in the maternity leave letter of intent.
Include a plan for your transition back
As maternity leave is only temporary, you can choose to have a plan for your transition back to work. If this is the case, outline your plan at this point in your maternity leave letter of intent. If this will be determined at a later date, you can leave out the plan.
Express gratitude
The next step is expressing your gratitude towards your employer for being supportive and understanding with the whole process. A courtesy gesture is always welcome in the professional world.
Include name and signature
Lastly, you can sign off. This is done by adding your name at the bottom and signature. Signatures are for typed hard copy letters. Where the maternity leave letter of intent is being sent via email, entering your name would be enough.
Maternity Leave Letter Of Intent Template
Employee name
Employee address
Address
Email or phone number
Date
Name of employer, manager, supervisor…
Name of company/business
Company address
Dear [last name of employer],
I write this letter to apprise you that I am pregnant or expecting my [e.g., firstborn child] and plan on taking a maternity leave starting from [date] to [return date], which will be a total of twelve weeks. My due date is on [expected date of delivery].
During this period, I would like to suggest [name] be assigned the following duties [outline responsibilities you would like them to handle]. I would also like to propose [be descriptive]. Kindly take these recommendations into consideration as I believe they will be very helpful to fill in for my absence. Further suggestions or alterations can be given.
While on leave, you can contact me through [provide contact information]. I will, however, be checking in weekly through my email—[if you plan on handling some responsibilities at home, state it here]. Kindly let me know if any documents or information is needed from me before I start my leave.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely/faithfully/regards,
[handwritten signature]
[name]
Maternity Leave Letter Of Intent Sample
Carol Smith,
123 Orange Ave,
Chelsea City, MT, 3345
22nd March 2020
Ben Atkins,
Wizer Technologies,
33 Bark Street,
Birmingham, OH, 8801
Dear Mr. Atkins,
This letter is aimed to inform you that I will be taking 12-week maternity leave as from 25th March. The doctor estimates I will be having the baby on April 1st. I expect to return to work as from 25th June.
I am aware that this comes at a time when we are undertaking the Be Bold campaign, which I am spearheading, and in regards to this, I would like to suggest Craig Ford assume my responsibilities as the chairperson. He has been my deputy throughout the campaign, and he is well informed. I took the liberty to loop him in on where we are, should a progress report be needed. I propose that the company compensate Mr. Ford with a bonus package for the same, should this be feasible. Kindly let me know your take on the proposal and other suggestions you would have regarding this temporal workload distribution.
I plan on doing week check-ins via email, and therefore I will still be able to resolve issues within my docket. Should there be further concerns, I can be contacted through [email protected] or (+441) 555 234.
Thank you for granting me this leave, and I hope to be back as soon as I recover.
Best regards,
Carol Smith
Free Templates
Writing your own maternity leave letter of intent can be hectic and has a greater chance to include errors. To ease this problem, we have provided editable templates below. Download free maternity leave letter of intent templates here. These templates are printable and can be customized as per your needs:
Conclusion
It is a bit demanding to fulfill your responsibilities at work while being an expectant parent. To give yourself time to deliver, take care of the baby and recover, you can request leave through a maternity leave letter. This letter contains the day when you expect to start and finish your leave.
The employee can also suggest ways they would want their duties and responsibilities to be reassigned. Always indicate if you are capable and plan on working from home or not. With the information discussed combined with the template and sample, you are set to write a maternity letter by yourself. Good luck.