I know where you are coming from sibs but it is an unfortunate fact of employment life now that the rights of employers have virutally disappeared in the last 10 years.
No one is saying that women should not have babies or have time off for it, but unfortunately legislation is such that now businesses can go bust because of it. I have first hand experience of this.
A woman is soon to be entitled to have a full 12 months off work to have a child, the employers has, by law to keep the job open, just in case the lady wishes to return to work. In the meantime, her work load either has to be redistributed amongs the other staff, or as is common, some one else employed on a temporary contract to cover. If this "new" employee is better at the job than the person being covered for, what is an amployer to do 12 months down the line, let the person doing the better job go and bring back into the fold someone who, in all probability will want to do "flexy" hours to suit her new life obligations or break the law and not take them back.
I know in many cases whether the worker is male or female in the work place is not significant, but for such women oriented business like hair or beauty, this legislation can have a devastating effect.
No disrepect meant to any ladies, whatsoever, what would we do without them, just that I think the legislation has got way out of control now. Employment is now a legal minefield for any prospective business and should be condsidered very carefully before taking on even 1 employee.
Your assumption that the government pays for maternity benefit and a little bit more is in fact factually wrong if a company has more than 250 employees. These companies have to foot something like 30% of the costs themselves. Employers with less than this amount of employees get maternity pay refunded plus a small percentage on top. this doesn't begin to cover the loss of income a hairdressing salon loses when the stylist takes 12 months off. Imagine 4 at a time!:grouphug:
Grumpy