Earliest I can go on maternity is 29 weeks is that right? I'm going to try and tag any holiday I've accrued onto the start of it so I can go a little bit earlier. I'm around 12+4 atm so got a little while, although got my scan next week so I'll get a more accurate idea of how far along I am then (hopefully ill be a few days further). The day I leave for maternity I think I might just have a party to celebrate lol I feel happy just thinking about it, it's gonna be such an amazing feeling and i'm going to be so proud of myself for sticking it out. I know it won't be much but the smp will really help, means I won't need to touch any money I will have saved up for that much longer.

Don't hand in your notice before you leave for mat otherwise they won't pay any smp. I got maternity allowance instead of smp as I only worked 11. Hours.
Congrats on the pregnancy btw x x x

Thank you and yeah don't worry I won't probably hand it in once my smp has finished when I'm 'in the clear' so to speak. I'm only contracted to work 13 hours but ever since my second week working I've always done a lot more than that, double that probably, i guess its working in my favour now because I should qualify for smp, but it also means I never get to have a life either! Not that they give two hoots even though I've broken down in tears a couple of times now because of the hours I'm doing and the stress it's been causing me, they never do anything to help me out even though my job performance has been affected! You'd never think I actually liked it there to begin with. Never understood why they don't hire more people if they need me and other colleagues to do so much overtime, I don't mind overtime but it would be nice to have a choice as to whether I want to do it or not, my friend who worked at another store did! Oops there I go again I could go on all day and I've only been there since October.

Thanks for your help anyway! Nice to know I'm not just being dramatic and there are other people who worked at asda and hated it! need to get ready for work now, supposed to be leaving in 20 minutes and I'm still in my pj's!

Could you not tell them you only want your contract hours hun? Of you don't mind me asking what is the smp like do u get it for the full 9months??

I have asked to reduce my hours, a few times now, it changes for literally about two weeks and then it goes back to how it was before, like my manager forgets or something, ive pretty much given up trying and am just plodding along... When I had my risk assessment, she asked me if there was anything she could do to help me and keep my stress levels down (she knows about my previous mc), I was still doing long hours and 6 day weeks at this point and I said to reduce my hours (I do want to do a bit of overtime so I get smp) but all that's happened is I'm working the same amount of days (although I refuse to do 6 days a week anymore) just shorter shifts, which would be fine but some days I wonder why I was even on the rota in the first place especially if it's really quiet or there isn't a spare till it's like I'm just there for the sake of it sometimes.

I'm not sure exactly how much I'll get, I did the online smp calculator the other day based on last months earnings and it said I'd get something like 6 weeks at £150-odd (90% of weekly earnings) and obviously before tax and then full smp for the rest of it, can't remember how long for though might have been the full 9months or it might have been just 6 months don't trust those calculators though

Bit of an update, I now have Easter Monday off. I didn't actually speak to her I was just talking to another colleague about what we were working over Easter etc, I wasn't really moaning, just saying in passing "I'm working both bank holidays and it sucks" kind of thing and didn't think much of it. Anyway he went and told my manager and she pulled me up on it implying that I'd been spreading it around or something when I haven't, I hadn't even mentioned it to anyone at work until today

She said because I'm a 'new colleague' (been there since October, not sure how long I'm classed as new for?) that I have to work any bank holidays they put me down for! So by that point I was thinking "oh well guess I'm gonna be working them then" then she went back on that and said she'd have a look and see if I can have one of the days off and took me off the Monday. Bit confused as to why she would do that when I apparently have to work them if I'm on the rota but I'm not complaining guess she was just doing me a favour, I didn't protest what she said about new colleagues or anything I was just like "ok". Definitely agree with you though, asda treat their staff like crap, when I first started they were making out like colleagues get this that and the other and I was thinking "this should be a nice Place to work" but then you find out about all the rules which give us no leaway what so ever lol. Oh well at least I've gotten one bank holiday off. Been made to feel guilty about it but I'm sure I'll get over it.

Edit: and I spoke to one of my colleagues who's been working at the store for years about the asking to leave when my shift is over thing and she said that no ones ever had to do that and basically said my manager made it up and that she should be aware of what time staff are due to leave anyway, she basically said that she completely made it up. So I'm not going to follow up with her ridiculous request and if she pulls me up on it I'll tell her that I've never seen anyone else have to do that and why was I not informed of this 'rule' when I first started working there. Tbh I feel somewhat victimised over it but I'm not gonna do anything about it, however i'm going to remember it just in case anything else happens in the future which makes me feel singled out iykwim.