I Refuse to Accept Zero Bonus Just Because I Was on Maternity Leave, I Brought More Money Than Anyone

Maggie, a working mom, outperformed her entire team in 9 months. Yet when bonus season arrived, she got nothing. The reason? “Full-year active employment required.” One woman’s fight against workplace discrimination is sparking a bigger conversation about fairness.

Hi!

Recently, our firm announced annual bonuses. Everyone got it, except me. My boss said, “You were on maternity leave. Bonuses require full-year active employment.” When I said that I exceeded my sales target, she replied, “Policy is policy.” I smiled.

What no one knew is that I’ve been silently documenting how I exceeded my annual sales target in just 9 months, while colleagues who worked the full year didn’t hit theirs but still got bonuses. I worked significantly harder to compensate for my shorter time, closing more deals and bringing in more revenue than most of my team.

But when I showed HR these performance records, she responded: “Bonus eligibility is based on employment duration, not individual performance metrics. The policy clearly states full-year active employment regardless of sales numbers.”

My lawyer says I might have a discrimination case, but the company’s written policy does explicitly state the time requirement. I truly believe that my performance should matter more. I don’t really know if I have to fight or accept this fact. What do you think? Thank you!

Maggie

Hi Maggie!

Congrats on hitting your sales target in 9 months. That’s “I did a full-year job in less time while also recovering from childbirth” performance. We somehow think it’s hard to even answer emails after maternity leave without feeling like your brain got factory-reset. Now, let’s see what we would do if we were in your shoes. Here is a short plan:

• Get the policy in writing (exact wording)
• Confirm bonus type: performance bonus or service/attendance bonus
• Find comparator examples (anyone not a full-year who still got it)
• Request a pro-rated bonus formally and calmly
• If refused, let your lawyer do the rest

And let’s dive into details.

1) The company’s policy might be written...but that doesn’t automatically make it legal.

You need the exact wording if things escalate. A lot of employers think, “If we wrote it down, it’s safe.” But here’s the legal problem: maternity leave isn’t just “time off.” It’s a protected type of absence in many countries, and rules that punish someone because of maternity-related absence can still be discrimination even when the rule is written clearly.

Second, your boss didn’t say: “You weren’t eligible because you didn’t meet performance.” She said, “You were on maternity leave.” So, that’s the reason they gave you. From a legal perspective, that’s a flashing neon sign that says: “The bonus decision is linked to protected leave.” Even if HR tries to sanitize it later with “policy is policy,” your boss already tied the outcome to maternity leave.

2) Performance-based bonus...but also “performance doesn’t matter”? That’s suspicious.

Companies love “performance” when it benefits them and love “policy” when it saves them money.
If this is truly a loyalty/attendance bonus (full-year service requirement), then fine—performance doesn’t matter. But if this is marketed as an annual performance bonus, and you outperformed many people who got paid, then denying you can look like:

• a penalty for taking maternity leave, or
• unequal treatment disguised as policy.

3) The legal question is: Would others on non-maternity leave absences be treated the same?

🔎 Here’s what’s worth investigating immediately: Did anyone else miss time and still get a bonus?

Examples:

• medical leave (non-pregnancy)
• injury leave
• unpaid leave
• sabbatical
• parental leave (for fathers, if applicable)
• late hires

If someone missed months for any reason and still got paid, then you’re not looking at “policy.”

4) You’re not wrong to feel like fighting, but choose the fight strategically.

• Option A: Ask for a pro-rated bonus (the professional move)

This is the cleanest compromise: “I understand the full-year policy. But I exceeded the target. I’m requesting a pro-rated bonus based on the 9 months worked.”

• Option B: Raise it as a maternity discrimination risk (the firm-but-civil move)

“This policy may disadvantage employees who take protected maternity leave. I’m requesting review.”

This way, they may suddenly “find” an exception or call it “a one-time adjustment.” And everyone will move on.

• Option C: Formal legal complaint (the bridge-burning move)

This is where you might win money... but lose peace. Legal action is emotionally exhausting, and companies sometimes retaliate subtly by reducing opportunities, having colder management, and increasing performance scrutiny.

5) Meanwhile, keep your CV warm.

You’re dealing with something worse than losing money. You showed them results, initiative, documentation, and accountability.

And they replied: “Duration matters. Numbers don’t.” That teaches high performers one thing:

✅ “Don’t overdeliver.”

✅ “Don’t care.”

✅ “Don’t stay.”

That’s how companies slowly turn their best people into job seekers. And you don’t have to accept that as your professional reality.

Bright Side

Being undervalued at work takes many forms. Sometimes it’s a missing bonus—other times, it’s a raise they “couldn’t afford” until you quit. One woman turned down a counteroffer after her company suddenly found budget money. But instead of a respectful goodbye, she became the villain of her own exit story ➡️ ➡️ ➡️ I Refused a Salary Raise at My Job, Then My Boss Played Dirty