My Boss Approved My Maternity Leave — But I Realized It Was a Trap

When a woman informed her boss she was expecting, he congratulated her and approved her paid maternity leave without hesitation. But what followed left her financially drained, emotionally betrayed, and fighting to reclaim her dignity. Her story is a powerful reminder that even supportive words can hide serious injustice.

The letter

Hi Bright Side,

When I told my boss I was pregnant, he smiled and said, “Congrats! Take leave anytime.” So I requested 12 weeks of paid maternity leave—it was approved in writing, and I felt relieved knowing I had support.

But a month later, I checked my payslip and froze. It said zero. No paycheck, no explanation. I panicked and called my boss, thinking it was a mistake. That’s when he told me, “Oh, I told HR you chose unpaid leave to support the team’s budget goals.”

He never discussed this with me. When I pushed back, he shrugged and said, “I mean, you’re not working—why should you earn full pay? We need to reward the people picking up your slack.”

I later found out he had divided my salary among my coworkers as temporary bonuses to “boost morale.” I spent my entire leave juggling a newborn and fighting to fix the damage—calling HR, sending emails, even considering legal action. I drained my savings just to cover basic expenses.

When I returned to work, he greeted me with a big grin and said, “Welcome back to the family.” Like nothing had happened.

I’m still processing what to do. I feel taken advantage of, disrespected, and powerless. Was I wrong to expect fairness? Should I speak up or let it go?

—Natalie

What we think.

• No, you’re not overreacting—this is unethical and potentially illegal.
  What your boss did wasn’t just disrespectful; it may violate labor laws depending on where you live. Paid maternity leave, once approved, is a formal agreement. Reallocating your salary to others without your consent is a misuse of company funds and a breach of HR protocol. If you haven’t yet, keep documentation (emails, payslips, messages) and speak with your HR rep or a workplace lawyer. Your trust was broken—and that matters.
• You deserve better than a boss who makes your maternity leave feel like a burden.
  Instead of celebrating this major milestone with you, he treated your absence as a budget opportunity. Good leadership doesn’t punish maternity, it plans for it with grace and respect. His “reward the team” mindset came at your expense, financially and emotionally. That’s not leadership. That’s betrayal. Don’t let him normalize it.

• Rebuilding your financial confidence starts with reclaiming your power.
  Being forced to dip into your savings during a life-changing moment is not okay. Now’s a good time to talk to HR in writing, file a formal complaint, and ask for back pay or compensation. If they don’t respond fairly, consider external legal help or labor rights organizations in your area. Remember: maternity is not charity—it’s a right.
• Use your return to reframe your boundaries, starting with accountability.
  It’s tempting to stay quiet when you return, especially with a boss pretending everything’s fine. But if you feel strong enough, ask for a meeting and clearly express that this situation was not acceptable. You don’t need to yell or argue. Just stating facts, calmly and confidently, will remind him—and HR—that you won’t be taken lightly again.

• You’re not just "back to work"—you’re stronger, and you’ve earned respect.
  New motherhood is already full of sleepless nights and emotional shifts. To have dealt with betrayal on top of it and still return to the same workplace? That takes guts. You have every right to protect your peace, demand fairness, and reimagine what comes next—whether that’s healing, changing teams, or walking away with your head high.

Before you head out, don’t miss our next article about a mom who trusted her mother-in-law to keep her daughter safe, only to be let down in a way that changed everything. What’s worse? Her MIL doesn’t seem the least bit sorry. It’s a powerful story about trust, betrayal, and drawing the line when family crosses it.