When I told my boss I was pregnant, he gave me the warmest smile and said, “That’s amazing news! Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.” I felt so relieved. We talked about maternity leave, and I was approved for 12 weeks paid — all in writing. I thought I was safe.

Fast-forward to about a month into my leave — I checked my bank account and panicked. No deposit. Checked the payslip: zero dollars. No explanation, no warning. I called my boss, thinking it was some payroll glitch. He goes, totally casual, “Oh, yeah… I let HR know you were taking unpaid leave to help out with the department’s budget. Hope that’s okay.”

I was like… What? He never even asked me. I pushed back, and he just shrugged and said, “Well, you’re not working, so why should you get paid? We’ve got other employees covering for you — they deserve the extra cash more.”

That’s when I found out he’d taken my salary and split it into “bonuses” for the rest of the team to “keep morale high.” Like he was doing them a favor with my paycheck.

Meanwhile, I’m home with a newborn, barely sleeping, burning through my savings just to buy diapers and groceries — while also emailing HR nonstop, chasing answers, and trying not to lose my mind. I even started looking into legal help, but honestly, who has the energy or money for that when you’re holding a baby 24/7?

Then I came back to work… and this man had the audacity to greet me with a huge grin and go, “Welcome back to the team! We missed you!” Like nothing ever happened.

I don’t even know what to do now. I feel humiliated. Like I was robbed and then gaslit. Was it naive of me to expect integrity? Do I escalate this, or just cut my losses and move on?

A very tired, very fed-up mom Natalie.