Pregnant in new job

silverbella

Hi guys, I don't know if I'm posting in the right place but just looking for advice really! I'm working in a job that I really dislike at the moment and have just gone through the interview process for an at home job with a very respectable company offering a better salary and benefits. Last night I did a pregnancy test, it was positive (and so were the 3 others I did,ha). If I do get this new job which I am quite optimistic about I wouldn't be starting until the end of June. At that point I would be 11 weeks (I know I'm very early and anything could happen). I suppose my question is, if I get offered the job, should I tell them early and ask them where they stand before I accept and give notice to my current employer? Or say nothing until I'm there for a few months and hope for the best? Although I should say that the date I would be made officially permanent wouldn't be until around February 2016, everything going well the baby would be born by then so it would be quite bad timing job wise!
I feel awful, this is a much wanted baby but I feel like I cannot even get excited, I just feel so stressed! I had a chemical pregnancy last month so I know that things may change but I need to plan ahead!

Dobbit

Hi Silverbella, first off congrats!!

You're not obliged to tell them you're pregnant, legally or morally. Being pregnant shouldn't have any impact on your career from any point of view other than your own. When/if they make the offer you'll still be in the early stages, the "no one else's business" stage and you shouldn't have to compromise that privacy for a job.

If I were you I would continue on the usual path of telling people when you feel comfortable and go through the offer stages with the company, only tell them when you feel like telling them, if that's 12 weeks then so be it. If you do tell them when they offer and they rescind, you would be within your rights to contact a solicitor (and I would but that's me and I get very stroppy about how pregnant women getting treated in the workplace!).

I'm currently 6 months pregnant, I'm interviewing for two different positions in my current company next week and my pregnancy has never factored into the process, nor should it.

Best of luck with the job offer!!

Baggly

Great advice, IMO.

silverbella

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply!
That makes so much sense, I suppose what I'm worried about most is not being permanent, if they really wanted to they could probably find a reason to use to let me go. I think I'm more worried because this happened to me on my first baby, albeit I was living in Australia at the time but I was working under a manager who was the only person I had told apart from my partner as I had needed time off for a doctors appointment, a week later I was left go because 'the business want there'. I would hope I do infact have more rights in Ireland and employers are more understanding!!

Dobbit wrote:

Hi Silverbella, first off congrats!!

You're not obliged to tell them you're pregnant, legally or morally. Being pregnant shouldn't have any impact on your career from any point of view other than your own. When/if they make the offer you'll still be in the early stages, the "no one else's business" stage and you shouldn't have to compromise that privacy for a job.

If I were you I would continue on the usual path of telling people when you feel comfortable and go through the offer stages with the company, only tell them when you feel like telling them, if that's 12 weeks then so be it. If you do tell them when they offer and they rescind, you would be within your rights to contact a solicitor (and I would but that's me and I get very stroppy about how pregnant women getting treated in the workplace!).

I'm currently 6 months pregnant, I'm interviewing for two different positions in my current company next week and my pregnancy has never factored into the process, nor should it.

Best of luck with the job offer!!

Dobbit

I don't know about Australia but the laws here are pretty favourable towards the employee. There's also legislation in place to protect temporary workers, citizens advice can tell you more about that.

One thing you might want to do is document the process between you and the company, when you tell them you may want to have a sit down with HR and talk through your concerns, you and they should document this. I've had to do this with my own place because there's a performance review coming up and I needed to have mine moved up a few months.

Also, as with any new job - pregnant or not, you should show them why you are a valuable asset and worth hanging on to!

WittyName1

It might be worth checking out what maternity pay both jobs pay (current job and potential new job) if you haven't already.
It might make your current job more bearable if they pay full salary when on maternity leave. The new job may have a clause where you have to be permanent to get any maternity pay. I know where I work has such a clause. It's worth looking into if you are dependent on such pay.

Dobbit

^ this is also a very good point

Neyite

WittyName1 wrote: »

It might be worth checking out what maternity pay both jobs pay (current job and potential new job) if you haven't already.
It might make your current job more bearable if they pay full salary when on maternity leave. The new job may have a clause where you have to be permanent to get any maternity pay. I know where I work has such a clause. It's worth looking into if you are dependent on such pay.

Or have a clause where you have to have a certain length of service. Some also have a clause that you must return to the job and continue to work for X amount of time otherwise you have to pay the maternity pay back.

But, if your only maternity income is statutory from either role, then ignore the above.

silverbella

WittyName1 wrote:

It might be worth checking out what maternity pay both jobs pay (current job and potential new job) if you haven't already.
It might make your current job more bearable if they pay full salary when on maternity leave. The new job may have a clause where you have to be permanent to get any maternity pay. I know where I work has such a clause. It's worth looking into if you are dependent on such pay.

Neyite wrote:

But, if your only maternity income is statutory from either role, then ignore the above.

Yep, that's a really good point!! From my current employer it would be statutory anyway so I don't think it will impact my situation. I'm not sure yet what the new company would offer but it would make sense that you would need to be there for a certain amount of time before you are entitled! I know they have been checking my references and have also asked me for a copy of my current contract so all this advice could very well come into play!!