Do I go back to work after illness...very confused.

gingergemima

Hi all, I am very unsure what to do.

I am over 7 years in my current job, a permanent and pensionable position. I have just suffered my second miscarriage last week. I am still on sick leave and am not allowed back to work until 15th June, every single day is certified by either my GP or hospital.

Suffering the miscarriage is bad enough, now i have the dilemma if I even want to go back to that job. I am unhappy there, 6 people have quit in the last 5 months, all due to poor management. I know this as I have been told directly by the 6 people who have quit.

Two weeks before my miscarriage started ( it went on for 3 weeks before the pregnancy ended 9 days ago, I am still suffering physically not to mention emotionally ) HR called me into the office to ask me why people were leaving, I was also asked some very very specific questions regarding whether specific managers were causing difficulty. Before I replied, I told HR that everything was off the record as I do not trust HR.

I could only comment on one particular manager against whom I had complained 6 months ago, the record is with HR. The following day, I had a meeting with my manager about performance, there have never been any issues with my performance. In the same meeting, my manager brought up the issue of staff leaving and said that he did not see any problems with management. After that I was asked to help with cover and training the new staff when they start.


The following week while I was travelling for work, I received an email telling all the team that our seating arrangement had changed and that I was to be seated between two smokers. I do not smoke and as I was pregnant at the time, I objected, my manager replied telling me that we would speak about it when I returned to the office. I knew this was a brush off as my manager does not like confrontation. I replied again and said no, that I could not wait. I need to know where I sit. I told him that I was asthmatic, which I am and also suffer allergies. I told him that I will provide a GP letter to this affect. I also told him that he has a obligation to look after my health in the office and that I had an obligation to inform him of anything that could affect my health. This was taken from the company health and safety policy. My manager told me that he had passed the issue to HR and that I could sit somewhere else temporarily.

I do believe that while these incidents did not cause the miscarriage, they certainly impacted my stress levels, i get up at stupid o'clock to travel to work, I get a basic pay and not much more. I know my self worth and I am worth more than what I get there.

I am considering just quitting my job, then I am thinking that if I quit and take a new role, I will have to wait a couple of years before I can get paid maternity leave.

Any advise on what I should do, thank you all!

bee06

Firstly, sorry for your loss. I have a friend who suffered two miscarriages and was also travelling for work at the time and was really stressed. She put the miscarriages down to her job too and the next time she got pregnant refused to travel. Thankfully, she went on to have three children.

It's a really difficult decision to make and probably depends on your financial situation and age. I'm in a similar situation in that we want to start trying in then next six months but I also hate my job and can't stick it out for much longer. I'd be leaving a company where 100% pay while on maternity is paid to potentially a company where I could get statutory only. But I feel like my own mental sanity is more important. I've been applying to multinationals because in my experience they do usually give good maternity benefit. If I move and they don't then I'll just have to save like crazy to cover the reduced pay for 6 months. My husband is also looking for a new job so hopefully he'll find one with better pay which will help.

gingergemima

Thanks so much Dee06, very much appreciate your kind words, I too believe that my sanity is more important. Our financial situation and age are against us, I know we cannot afford to wait both financially and age wise. I may have to consider the same approach as you and look toward the multinationals however its very difficult to establish whether or not they will pay maternity and within what time frame unless you are either inside or know someone there.

Mrs OBumble

Even with multi-nationals, they usually only pay maternity leave for their direct staff. Many staff are there through an agency, and do not get paid maternity leave.

Good luck with your decision-making.