what should i do?flowety possibly something you can advise?

[BBisfinallyPG]

hi all

long-time sporadic poster, however am finally pg!

i am currently 5-6 weeks gone, and work in an office, however some of the people i work with are significantly older than me so physical things such as lift chairs, heavy files, paper etc all fall on me, however to be fair i could make excuses for not doing this... i am wondering when to tell?

this is complicated by the fact that i havent been with my current employer all that long - started in summer - and its construction based (although thankfully not in the sense of house building)... so i am torn, do i tell early to hope to have a bit of protection in the case of any redundancy ( this has not been mentioned but in the current climate wouldnt be unexpected, as higher up the chain there have been movements and one redundancy)or do i keep schtum and make excuses regarding lifting, for fear of miscarrying and having to recount thta news?

this is also complicated by the fact that i have yet to be given a staff hand book, and each time ive chased this with HR ive been fobbed off, i would like to know what my entitlements are as im unlikely to return to the job. If i know full well i am not going to be returning to the job, where do i stand with just asking for SMP( so that i wouldnt have to repay any?) or would i have to pretend i intend to comeback and take what is offered? either way i would go back for a bit, my ideal would be to return part-time but thats unlikely given the managerial style in place, so i would go back in order to take an holiday i would be owed.

I dont have any problem telling my Boss and HR on a personal level however i am slightly supersticious, and wouldnt want to tell my other colleagues as to be honest at times i dislike some of them.

i suppose this all seems a bit ahead of time, but i am naturally a worrier / planner and want to do whats best as i do enjoy my job.

to summarise i just want to know what my options are legally and what your own selves would do regarding telling work? i was think after my first scan so i have accurate dates?

anyway apologies for the ramble!

[EldonAve]

bumping for you

lifting a chair is unlikely to make you mc
if they want you to lift something v heavy say your back is sore

personally I wouldn't tell them until you have to legally

keep asking for the handbook

[Hassled]

Agree - 5 to 6 weeks is very early to be telling people. You don't have to formally tell them for ages - 15 weeks before the baby is due. There is more here.

Just invent a bad back for a while.

[WhatFreshHellIsThis]

Hi there,

I'm not an expert but afaik the following things might be useful to know:

• the earlier you tell them, the better they can manage your health and safety at work. If you ask for it not to be shared with others they will respect that, but they can make sure you're not doing tasks that put you at risk.

• if there's redundancies in the offing, then telling them also means they'll think very carefully before selecting you for redundancy. From a purely practical point of view, that's got to be a good thing.

• finally, you are entitled to SMP whether you're returning to work or not. Your employer claims SMP back from the government anyway, so they will not be out of pocket. If they have enhanced benefits (full pay for any of your mat leave, for example), then they may have a clause about you having to return to work for a certain period of time or you have to pay the money back, but you are guaranteed SMP as long as you meet the criteria for it. So don't worry about that.

• finally, if (heaven forbid) something did happen like a miscarriage, they are going to be much more sympathetic about time off if they know why you need it. You don't have to broadcast it round the office, but I would consider telling your immediate boss or HR person, as it's obviously worrying you.

Just my two cents!

[Simplysally]

I deal with the maternity 'plans' at my company so for what it's worth, here's my tuppence of thoughts.

Firstly do tell them in writing about your pg but stress you want it kept quiet for now. By telling them, you are protected by law as there should be a health and safety risk assessment done on your job if one doesn't exist. This will also entitle you to 'reasonable' paid time off for ante-natal appointments. In theory, if you havent told them officially, they could deny you paid leave for this. Also as other posters have said, it can help to protect against redundancy if you have registered your pg with the company.

You need to work out when you intend to take your leave and if you are going to return (in theory) within the current leave year. If you can't carry it over, then time your maternity leave so you use up your leave first then go straight onto mat leave. You can't be on holiday when your baby is born, you have to be on maternity leave so calculate carefully. The latest day your maternity leave can begin is obviously the date your baby is born. Sorry if I seem to be labouring the point but some people in my company do waste holiday leave from not understanding this point and leaving it too late in the year to claim their leave .

I'd have to refresh my memory on SMP but I think it's 90% of the average of your last six weeks salary for 26 weeks.

Lastly when you want to write your plan with your company/arrrange your mat leave you will need your Mat B1 from your mw which states your baby's due date.

Do also check your entitlement to benefits or Tax Credits.

[flowerybeanbag]

5 or 6 weeks is very early, but if you are concerned at all about the lifting, tell someone in confidence. You are entitled to a risk assessment specifically for pregnant employees so obviously the sooner you tell someone, the sooner you can get this.

In terms of pay, as long as you have been employed long enough and earn enough, you will get SMP regardless of whether you come back to work. You mention you haven't had your handbook yet - did you only start recently? You need to have basically been employed before getting pregnant to make sure you will get SMP.

If your employer offers more than SMP, there will be terms and conditions attached, probably including having to come back. You will be told all this later anyway though, so will be able to make a decision about whether to take the extra. You could take it, bung it in a bank account and not spend it, then you will be in a position to pay it back if you need to. I would advise keeping your options open as long as possible about coming back, as you never know when you might change your mind - it's at least 18 months away so no need to rush into anything.

Need to correct sally about SMP. SMP is based on average earnings for weeks 17 to 25 of your pregnancy, you will get 90% of that average figure for 6 weeks, then a set statutory amount for the following 33 weeks, at the moment it's about £118 a week I think.

[Simplysally]

Thanks for correcting on the SMP Flowery .