this is long & hard to explain..but if any1 can advise me please do so thanks

[Sam116]

Ive been in my job for 4months now (frist 3 months was trial basis) i found out i was pregnant 3 weeks into my new job baby no1

While i was on my 3months i was asked by my boss to go to Camden parking office to get his WIFE's parking permit for home. Our office is in West Kensington. I went, on my way their i thought i dont work for his wife & what he had me doing was not work related or what we agreed in the interview.
When i got back i confronted him he said if he asks me to go do something he expects me 2 do it. This includes going to get his sandwiches making tea & coffee 4 him and his brother (which r parnters) and anyhthing the boys (2 other employees) ask me 2 do. (which can also not b work related) he says i must do what he asks between the hours of 9:30am-5:30pm.

when my 3months was up i asked 4 a contract and job description he said they dont do cause they are very small.

I found one of the boys contracts and said if hes got 1 i want 1 so he said he'll right me a letter. OK....2day he comes around to writing this letter & for duties hes said general office, visiting properties and he used the word 'GOFAR' ie i must do anything he says, he decided to say it infront of the whole office which consists of 6 people and every1 was discussing what to put instead of 'gofar' then he put 'collecting and taking documents'.

So after lunch i confronted me again and he said if this was going to be a problem their is no job here 4 me. hes not payin me more, he apollogised for not letting me know this when i started and he gave me the choose to walk or stay.

cant tell any1 bcoz every1 thinks hes alright.

Im 19 and never heard or come across anything like this in my life. i would leave but cant afford to leave, with bills,baby on the way & car 2 maintain.

Is there anything i can do?

[tiffini]

your being walked all over, get the hell out of there, they are a waste of space, you deserve better.

[flashingnose]

What did you agree in the interview? Being a "gofer" is fair enough as a job (another term could be Personal Assistant or PA - you can bet your life Madonna doesn't buy her own sandwiches, her PA will do it ) but only if you've agreed to it, I would think.

[Sam116]

i was told that i would helping out in the office (general office work) and visiting properties. That was it. nothing about running around london 4 all the boys and doing anything they or their family memebers asked.

[starlover]

tbh i would find another job

[flashingnose]

Hmm, in that case think the others are right and I'd start looking...

[Sam116]

cant look for another job heard it was against the law to hire a pregnant lady.

plus i need to pay my bills. im at a catch 22.

[Twiglett]

you need to stay in this job to get your maternity pay

I don't actually think he's taking the mick, I think he's an inexperienced employer and wasn't sure what he wanted out of the position... it seems to have evolved during the trial period

I think you have 2 choices

accept the job, take your maternity leave and pay and look for another job then

or

don't accept the job, look for another one (might be difficult if you're pregnant .. not fair but true) - but be careful cos I think you'll get different maternity benefits

do they know you're pregnant??

[expatinscotland]

I temped till I couldn't anymore when I was pregnant. They're willing to take you on till you look too big.

[Evesmama]

do you tho??i thought you ahd to be somewhere 26 weeks to get paid maternity???
you could try for another job somewhere and be there in time to qualify??

[Sam116]

i havent told them im pregnant bcoz i felt guilty, then i decided to wait for my 3months and wait for my contract.

[Sam116]

im not showing yet, i checked with job centre they said i was out of gettin smp by 4 days or so. i get MA from job centre.

[alicatsg]

If he knows you're pg then this could be a way of forcing you to quit so he gets out of mat leave and any redundancy issues.

FYI GOFAR? how far does that extend? f-s sake it could be used to force someone to do all manner of stuff thats neither appropriate nor acceptable.

Make a detailed record of whats gone on, keep it at home, speak to your CAB and get a view on your rights (and no its not illegal to employ a pg lady, but yes its harder to get a job).

ooooh I'm fuming. if he was here he find out exactly how "GOFAR" i'd go to stop this kind of behaviour.

[Evesmama]

leave and claim unfair dismissal on the grounds of sex discrimination and you being pg!!
that'll put the frightners up the b***d!

[starlover]

yeah you won't be entitled to maternity leave/pay from them as you haven't been there long enough.

is it really against the law to hire a pregnant woman?????????

[alicatsg]

I'm sorry but I'm just livid on your behalf. What a toad. Buy hinm a calendar and point out its 2005 not 1905.

[Evesmama]

no you can hire pg women and as far as i know you dont even have to tell employer you are pg in interview!

[Sam116]

I am keeping track of whats goin on. Who or CAB?

For unfair dismissal dont i need to be fired?

(i think i do and i also think he knows this cause hes not firing me hes just giving me the option to leave)

[alicatsg]

CAB - Citizen's Advice Bureau

[soapbox]

A lot of PAs would be asked to do various bits and pieces like this.

Arrange plane tickets, pick up passports, visas etc for other family members. Making tea and coffee and making sandwiches is definately part of the job spec IME! I suppose it depends on what exactly they ask you to do - if its picking up dirty mags from the local shop then that is diffent

In certain industries this gophering is part of the induction.

I don't think it is that unreasonable TBH. Its up to you whether you want to stay or not, now that you know what the job entails!

[Sam116]

Thats the thing there are 2 other girls here the big bosses PA and the brothers PA, i was brought in to help out 1 of the other boys by visiting properties.

I mean the big boss has his wife calling up asking 4 us to do things which arent work related ie filling out the childrens application forms for school and querying her bank statements.

I mean these are things people do themselves.

I just heard there having a meeting about me. i could b fired b4 home time

[Easy]

I'm with Twiglet on this. He isn't taking the mick, it's just that he and the boys should be spending all their time painting and so forth, becaused that is what generates money for the business, which is what pays everyones wages.
But if they are spending all their time doing that, then they need someone to do the 'background tasks' which includes making tea, fetching sandwiches, shifting paperwork about and running errands. If you are getting paid, does it matter whether the parking permit you are fetching is his or his wifes? (anyway, you may find that it's his missus who does the wages/keeps accounts etc., so it's worth keeping her sweet).

If I were you I'd take it with a pinch of salt, stay in the job, smile and get your maternity pay. You are also getting job experience which always helps when you look for another job when the baby is born.

[nightowl]

ooh your post made me fume..it really did. I started my job when i was just 18 and would do all the shitty jobs. i made tea, i cleaned offices, i did personal work for them, i helped them at home...i always went well out of my way to be helpful and worked overtime on occasions for no pay. i was with the company for years and years and they were really good to me until they had expanded and took on another girl who would not do anything she considered below her, even though i was her supervisor. after that they treated me like crap and took me for granted, used me and then finally got rid of me on my second mat leave and gave her my job.

ive now gotten a really nice job where im not treated like a yts and the difference was amazing. i was on eggshells at first and i thought i was going to get a rollocking from the boss when one of the managers made me a cup of tea! (because i hadnt made it) just made me realise how much i had been put on before.

if you want to stay there then do that if you are happy doing these tasks...but you can bet they will never appreciate it. if they wanted you to do these things it should have been agreed at interview stage, as far as im concerned they sound like cowboys.

we all used to have a great laugh in our office and my bosses would give the impression of being very laid back and reasonable. ha! at the end of it all, it didnt matter. i was just a number to them and easily disposed of when the fact i had children was too much hassle.

im sorry, perhaps my opinion is a little one sided but i got stung very badly by a company just like this!

[nightowl]

and i never had a contract either.

[Sam116]

i agree but its gone 2 far...they want u to go get their sandwiches and make tea on ur lunch hour...but if ur back 10mins late they want 2 question u.

they will sit down reading a newspaper and ask u 2 do down stairs 2 c if the post is their. they always tend 2 ask when ur doing sumthing. do u think they even say Please or thanks, their is such a lack of respect they have towards us.

the wife doesnt do anything 4 the company shes a stay at home mum (with a nanny) and goes uni part time.

nothing in this office is private & confidential.

The other girls agree with me but r scard to say anthing just incase they loose their jobs its anoying bcoz iv just started and cant really say much on anything

[nightowl]

there are certain things expected of office juniors, making tea is usually one of them im afraid. opening post etc. running up and downstairs with faxes. but i think its a bit off they are making you do the wifes personal things. can you stay there until after you have the baby and just use it as a bit of work experience..something to put on your cv? they shouldnt be asking you to do things in your dinner hour either...wow...they sound so much like my old bosses..dont live in dudley do you?