Help! Work and babies....

[ILikeRed]

I have a moral dilemma.

I've been a freelancer for the past two years, but my work has dried up over the last few months. My salary at the moment is not enough to live on comfortably.

I've just been offered a full time job. I was approached by them and was asked to apply for the job.

I'm currently 12 weeks pregnant.

What do I do?? I'm happy to work reliably for the next five or six months. I'm young and healthy and the pregnancy has so far been completely straight forward.

Can I take the job knowing that I will have to leave in a few months? I could really do with the money....

[Tulip26]

Oh yes, take it. Do they know you're pregnant?

[CrispyCrochet]

Will you have a probationary period? What is the latest you have to legally tell your employer you are pregnant (I can't remember)?

Legally, you can accept and you have no obligation to tell them until x point in your pregnancy (something like 16 weeks before expect week of childbirth you can find it by google)

Morally - well that is very subjective. If I were you, I'd take it - tell them in a few weeks time (maybe when you start showing and it is becoming obvious anyway). If they ask if you knew when you took the job you can always lie fib and say no you only just found out. (Plenty of people don't discover they are pregnant until 16/18 weeks).

[ILikeRed]

No, they don't know. I applied for it before I knew and organising interviews etc has now taken me to 12 weeks.

Do I tell them before or after I sign the contract?

[Rockchick1984]

You only have to tell them by week 25 of your pregnancy.

Do you plan on going back to the job after you've had the baby? If so then definitely take it, if you're the best person for the job now then you still will be after maternity leave.

If you're not planning to return, I wouldn't do it personally, but legally you could - it would be a moral objection that's all.

[WooWooOwl]

Is it a big enough company that they could easily absorb the cost of your maternity leave and cover, or is it a small business that would genuinely find it tough to cover for you?

I think that unless you are certain you're going to return, it would be morally bankrupt to accept the job no matter what the size of the company.

[PottyLottie123]

Whilst accepting how difficult it is for companies to keep going, pay maternity leave, lose a little continuity when women have children.......is it REALLY a question of morality as to whether or not you accept the job? We need to accept that women have babies. It's normal. You're allowed. Accept the job if you want it and know that any initial required training or probationary period won't be affected, then do your professional best in the post and it will be there after your maternity leave if you want to return. Like it should be. They approached you because they want the best person in post.

I once declined the offer of some very career-advancing training when I was pregnant, because I felt guilty that the money was being spent on me, knowing I was leaving. I was entitled to the training and my employer knew I was pregnant. It would look lovely on my CV now that I want to return to work and I wish I hadn't felt guilty about something that would have helped me and my family financially later on. Do it for the sake of the big picture.

[ILikeRed]

Aah...I won't be taking maternity leave from them. I'll keep some of my freelance work and claim maternity allowance, having paid tax as a self employed person for two years.

[ILikeRed]

Thank you for all the replied! it's nice to know that I'm not completely unreasonable for wanting to take it.

[WooWooOwl]

They would still have the costs of covering your job even if they don't have to pay you. Either that or your workload would be shifted onto others while you decide whether to return or not.

[FlossieTreadlight]

Take the job - and congratulations

[CrispyCrochet]

Companies don't pay SMP anyway, right? So unless they offer something on top of statutory - really the only cost to the business is covering you while you are off and the possible lag time of training someone else, etc.

But maybe I am wrong about what SMP is!

[pinkdelight]

Another vote for taking the job. But just to add - if you're claiming MA, you can't do freelance work as well. Or there's some rule like you can only do 12 days of work over the maternity period. Best check that out.

But stuff the morality of it. The legal side is all that matters and you don't legally have to tell them. The fact that women feel guilty and immoral and pressure to reveal their pregnancy and put their job opportunities at risk is what is truly immoral. Blokes don't have to say if they're going to become a parent. The employer gets compensated for maternity pay. Don't feel bad on their account. Congratulations!