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When to tell my new employer that i'm pregnant?

7 replies

definitelypregnantagain · 09/02/2009 21:56

I start my new job on the 3rd March. At that point i shall be 16 weeks pregnant. When i applied for the job i didn't know i was expecting, but when i went for the interview i did know but didn't tell them as i didn't want to jeopardise my chances of getting the job (that, and it didn't remotely come up in interview!). Should i tell them before i start (i'm conscious this looks impersonal as it would have to be done over the phone, and i'm terrified that they are going to be really cross and turn round and retract the job offer), or am i ok to tell them when i start? Whatever the case, how do i tell them? (No previous experience of this! Feeling very stressed about it all) Thanks.

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definitelypregnantagain · 10/02/2009 07:01

Anyone?

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ILovePudding · 10/02/2009 07:18

I believe it comes down to how much notice your company require you to provide before you intend to go on maternity leave. Eg. my employer required 6 weeks notice iirc.

You don't actually have to tell them you're pregnant before then. Although an expanding tummy is going to give it away long before !

If they have agreed to employ you already, I'm pretty sure it's against the law for them to retract that offer because you're pregnant.

I would approach the person who looks after their HR to find out what their policies are.

Hope this helps! Good luck with the new job

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christiana · 10/02/2009 07:49

Message withdrawn

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christiana · 10/02/2009 08:05

Message withdrawn

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flowerybeanbag · 10/02/2009 09:43

They can't retract the offer because you are pregnant, that would be sex discrimination.

You must tell your employer you are pregnant 15 weeks before your due date, so that's 25 weeks pregnant.

I would speak to your manager privately on your first day. There's no material difference it can make telling them before you start - it won't affect anything and it's probably a conversation better had in person, so you can reassure him/her that you are totally committed to making an impact in your new role before you go off on maternity leave, and discuss how you can best do that in the circumstances.

As long as you've working 26 weeks in total during the 66 weeks before your due date (9 months of pregnancy plus 6 months before that), you should be entitled to Maternity Allowance, which isn't that much less than SMP.

Maternity Allowance

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kc3 · 10/02/2009 20:08

Speaking as a manager and colleague (and definately not as a HR expert!) I would prefer to know before you arrived on your first day. It would give me an opportunity to gather information to handle the situation properly and I would value you for being upfront. To not be told until your first day I would feel that perhaps the information had been withheld for a reason and it may put your manager in an awkward situation that your relationship may never recover from. I have been in a similar situation in that I fell pregnant 6 weeks after starting new job in a vary male environment, had difficult pregnancy and then maternity leave, I never gained their respect (but then they were assholes!!!). Good luck in whichever route you follow.

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definitelypregnantagain · 10/02/2009 21:28

Thanks for the responses. Just to clarify, i'm actually taking another position within the same trust i work for and have worked for for the last 8 years (NHS), so yes i would be entitled to all the usual maternity benefits, and as i said in the OP, i didn't know i was pregnant when i applied for the job. There are a whole complicated list of reasons why i'm leaving, mainly concerning my ex-DH, and my not having a job is not a viable option at the moment.

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