Job Offer withdrawn after informing employer that I am pregnant.

[Char1997]

Hi all,

I originally posted this on as a pregnancy thread. As the situation has evolved I have been advised to post on here. I was offered a job yesterday afternoon and although I know I was under no obligation to inform them, I told the employer that I was expecting in December. Since then I have had the job offer withdrawn as they felt that I “misled them” and wasn’t honest. Is anyone able to give me some advice if I were to take this further.

[peachgreen]

Can't help but bumping this for you as that's shocking.

[gearandloathing]

Take them to the fucking cleaners! ker-ching!

Do you have all this on email?

Your first port of call is ACAS - conciliation with a view to putting in a claim. You could make a few bob here which will soften the blow of losing the job.

[BogglesGoggles]

Do you have this in writing? Are they a public body or a private organisation?

[Sadie789]

Pretty sure this is maternity discrimination but your local CAB is probably your best place for informed advice (but really, if that’s their attitude before you even start is it really somewhere you want to work?)

[Char1997]

Hi, This is the email I received this morning. I told them after they had offered me the job and they said they would contact me today and this is what I received.

[Bluntness100]

Did they offer you the job in writing?

Honestly i can see their issue here, even if their behavuour is potentially illegal. It's already August, so you're likely to work there three or four months then be off for up to a year, many employers would baulk at that.

If you have it in writing, then you can take it further, but if it was verbal, it's their word against yours.

[Char1997]

I don’t have the physically job offer in writing but I was introduced to the team. Told a start date and then told this morning(in other words) via email that I no longer had the job

[FrappeLatte]

It seems to me that the email is admitting the reason for the withdrawal is your pregnancy. I think you’ll have a food chance at a claim. Speak to Maternity Action, they will be able to guide you further.

[FrappeLatte]

A good chance, even

[ScreamingValenta]

That email is on very dodgy grounds. They're not allowed to ask you whether you're pregnant as part of recruitment, so expecting you to be 'upfront' about it is tantamount to saying you were expected to disclose it, which would be an illegal request.

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

You need to speak to Acas. I think there is also a Maternity Rights type organisation who could help too.

Legally you are under no obligation to inform an employer until you are 25 weeks.how many weeks are you?

[Sandybval]

I would speak to ACAS, you are not legally obligated to let a perspective employer know you are pregnant at interview, and it seems their reason for withdrawing the offer is purely because you are pregnant. They are dressing it up as because you werent open about it at interview, but all that basically says is that you should have told us so we could put forward a different excuse for not employing you.

[BrendasUmbrella]

It's discrimination and they have openly admitted to it.

[FreckledLeopard]

Good God. With evidence like that, go and get legal advice and go after them. That's absolutely shocking. I cannot believe anyone would be daft enough to admit in writing that they're blatantly discriminating on the grounds of pregnancy.

[namechanged2000]

Echoing what everyone else has said.

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

The thing is, even if anyone thinks it's wrong to take a job knowing you would be off for a while soon (I don't think this btw), you could have been planning on taking the minimum amount of leave (2 weeks) and returning leaving baby with the other parent.

They didn't even bother to consider this.

They are spinning it as you being deceitful when you didn't tell them something you actually didn't have to tell them.

[Howdoyousleep]

I don’t think they have got their facts straight before they wrote that email.

[Namechangeforthiscancershit]

I can't believe they sent that email!

[MyReadingChallenge]

Pregnant then Screwed have a legal helpline which may be able to advise.

Second time I’ve mentioned them today - promise I don’t work for them but they really helped me out when I was in a tricky spot

[LetThePotatoRest]

Yep, was just going to mention the Pregnant Then Screwed helpline. That would be my first port of call.

[Butters83]

You are under no obligation to tell someone you are pregnant! I would call ACAS

[tomatoesandstew]

Yeah they are not allowed to treat someone less favourably based on maternity status. Also they are not allowed to ask you in your interview either.
And they put it in writing which they clearly hadn't run past their hr department.
Speak to one of the helplines and get a course of action - i doubt you would want to work for them but they will probably owe you compensation for discriminatory behaviour - question is do you qualify for legal aid.

[PixieLumos]

Pretty sure that’s not legal. Definitely take it further.

[Georgiemcgeorgeface]

That's outrageous definitely take it further!

[peachgreen]

Absolutely disgusting. I can't imagine you'd be comfortable naming the organisation here OP but I would definitely boycott them for that.