Pregnant before starting new job

[AnnaDM92]

Hi everyone, I'm new on here and hoping to get advice, as I've found myself in a bit of a tough situation.
I recently got made redundant and I'm currently in my notice period. I've since got another job and starting in December. I've had the formal job offer and I've already signed the contract.

In the last week I've found out I'm pregnant and the timing makes it a bit hard to be excited. If everything progresses well (fingers crossed), I will have to tell the new employer that I will only be able to work for 6-7 months before I'll have to be off on mat leave.

I know that from legal perspective they can't retract the job offer, but does anyone know if they could decide I don't pass my probation knowing that I started the job pregnant? Also, I'm already scared to have to tell them about this when I start and what their reaction will be. This makes the situation quite stressful and I'm feeling really down at the moment.

I would really appreciate any advice or thoughts on my situation or sharing similar experience, as I have no idea what to think or do about it.

Thanks!

well, they probably won't be jumping for joy that's for sure.

Congratulations on the pregnancy though.

They cannot refuse to pass your probation because of your pregnancy. That is discrimination. However, they could say it was for other reasons and it could be quite hard to prove otherwise. A smart and sensible employer probably wouldn't want to take the risk of a pregnancy discrimination tribunal if you were a good worker they otherwise valued, but employers are sometimes stupid.

How large is your employer? How skilled is your role? How long is your probation? In general, larger orgs are more likely to have good HR and procedures and to stick to them, and more skilled employees are more likely to be considered assets which aren't easily replaceable.

Do you think you could keep the pregnancy under wraps until the end of your probation? Because if I thought I could do that, it might minimise your risk a bit. If not, I would try to at least work a bit before you tell them and show you're diligent and effective.

I started a job pregnant - in fact, I got the offer the same day I had my 12 week scan and started when I was 16 weeks. I told them just before I started. They were startled, but congratulated me. All went fine and I returned from mat leave, was promoted twice and stayed 5 years. I'm sure some of them were not best pleased in private but they weren't idiots and they stuck to the law. I was also a fairly skilled/specialist role not easily replaced - that does help.

Best of luck.

@CmdrCressidaDuck thanks for the message. It is a large organisation and the HR team seem really good from the interactions I've had. I will be able to work for 1, max 2 months before it's obvious and I was planning on leaving it as long as possible before telling them, so, like you say, I can show that I'm right for the role and how good my work ethic is. It's a senior key role, which is why I'm worried they might think they should have gone with someone else.

It's encouraging that you've had such a positive experience and did really well at the company, after starting pregnant :-)

I started my current job pregnant. No, @pusspuss9, they probably weren't jumping for joy .

But I've been there 7 years now, and I'm one of the longest-standing employees in a specialist role which is very hard to recruit for. They've been happy to offer me flexible working hours, and I've also been been promoted. I think the appointment has worked out very well for both them and me.

However, I didn't tell them about my pregnancy initially: the only reason that information would be relevant was if they intended to break the law and discriminate against me due to pregnancy. So I just helped them to avoid that temptation! I find it a bit depressing that I had to, given what I've said above. Pregnancy discrimination is rife, and it's damaging to companies as well as individuals.

So, OP - I'd say if you intend to return to the job after maternity (best intentions - obviously things can change) then go ahead with the job and don't feel bad about it at all. If you know that you won't (planning to be SAHM) then think about it carefully. All women suffer from discrimination which gets justified as 'I can't risk them getting pregnant'. There are obviously deeper roots to that, but personally I'd be sad to make choices which gave misogynists ammunition.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

I started a new job pregnant. I told my employer about a week before I actually started and they were fine with it. I had maternity leave and came back part time until my DS started school hen went back to full time hours. I'm still there 17 years later having gained several promotions since.

My sister in law got her last job whilst on mat leave. Slightly different I know but she just told the new employer that she couldn’t start for 5 months. They were fine about it. Good employers treat women who are pregnant/on mat leave just fine.

Thank you so much everyone, this really helps. It's a weird feeling, because I've gone from losing a job (company restructure) to getting a new one (yay!) and then there's a + on the stick and it's just thrown everything upside down.

The new employer are a great company (I know a few people that have worked there) and I'm confident they do things properly, so don't think they would do anything to discriminate. It's just the feeling of guilt I have, knowing that I will have to tell them. Which is sad, like you say @Nordicwannabe, but unfortunately that's the reality. I'm definitely planning on returning to work and most likely sooner than 12 months (if all is ok) and the role is great, which I'm super excited about.

The thing is that I'm only 5 wks in and A LOT might change or happen still, which should be (and is) my priority and then there's this voice in the back of my head making me feel guilty towards the new employer :-(

Really appreciate everyone's support!

@Nordicwannabe
All women suffer from discrimination which gets justified as 'I can't risk them getting pregnant'. There are obviously deeper roots to that, but personally I'd be sad to make choices which gave misogynists ammunition.

It's a difficult one really. On the one hand it's correct that pregnant women shouldn't be discriminated against but on the other, especially in smaller firms, the employer often can't afford to employ and train temps who may only be needed for a short time.
Added on to this is the distinct possibility that after the baby is born the woman will either not want to come back to work or request shorter working hours, which could also be a massive problem for the employer. Added on to this was the issue of parents having to have days off because of small children being sick etc.

Now it is illegal to discriminate on any of these grounds, but an employer will always find ways of just not 'choosing' these women in the first place.

It's a bit of a two edged sword, on the one hand it rightly gives protection to pregnant women but on the other hand could give them disadvantages in the job market because of their vulnerability in the situations mentioned above.

The bottom line was , in the company I worked for at least, that the employer was very careful about employing younger women, either married or not, in case he was stuck with the many problems they often bought with them.