Should I accept a new job knowing Im pregnant?

[BrandySnaps1]

Ive been offered a new full time role. Im currently doing temp work as and when after taking a career break which is leaving us short on money every month. Ive hardly earnt anything since the beginning of this year

Im 6 weeks pregnant and dont know whether to accept the job or when i need to legally tell them. i know most companies dont even offer maternity if you havent been there for a year.

Money wise I would defintely take it , but not sure how i will feel during the next few months

Thank you for realising that all caps typing doesn’t make you right. Maybe you can consider other people have different opinions based on the same information.

6 weeks is early, sadly anything can happen at this stage. I would wait until you're in the second trimester. She legally can't ask about your home/child situation.

Fwiw i wouldn't want to be away from my baby 1/2 nights pw so i wouldn't take it on that basis. But if it's better financially you could always do it for 9 months, esp if you're struggling now. I also would generally not be keen on all the travel

Employers wouldn't give a fuck if you keeled over and died tomorrow, you need to do what's best for you.

Congrats

Only diff will be that you won't get the 6w of 90% of your pay but will get

£172 for 39w

Accept the job. Tell her after 12w scan if everything is ok.

Many people don't know preg. You can say you found out week or two after starting job

This thread is batshit. I'm out.

And I am not 'flouncing!' I have literally had enough! I am actually furious at some of the attitudes on here! Hiding the thread now!

@SweetBirdsong

For someone who doesn't 'CARE' you are gong a lot of internet shouting via capitals and exclamation marks.

Finished with the flounce off the thread.

And yes they can terminate your contract if you are unable or unwilling to fulfill the job they have hired you to do. Pregnancy dies give certain protections but that doesn't include employers having to keep on new recruits unable to do their job.

We don't know the full extent of the job except it's far away and they require travel that they have specifically mentioned, including a trip close to your due date - as an employer that would make me to very angry as it's actually lying. I've done a role that involved specific events and if I hired someone for a large future event they couldn't then complete I wouldn't keep them on, I'd need to find someone who could do that event. Being honest now means that if they do still offer the job, they can work around your pregnancy. Women taking jobs they know they cannot complete makes employers not want to hire younger women.

Phew thank goodness that’s over!

Best of luck OP. Remember it’s true that you need to look out for yourself and your family. We have rights for a reason.

Take it. Where does that leave you maternity pay wise though? (no idea what the regs are these days).

By the time i start this job I estimate i will be 11 weeks. I could just be speculating and panicking that she will rescind the offer. She did say she has a lot of working mums at the company who work around their children - she is one of them herself.

The job will involve some travel, it is not once or twice a week in the office. This is probably a monthly requirement. I dont know if i will i like the job until i start obv, but right now I am out of work and with a baby on the way i need the money, even if only for the next 9 months. If i dont get maternity pay i will cross that bridge later. But for right now I am able to work for the next 9 months, i think i should. If i dont work after baby for whatever reason i can weight up our options

This isnt just with this employer, if i start any job i will have this same predicament. This job is over 40k and will make up for the deficit ive had recenty. Of course i feel bad i dont want to lie, but i dont want to jeapordise my future and my position. Yes, it might be bad for the employer, they will have to find cover, but in the grand scheme of things i think its a minor inconvenience for them. And im seeing a lot of plus points for me.

From the government:

You do not have to tell the employer you're pregnant when applying for a job. If you do, by law they cannot treat you unfairly because of it.
For example, they cannot use your pregnancy as a reason for rejecting you for the job.

OP you will not get maternity pay, that’s a fact, you have to have been in continuous employment with employer for 26 weeks by the 25th week of your pregnancy.

Best case scenario you may be entitled to maternity allowance which is less money.

They will find out about your pregnancy within your probation period and so can & probably will find a reason for you to fail probation so you’ll be out anyway.

You’d be better off being transparent about it with any job you apply for so that you aren’t waiting for the other shoe to drop in my opinion, lots of companies (especially large businesses) can easily absorb that kind of thing and so wouldn’t be phased at all, but they will not respect the lie/secrecy. I’d just be upfront about it and go from there. Any job that would refuse to hire you due to pregnancy is the same job that if you lie/keep pregnancy a secret will simply find a way to sack you within your probation anyway. You don’t want to have to explain a failed probation to the next job.

Of course.

BUT you have literally next to no employment rights when starting a new job and especially in probation they can sack you for any reason they want or no reason at all, simply “it’s not working out”.

At least if you’re honest from the start then you know you’re starting a job that is going to last, and you don’t have to explain being sacked or failing probation to your next employer.

OP is temping just now so nothing to lose.

Yes and i have nothing lined up yet so its very stressful

im not that bothered about the maternity pay. i just need to find something to keep me afloat until baby comes in sept

If you want one job which will keep you going until September then I would be honest and open about the pregnancy from the beginning.

Most likely if you wait until the 25 weeks and then tell them, they will invent a reason for you to fail probation and be let go due to the secrecy/lie, and you’ll then be 6 months pregnant, no job, and will have to explain to your next employer why you got sacked or failed probation. You’re going to have a better chance at finding a good employer and job to see you right through by being completely transparent from the start.

100% take it. 6 weeks lots don't even know! Unfortunately pregnancy also may not progress (I very much hope it does for you OP!). Right now you earn very little, even 7 months of wage is a massive improvement and you should qualify for maternity allowance. You'll likely find they don't care and you could have a great job to go back to. If not, you don't have to repay maternity allowance if you quit so could just hand notice in and you'll have job on CV to get another!

OP just go for it. Try to start as early as possible and tell them when you’re over 20 weeks. Do a great job and prove you’re the right woman for job.
BUT get your location confirmed in your contract, make it a non-negotiable that you are home based with clear details on when and how often you’re to be in the office.

companies can and do say anything at this stage. Give you verbal agreements or even put it in an email that minimal office time is required but if it’s not in your contract then it means nothing and they can back track later on.

You’re obviously THE person for the job, otherwise they would have already offered it to someone else. They’ve also offered to put you in a hotel if it’s 2 days in a row at the office. They want YOU! So go for it. There’s a long way until you’ll be off on maternity leave. You’re also very early so most wouldn’t even know at this point. You also don’t have to tell them until (I can’t remember the exact time) 20 weeks’ish? But you will probably have said sooner if you’re showing or if you’re unwell at times because of the pregnancy. You haven’t lied by saying you don’t have kids, because you don’t. And you sure as hell don’t have to tell them that you’re trying or hoping for children.

You’re obviously very valuable for them already, and if you’ll be back there after you’re maternity leave then it was worth them giving you the opportunity, baby on the way and all!

When I was recruiting I would rather someone didn't tell us they were pregnant at interview/offer stage because it meant we couldn't discriminate, even unconsciously. Providing an employer with information like that creates a lens through which your performance is viewed whether you like it or not and if a company truly wants to be non-discriminatory, then they will want to actively avoid any sources of bias.

For those recommending that the OP tell her employer, is that because you think they should have a chance to discriminate against her by withdrawing her offer or because you're so confident that they won't discriminate against her that you think they will just be grateful for the information so they can do risk assessments etc?

It's all very well saying they should be agile enough to cope, but not all business can cope with someone going off on maternity leave after just employing them, training them etc...

If you're taking time to train a person to do a job, and then they leave for six months or a year, or decide they're not coming back, you're potentially then going to have to hire one or two more people and spend time training them too.

Hey OP I was in a similar situation recently - conceived one week before being made redundant, and then was offered a new job at 11 weeks pregnant. I've decided to tell my new employer on my first day at which point I'll be 15 weeks pregnant.

What swayed my decision (because, like you I did consider the employer's point of view) was the following:

• I hadn't had my 12 week scan yet so didn't know if pregnancy was truly viable or not
• Legally they're not allowed to discriminate - telling them whilst in the interview process or during pre-employment checks puts them in hot water if I fail either, because then there's a question surrounding whether my pregnancy disclosure caused me to not get the job. By waiting, I ensure that legally we all know that procedures were followed
• I have nothing else lined up - I can offer them 6 months of very hard work before going on Mat Leave. If they decide to be petty and manage me out or fail my probation, then I'm still quids in.
• It's up to them to ensure they have contingencies for things like mat leave - it's the reality of having women in the workforce and any good, financially stable company will have budgets and strategies to work around it. It's on them to sort it out, not on you
• They're not paying me SMP, so financially they're not really losing out - my salary just goes to my cover

Having said all that, I'm planning to only take 6 months off (as I feel 12 months might be taking the piss), will offer them all 10 KIT days, and won't take any annual leave before going on my ML.

The only part that concerns me about your job offer is the level of travel - I found my first trimester absolutely exhausting and my nausea really kicked in around week 6-11. I'm now starting to get my energy just in time for the new job! However, starting to get hip pains etc.

In any case - CONGRATULATIONS (I too wanted to be one of the crazy caps lock people..) on both the baby and the job offer. Don't feel guilty about your situation. Just tell them once you have your 12 week scan and see your beautiful wriggly baby!

Thank you your'e so lovely!

Judging by the majority of responses I dont need to feel guilty for being pregnant and not telling them. Im so early and hopefully i can start soon. The ones saying im doing something wrong, thanks for your opinion but we all have to think about ourselves, our wellbeing and our baby (eek!) first.

i have a tendency to naturally feel bad about things, and becuase the hiring lady did mention travel quite a bit (which is why she asked about home life/kids) i automatically went into panic mode. And even if i dont stay past this year, its still 9 months of good pay in my book. Its certainly better than no pay which is where im currently at

I think that's an excellent attitude and approach - wishing you the best of luck with both the baby and the job!

Just how great is this job if everyone before you has already turned it down?