If you worked full time and had Tuesdays off, but was pregnant and your midwife appointments are always on a wed, and your boss wanted to swap your day off to wed because of this, would you ?

[Getmystuffsorted]

Or is that illegal to even ask

thats the only day the midwife is at that drs surgery so all routine check ups would be on wed

I wouldn't swap. A woman who works Mon - Fri would have her appointments covered. You work 5 days too just not on a Tues.

For what it is worth, when I was pregnant I only worked 3 days per week and most of my appointments feel on my days off. So that was fine. But I had an app on a work day once, my manager asked me when I wanted to make up the missed time.

I told her I wouldn't be and sent her the relevant part about it from citizens advice. I was polite about it.

More misogyny. Woman wants to stand up for her legal rights, but is told she’s not a ‘team player’ if she does so.

It’s sounds like more than just a “swapping your day off” issue, which is very dependent on the situation, of course they have to let you attend but there’s nothing prohibiting them asking if there’s any flexibility on time/date. It would be great if everyone was kind/accommodating - but that’s not real life, if you really don’t want to swap your day off then put it in an email & ask for that to be the end of the conversation.

I‘m assuming this isn’t a routine community midwife appointment as you really don’t see the midwife that much prior to the last few weeks were it would need to be a weekly conversation with your manager.

If you are attending weekly for blood pressure monitoring then this isn’t routinely done in the community, it’s usually on the antenatal ward/pregnancy assessment units, were it’s unlikely your given an appointment, it’s normally the case of “please pop in once a week to get bp checked/urine dipped”

Receiving medical care is taking the piss?

Absolutely not. But then maybe I’d just be difficult.

When the Blue Chip I worked for was trying to ‘manage’ me out (Age, changing workplace, big re org etc) I was only working two days a week. As I was in the redeployment unit they decided I should go into the office for those two days. Really pissed me off as I’d been working from home from years. I have a blue badge due to really bad arthritis so said I couldn’t get public transport so after much fiffing and faffing they found me a parking space which made things slightly better. As part of the process of managing me out they decided I should have some physio on my arthritic knee and ankle so directed me to a private physio with whom I should make an appointment. Of course I made the appointment for the afternoon of one of my two working days. It was bloody pointless, it was sort of on my way back from the office and took over two hours including travel. My redeployment manager, in a 1:1 suggested it would be better if I had the appointment on one of my none working days. I smiled. She then informed me that she wouldn’t be in the next day as she had a midwife appointment. So it was fine for her to use company time for medical appointments but not for me - and it was an appointment I neither wanted nor needed. I further justified it in my head as I could in all reasonableness have another job on the three days I didn’t work for them.

Stand your ground @Getmystuffsorted .

I think you may be mistaken.

There's no right to paid time off for normal medical appointments. Many employers request that you make them outside work if possible, or make up time.

But there is an explicit right to paid time off to attend ante-natal appointments.

Apparently so. And the smug, self satisfaction with which the verdict was delivered was vomit inducing.

Also, when I was pregnant I was ‘all care’ u dear the consultant and had weekly appointments at the hospital that weren’t just pop in whenever.

making it stressful amounts to harassment under the equality act.

This sounds reasonable, I don't see why anyone would be difficult about this. I was full time and used to work through the lunch hour when I had afternoon ante-natal appointments so I could get as much work done as possible.

What would the point be of this?

OP would still have paid time off from work, during her working hours.

Additionally, retaliating, in response to the OP asserting a statutory right would be discriminatory.

If the medical appointment is related to a disability or health condition as described by the Equality Act 2010, then the employee would have the same protections as for pregnancy, including paid time off for appointments. But, as you say, outside of this, it’s at the employers’ discretion.

Do you turn down sick pay and maternity pay too?

Exactly this. The EA2010 specifically cites unfavourable working conditions as a result of pregnancy.

I also got asked similar. I only worked 2 and a half days and my midwife and consultant appointed where always on my half day (not my choice. Just the day that they were avaliable). They tried to get me to swap days but due to having an older child in nursery it just wasn’t possible

Paid time off for a disability related appointment may be allowed as a reasonable adjustment, but this is not the same specific protection as 'paid time off' for antenatal appointments.

It doesn’t matter what the policy is. The fact is that pregnant employees are entitled to paid time off for appointments without having to make up the time or change their working hours to accommodate them. Why on earth are women judging other women not to be ‘team players’ for simply exercising their rights.

The key word is reasonable - no definition of that. While employers will give paid leave, they’re allowed to ask for appointments to be on a non working day as a reasonable request, doesn’t mean that’s possible (usually you take the appointment given with no choice). You can shout PAID at me all you like but you’ve proven my point with the word reasonable.

Yes, should have been clearer, it’s as part of reasonable adjustment, rather than legally underpinned.

Exactly this. Its disgusting the way they are treating their employees. You are entitled to say no to what is effectively a flexible working request, the same as they are entitled to say no if you request one. I would not change a thing and keep your appointments and not be bullied into changing your days. You might have other commitments on the Tuesday (not a 'day off' btw, its a non-working day). If you want to take time off with stress, please do as your baby and your health comes first, full stop.

I specifically arrange my appointments (now medical and at one point antenatal) for my working days cause that’s when I have childcare. My employer has no issue with that, my line manager was confused why I was worried about telling him about my pregnancy in the first year I started work. Our policy states to arrange appointments as close to start or end of day as you can, if possible. The way NHS is now, it’s often not possible - it’s either what you get or a month later or bottom of waiting list, so what are you supposed to do? However, if there are absolutely crucial meetings I make certain to not miss those and if need be log in on my non-working day and all my hours are worked and tasks done ahead of deadlines - there would be no penalty if I didn’t do that, but I am happy to go the extra mile for the flexibility and support I get. So there are reasonable employers and supportive managers out there.
In your case, I would be pragmatic. First question being- do you want to keep working for this place? I wouldn’t if I were you, and I’d be looking for somewhere with more understanding (i.e. even if they have enhanced maternity pay, don’t take it unless you really have to, so that you can quit after your leave; if you have to take enhanced cause of finances check what’s the minimum you have to work). Noone needs this stress in their lives.
Secondly, see when being on sick leave turns into early maternity leave, as if you need to stay with this company you don’t want to have to return before you and the baby are absolutely ready. I reckon, they will not be supportive of time off for nursery settling or childhood bugs.
Third, if going off on sick leave isn’t the right option all things considered, think what’s least stressful for you. Yes, you can take time off for your appointments but pregnancy is not necessarily the time to be taking an ideological stand (unless you’re one of those super women who run marathons at 8 months pregnant, in that case crack on;). If your Tuesday off is just that, a day off with nothing planned to put your feet up, I would consider swapping for easy life (assuming the options above don’t give you another out). However, if you have other things planned or that is the difference between you managing and not - than keep telling them to jog on as you have, but I would imagine they won’t stop being nasty (in that case depending on factors consider: HR, ACAS, unions to help reign the bullies in).

They can ask, but they can’t insist or make an employees’ working conditions difficult if they refuse, as appears to be the case for OP. The acid test, as a poster upthread pointed out, is whether they would be willing to put the request in writing.

This

When I was pregnant my day off was a Friday and MW appointments were a Wednesday. I wouldn’t have swapped them and my work would have known better to ask. My childcare arrangements etc were all built round me being off a Friday

It’s also discriminatory on grounds of part time status as you already don’t get paid for your non working day, so moving that day to suit your appointments means full time staff get paid time off for their appointments and you don’t

tell them to fuck off

Why wouldn't you? You'd rather go when you're meant to be working instead?