Work expecting me in office when pregnant

[littlefawn]

I am currently 20 weeks pregnant and I requested to work from home a week before lockdown, they said it wasn't possible, I was then told it was "not recommended" that I come into work by a manager and told me to take sick (even though I'm not sick) I told them I could not get a sick line but that was fine.
About a month later I found out about 4 or 5 people had been allocated laptops and were working from home.
Manager rang about a week after this and said HR said they've done a risk assessment and I can come back to work. They said social distancing is in place, only one person per row of desks and people working one week on and one week off.

AIBU to expect a laptop to work from home when others who are not vulnerable have been allocated laptops?

Surely I still have to pass communal areas and touch door handles to get to my desk, there is a narrow corridor to my office and the building is shared by other departments (it's public sector)

From what I've read online employers must do what they can to help
Pregnant women work from home, my manager suggested I take leave as I have a lot but I've also sad they can't make you take leave and this is discrimination.

Do you definitely know that the other people who are working from home do not have underlying health conditions or been told to "shield"? As someone in the "vulnerable" group, your employers have to ensure that you are kept safe. However if they are enforcing social distancing, then they are. You would need to wash hands regularly etc after touching any communal areas etc. I would ask what the business reason is that you can't work from home. They cannot make you take annual leave, but if you don't go into work then they don't have to pay you either.

”They cannot make you take annual leave”

Yes they can. As long as they give twice as much notice as the amount of leave they want her to take.

But anyway it doesn’t sound as if they intend to make you take leave OP, just suggesting it as you don’t want to come in.

There is no reason a pregnant worker can’t go into the office if safety measures are in place which it sounds as though they are. However everyone, pregnant or not, should be working from home if possible.

Whether you are BU for expecting a laptop to work from home isn’t something we can comment on- what reason have you been given for them wanting you physically at work? What’s your job?

As you're public sector, check with your Union reps.
They might be able to give HR a kick up the bum.

So manager said on the phone (obviously won't put in writing) that laptops were allocated based on work productivity and importance of work, those that have laptops are all managers, one I know has a condition but depending on the severity would be either under vulnerable or shielding. The others I don't know but they 'appear' young, fit, healthy.

According to Maternity Action and Government websites it says employers should help employees work from home where possible, so I don't understand how they can say I cannot work from home when other people can?

Check the RCOG updated guidance. Technically if you’re under 28 weeks and they’ve done a risk assessment, they can request for you to come in. Over 28 weeks should work from home

Also pregnantthenscrewed website has loads of info

So public sector role, all office based, computer based, no phone calls or customer facing.

The only thing that annoys me is that I can quite adequately do my job from home, I asked them this over a month ago and they then gave laptops to others who 'appear' to not need to work from home

@littlefawn because ‘where possible’ is open to interpretation and the decision rests with them after the risk assessment, as long as your under 28 weeks

I’m 25 weeks nhs worker and have had to be going in all along - a lot of pregnant women have.

Yes the if possible is width washy but how can they say it's not possible if others are working from home?

I never joined my union one of those things I meant to do then didn't bother

My hospital has been telling pregnant women to stay at home for the 12 weeks x

RCOG has a lot of info directed more towards healthcare staff so not sure, I could take leave if I needed to until I was 28 weeks

I told them I could not get a sick line but that was fine.

What is a sick line?

We’re a part of the shielded group for 12 weeks (starting whenever lockdown did- think it was five or six weeks ago now but I’ve totally lost count). You shouldn’t even leave the house for those 12 weeks. I teach and got sent home the day after the government announced pregnant women should isolate. I won’t be back until my maternity leave is over now.

A certificate from doctor to take off work if sick

Apparently HR said they policy has changed, I think it's because pregnant women were only told to shield and then changed it to pregnant women with heart conditions.

I wouldn't mind if my job couldn't be done from home but it can

The advice given is for all women over 28 weeks to stay home. Up until then you can still go to work etc.

The RCOG guidelines is advice for healthcare workers to give to all women but also covers healthcare workers itself.

Pregnant women are only in the shielding group if they also have a significant heart condition.

OP it sounds like the reason is they haven’t got enough laptops.

Have you challenged this? I'd contact ACAS

I am really sorry your employer is dicking you about over what is essentially a £500 laptop. At least you know where you stand.

My advice: Stop looking at what other people have and start looking for a solution for yourself.

If youbhave any other health compliants i would speak to your GP via telephone appointment and see if they will wrIte you a letter.
Concurrently I'd also be directly asking my line manager if it was them/their wife would they be happy with this situation and ask them to help me find a solution.
I would then request (or pay myself) for a taxi to bring my PC to my house and work from home.

Good luck they sound like a shower of arseholes.

Yes I understand they may say they haven't got enough laptops, if everyone who had laptops had serious conditions I would understand but they allocated laptops based on work productivity rather than health

What reason are they giving for not allowing work from home? Lack of laptops/kit?

We are assuming office based workers with connectivity will be the last allowed back into workplaces due to the load on public transport as much as anything. Its more important for people who can't work from home to have the places public transport (which are likely to be limited for some time).

So manager said on the phone (obviously won't put in writing)

Anytime they do that to you always follow up with an emailed summary of the conversation. If they don't agree with what has been said they can reply. If they reply by phone (because they want to lie) email summary that as well and ask for written conformation since the second call was seemed necessary but you'd rather have it in writing to clear up any inconsistencies. Repeat as often as necessary. Lying managers do hate this though, but you need to protect ypurself. If they get off with you politely put that in writing as well ( your voice sounded a little annoyed to me in our last conversation so to clear that up I'd like to put in writing exactly what we agreed so we can go forward in a professional manner).

Also come 28 weeks if the rules are still in place, I can see them magically finding a laptop for me rather than paying me to do nothing!

You are worried about discrimination for yourself and yet you feel it’s ok to judge the people with laptops as looking ‘young fit and healthy’. People don’t discuss their underlying health conditions with random colleagues. My husband is type 2 diabetic - no one knows that he is diabetic and therefore gets a flu shot. I have ceoliac’s disease - lots of people know I have ceoliac’s disease but I doubt many people know that the nhs considers ceoliac’s more vulnerable and I also have the flu jab. It sounds like most of the people with laptops are managers. I don’t blame you for being worried - I would be too. It makes sense to speak to HR and then if no joy take your leave and be pleased that’s an option for you. That’s what would happen in the private sector.

Aren't the govt saying if you can work from home you should? And they keep trotting out the line, only travel to work if you cannot work from home? You can work from home. Your employers are arseholes imo.