To refuse pregnant employee request to delay recruitment?

[Namechangecover]

I manage a small team of 6 people. One of the team members is pregnant (she is deputy team manager), her role requires a specific set of skills and a qualification that no one in the team can cover so we need to recruit for a mat leave cover - it will also take a good few months to train the cover on internal systems (ideally the pregnant team member will do the training and handover). She wanted to wait until 13 week scan until we recruit a cover as wanted to check all okay with the pregnancy. That has been and gone and she is now 16 weeks. All seems fine with pregnancy but she is very anxious (has paid for at least 4 reassurance scans since testing positive). She now wants to wait until 20 week scan to make sure all okay before we start interviewing for cover. AIBU to gently say we have to recruit now regardless of her view.

You need to do what’s best for the business. I doubt there’s any law which says you have to wait until a certain point of pregnancy to recruit maternity cover for a role but happy to be corrected.

My boss recruited at 20 weeks, at 21+5 my baby was born sleeping.

The thought that someone had been recruited into my role made it so much harder and I was totally panicked that I would be confronted with this on my return and potentially lose my job, the only thing I felt I had control over at the time.

With my fortunate second pregnancy my boss didn't recruit, no one even knew I was pregnant (apart from boss, parents and siblings) until after baby was born. It was hard for my boss but it saved me and he knows how much it helped me.

I'm not saying it's right not to recruit but I can completely empathise with your employee, whatever you do give them clear reassurance about their position

I’m so so sorry for your loss.

thanks to you and others who have flagged I may be putting on undue pressure and to see it from this side too

I’m so sorry for your loss.

@Namechangecover thank you, I just wanted to share having been through that situation, it wasn't my bosses fault that he had recruited, generally people do and generally it works out ok thank goodness, I was unlucky but then super lucky my boss supported me the second time round. obviously I hope everything goes well for your employee and you get the right cover in place, I'm sure it will fall into place.

Having had very bad (resulting in subsequent loss of baby) news at two different anomaly scans, in my opinion, she's not unreasonable to want to wait till then to start finding her cover.

But I also understand that from a practical view, it would be best to start the cogs turning.