Job Offer withdrawn after informing employer that I am pregnant.

[Char1997]

Hi all,

I originally posted this on as a pregnancy thread. As the situation has evolved I have been advised to post on here. I was offered a job yesterday afternoon and although I know I was under no obligation to inform them, I told the employer that I was expecting in December. Since then I have had the job offer withdrawn as they felt that I “misled them” and wasn’t honest. Is anyone able to give me some advice if I were to take this further.

They've really dropped themselves in it.
Take it further! They deserve it.

@cathf why does it matter if shes pregnant! I have employed 2x pregnant women in the last 18months and on their return they are hungry eager and raring to go! Yes i had to wait almost a year to get to this point but so what if i get even just 5 years of their hard work and experience!

They were not eligible for the company mat pay- and talent trumps pregnancy

Seriously OP get some advice and i would say this is a strong case

Put in a claim. Whether it’s withdrawing a job offer because you are pregnant or withdrawing it and thereby penalising you because you didn’t tell them you were pregnant (at a time you absolutely were not obliged to) is the same thing.

If they are genuinely happy to employ someone who is pregnant then they wouldn’t have needed to know in the first place would they?!

If someone told them after receiving a job offer that they had a disability which wasn’t relevant to their ability to do the job would they have withdrawn the offer because the person wasn’t honest? Didn’t think so!

Wow. Please do take this further - they should have their arses handed to them.
Although, i would also say it sounds like you might have had a lucky escape. Those emails are so spectacularly unprofessional (including disclosing someone’s previous history of addiction - wtf?!) I wouldn’t trust them as far as I could throw them.
Oh and I’d call her out on her reply. She literally did say they were withdrawing the offer due to to your lack of honesty, so her trying to back track is just an out and out lie.

Can't help as you've already had excellent advice but that is absolutely shocking. Take it as far as you possibly can.

Ohhh Damn OP.

So what you going to spend your settlement money on?

Wow. I bet they won't make this mistake again once you've finished with them.

Christ that email exchange makes them sound stupid and ill informed

They’re not allowed to ask you about it at interview, so how do they think you were meant to tell them?!

What industry is the job in OP?

Can no one else see why a company might not be too keen on taking someone on who is probably only going to work for about three months before taking up to a year off?

Anyone can have an accident and be off work for months.

I had a friend who the week she returned from maternity leave hit diesel on her motorbike, she ended up having the best part of another year off and with a replacement knee.

Going against the general consensus here - but I don't think you have been entirely up front with them. Presumably you won't start for a couple of weeks & then someone has to train you up/show you where things are at least. They will then get September-November work out of you & you might take a full year off.
I know it's the law they aren't allowed to discriminate and ask if you are planning to get pregnant. But morally I don't think you have done the right thing in not declaring a pregnancy which is half way through.
You must have waited for them to make offer before letting on which does seem quite cheeky. Now you're threatening legal action - I can't see it working now even if they do offer job.

Quite amazed at most of the responses on here, although I suppose I shouldn't be.
I realise this is potentially against the law, but that in itself is ridiculous.

Yes, I'm sure women knock themselves up for a free holiday

Wow she's not very bright is she.?
Poor colleague's 'bother' :o

But morally I don't think you have done the right thing in not declaring a pregnancy which is half way through.

Totally irrelevant what you think “morally”.

The only thing that matters here is the law.

@converseandjeans

Morality doesn't put food on the table.

Pregnant women still need to earn money which is why the laws are in place.

The morality of this situation isn’t the issue here, she has no obligation to disclose her pregnancy and I’m shocked people in this and age think that women don’t have the right to keep this information to themselves.

It matters not that she would be going on maternity leave shortly after starting. Maternity leave is a small amount of time in a working life.

Quite right if the op takes this further, then they will learn from it.

Have you now contacted ACAS or an employment lawyer, OP?

Cases like this are important to protect others from discrimination too.

Anyone can have an accident and be off work for months.

Yep, when I was a manager, it was the ongoing sicknesses with no end date that were the most difficult. Maternity cover is far easier than covering the role of someone who is off for a few weeks, then gets another sick note, etc.

Also to those who don't understand why this law exists... women already are at a huge disadvantage in the labour market, and even more so if they choose to have children. Having children is usually detrimental to your career in a way that men don't have to deal with. Discriminating against pregnant women is yet another way to punish women who want to have a career as well as be a parent.

family legally of course it's within the law. But honestly I couldn't do what OP has done. It just wouldn't feel like the right thing to do. I stayed in the same job the whole time I was TTC for this reason. I honestly don't think this does women any favours at all in the workplace.

I honestly don't think this does women any favours at all in the workplace.

Again, irrelevant what you think.

Best of luck with your case. That email from them is ridiculous.

Comparing your pregnancy to drug addiction?? What planet is she on??

How were you being dishonest when you didn’t have to even say you were pregnant nor did you lie about it.

converse So if she was made redundant while pregnant should she not job hunt?

Ok bit if hysteria on here. This woman has been cleverer than people are making out. She has specifically written you received no formal job offer and she has also stated the decision to offer you a role was not finally decided, she says she still needed to consult someone else.

As such you're on difficult grounds.

Where she is getting it wrong is saying she wanted you to tell her.

But that's all. She's stated she made you no formal job offer and the decision to even offer you a job was not final.

I know it's bullshit, but that's one hellava big get out of jail card. Unless you've very deep pockets and willing to lose big. Because they are going to argue she never made you a job offer and the decision to make you an offer Was not agreed and those emails are the proof.

If someone told them after receiving a job offer that they had a disability which wasn’t relevant to their ability to do the job would they have withdrawn the offer because the person wasn’t honest? Didn’t think so!

This is a common occurrence. Whilst I agree with your sentiment (that discrimination is not acceptable), your example is disappointingly ignorant.