Job Offer withdrawn after informing employer that I am pregnant.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 Since then I have had the job offer withdrawn as they felt that I “misled them” and wasn’t honest.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.

There are many lovely and supportive women on this thread.

I am disgusted at the women on here who said that the OP treated the employer badly.

So in that case, pregnant women should never apply for jobs? Should they starve?

This not only affects the OP's rights. It affects your rights as a woman. In many different areas.

This OP is challenging one employer but it will affect many more people. That employer will talk to people she knows about it, and other people will learn not to do what this employer did.

The OP will leave a case example in law, that can be looked to for advice in future cases.

The OP is also inspiring women on here.

Well done OP, you are amazing

@Summersunandoranges are you actually serious.

Okay - lets put you in the situation. you are three months pregnant and you have lost your job.
In your argument YOU are not entitled to apply for any job at all, you must suffer along, pregnant, on very little money.

Do you see how absolutely cruel and ridiculous that is?

For some reason I got my dates mixed up, but glad things went OK today although that's a long wait until October.

I wonder if they might offer to settle in the meantime - I don't see how they can think they have a leg to stand on.

@Summersunandoranges I have read more of your posts. I have to say what you have written is disgusting and absolutely shocking. I can't believe that attitude exists in this day and age.

How does women going on maternity leave even hurt businesses in any way? The government pays the mother a benefit, the employer hires a person for a maternity leave contract. It doesn't hurt the employer in any way

As someone who worked 10 years in a male dominated industry I agree this type of thing sets us back.

It might be the law, and I'm glad it exists to protect women already in employment but this is different.

Going to work for a small company before breezing off on maternity leave for a year is morally wrong, highly entitled, and pps are completely correct that this company probably won't even look twice at women of child bearing age (I certainly wouldn't!).

I went to an interview for a small company and it was pretty obvious from the "chit chat" what they wanted to ask (I was 25). I wasn't offended or outraged at all and told them the truth - that I had two children and no plans to have anymore, that they were in wraparound care and I had a retired relative down as the emergency contact to cover sick days. Funnily enough I got the job.

@blockyy so what is a pregnant woman to do for money and food, if she is out of work then.

As you said. She shouldn't go for jobs. So shos she starve?

What if it was your mother?

Honestly it is other women who are hurting women in this society.

Can you answer - if a pregnant woman has lost her job , and you say, not apply for jobs. What do you want to happen to her: that ahe becomes homeless? You havent answred that part in the scenario

I can't believe how cruel some women are to other women. It is fucking disgusting.

Any of the women on here who have said that a pregnant woman must not apply for jobs (absolutely unbelievable)

Can you answer the question that arises.

So if a woman at four months pregnant loses her job, and we will assume that she has a mortgage and bills. What do you want her to do, become homeless?

I really cant believe the attitudes on this thread

Bet @summersunandoranges loves it when one of her employees announces they are pregnant.

""No one ever retracted an employment offer to a male on finding out his wife was pregnant!"

"Because the husband wouldn’t be taking up to a year off with a new job.""

Not necessarily, one of my male colleagues is taking shared parental leave and has been off for months now.

Precisely, the husband might very well be taking a year off. That sort of discrimination is sooo pre 2015. The only sensible thing to do is refuse to employ anyone other than post menopausal women. Anyone else is a walking maternity or paternity leave risk.

Well done OP, thanks for standing up, not only for yourself but for other women.

As an aside...I can't believe you now have to wait until October!

”Wow @Char1997 do you see @savemejebus post. You could get a six figure sum.”

I would urge OP and anyone else reading this to be realistic. A six figure sum would be several years’ salary for the vast majority of people and as such is pretty unusual. Obviously I don’t know how much the OP would have been paid, but for most people expecting a six figure sum in these or similar circumstances just isn’t going to happen.

I was in your position OP.
I applied for a job when I was almost midway through my pregnancy. I had sought advice from a colleague who has HR qualifications and runs her own business, her advice was 'do not put them in the position of having their hand forced to offer you a job out of fear of a discrimination case'.
I went to the interview. I was then offered the job by telephone, I accepted the job and I told them about my pregnancy. She offered her congratulations and then the phone went silent. She asked if I was ok, and I stated my concerns about my job fee being retracted based on my circumstances and she was horrified. She said, absolutely not, we went over training dates, she explained I may need refresher training due to only being out of training about a month (9 week training) and then said I could return or not. That was it and that is how it should be.
Why should I be penalised for being pregnant when I can do the job?
I am due to return to my job in August and I plan to based purely on how they've looked after me. They've been amazing.
I wish more companies were like this and I also wish our economy and government allowed more companies to be more like this.

*summersun
*

Lucky you, the rest of us do need the protection afforded us by the laws of this country and if companies go against this they should be held accountable and that is what the OP is doing.

If a company's response to a situation like this is to further discriminate against women then it just gives more support to the fact that these laws are needed and should be dealt with when companies break them. Also it would be the sign of a very toxic environment and culture within the company.

No one is suggesting that a company has any obligation to offer a pregnant woman a job but they cannot use that as a reason for not giving her a job and that is what happened here. The OP was judged to be the best person for the job and was offered it. The offer was withdrawn because she is pregnant and that is discrimination!

All companies need to operate within the law and part of that it considering things like maternity cover. It is the law.

I can't believe how cruel some women are to other women. It is fucking disgusting.

You are assuming the small business owner getting shafted is male?

To answer your question - of course she can apply for jobs. I just wouldn't hire her. And she shouldn't really blame other companies for not wanting to hire an employee for 3 months either.

Are we assuming she wasn't given any redundancy money?

Presumably she is well off enough to last through maternity leave, has a husband with a job or has saved. Maybe she could use that money and return to work earlier. If not then why not apply for temporary positions? Why not cover someone elses 6 month maternity leave? Why not start as a cleaner, take in ironing, childmind? If all that fails then go on UC like anyone else has to.

This is a fictional situation. In OPs case, since she had just finished studying at the time, it probably would have been sensible to wait until she actually had a job before getting pregnant. If she was already in the job when she was pregnant then I'd be the first one shouting to take them to the cleaners.

But she hasn't worked an hour for this employer. The person squealing over shafting them for 6 figures is ghastly.

@blockyy why would you not hire a pregnant woman?

You know that she is entitled to be hired by law.

And that - you wouldn't have to pay any costs for her anyway! The government pays her maternity benefit.

So what the hell is your issue! I honestly cant believe what I am reading. This is 202O. It is like some one saying they would not hire a black person

Bet @summersunandoranges loves it when one of her employees announces they are pregnant

Shock horror but we’ve a very tight knit office and celebrated births for both men and women. No one has ever tried to take the piss.

You’ve purposely missed my point. It’s not about going off on maternity leave once settled and an established member of staff.

My points are (again)

1. Whether it’s legal or not - it’s unfair going for a job and not being honest about being pregnant. You start the position transient. Pregnant woman knows that, manger knows that. Why are people pretending it’s perfectly fine? The managers are legally obliged to work around a pregnant woman who has never even contributed to a single hour of of work. She may even have to change or reduce her work hours when she comes back. She has now become a problem that needs solving instead of being a person that solved problems with out - once again - doing one hour of work.

2. cases like this perpetuate the myth that women are risks to take even at interviewing stage as they the may reveal they are pregnant or trying for a baby immediately after job acceptance.

Wow I cannot believe how many people are openly stating they would break the law and discriminate against a pregnant woman.

Just goes to show that the OP is doing the right thing. They should be held to account for breaking the law.

@blockyy are you a business owner? Your posts are disgusting. Really disgusting.

You need to change your attitude or you will be the one getting sued in the future.

Again, can you tell me, how does hiring a pregnant woman hurt a business in any way shape or form? The government pays tje woman maternity leave, you hire a new person on a maternity contract.

The attitudes on this thread are horrible. Maybe I’m naive, but I had no clue that these were widely held beliefs.

To answer your question - of course she can apply for jobs. I just wouldn't hire her.

That’s disgusting, I can’t believe you would admit to that. I sincerely hope you aren’t involved in recruitment.

OP I’m so sorry this is going to be dragged out until October, and I hope all of the awful posts on this thread aren’t getting to you too much.

@Summersunandoranges you are not making any sense.

You said "it is unfair to go for a iob and not aay you are pregnant".

We have said to you many times,

Under law a woman does not need to say she is pregnant in interviews. By law! Why are you more important than the law - which is there to protect human rights

Wishing you all the best op, well done for standing up for yourself

Well done OP. You fight for us all.

The world will be better for women in the fiture

Future

Amazed at some of the posts on here.

Ypu are 10p% right to hold them accountable. Disgraceful and illegal behaviour on their part.

Please update in October and in the mean time enjoy time with your baby and try not to let it stress you out too much.