Illness and time off work

[NewMumToBe270313]

hey guys, im 17 weeks pregnant and have started feeling really ill in the last few weeks bad headaches waking me up in the night meaning sleep is hard, pains in the lower abdomen (i think it could be a UTI) im going to the doctors today to find out if they can do anything for me but work are not being very understanding. my peoples manager told me that i needed to make sure i made it into work on every shift as it was the most important thing, and needed to "come to work to get my mind off pregnancy" work is getting me stressed as i am not getting payments im entitled to and im VERY hormonal as it is. Im hoping to get signed off work for a couple of weeks as im struggling with stress and not feeling well but i feel like i could wind up getting myself into trouble with work by taking time off..

i guess what im asking is should i ask to have time off work or is my manager right.. and can i get into trouble eg sacked if i do get signed off/take time off work for these reasons? xx

In answer to your question - no, legally you can't get sacked if your GP signs you off for pregnancy-related illness. That doesn't mean they won't do it - however you'd have a pretty cast iron case for sex discrimination if they did.

What payments are you not getting?

Your manager isn't handling this situation very well, IMHO. Pregnancy is hard enough at the best of times - they really should be more understanding. Is there someone else you can go to? Your manager's response is already edging towards discrimination and it sounds like they have no experience in this situation.

i dont get paid for any hours i miss due to midwife appointments or scans or drs appointments but i dont think i should be getting paid for those anyway.. :(

i had 2 days off during week 7 and after i returned to work i was called into her office where she told me that she had a difficult pregnancy with her son but still managed to put on a brave face and make it into work everyday as she knew it was the best option.. as i had recently transfered from another store she also told me that they were put in a "tricky situation" as they had taken me on on the trust i was a reliable member of staff. basically making me feel the size of a pea. i now try not to take time off work as im worried that they will act on it.

worried about getting signed off incase it causes trouble when i return to work.

you are entitled to paid time for maternity appointments should they fall in working hours if you can't reasonably change them. they can not sack you for being ill whilst pregnant, they could (depending on your company procedures )follow capability proceedings which could result in dismissal - they would be pretty silly to follow this as it would be wide open to sex discrimination cases. the most usual and likely outcome would be once you have used up any entitlement to company sick pay you would go on to unpaid sick leave and or statutory sick pay. the thing to do is get the company handbook and note where your not very nice sounding manager is not following procedure and then go to hr.

i work for a large well known company so youd have thought they would be following the law. which is why i have not acted on it, i think that i must be doing or missing something that justifys not being paid for these appointments and time off.

i asked my manager for the day off work for my 12 week scan and she said she couldnt give me the day off but could work around it so she then changed my shift from a 10am-4pm shift to a 2pm-6pm shift, meaning i lost out on 2 hours pay.. is she allowed to do this or should she have allowed me to have the time off for the scan? i dont know what the law states and just assume as they are a large company that they wouldnt risk cutting corners :/

I would get the dr to sign you off. Your health and the health of your baby is more important.

You need to read the direct.gov.uk website and direct your boss to the relevant sections. Don't be confrontational but just say you're aware you're allowed paid time off for antenatal appointments and they can't discriminate against you if you're off sick.

Any time that you are off work sick, with a doctors letter/note, shouldn't count towards your entitlement to statutory sick-pay, providing the illness is pregnancy related. So, they couldn't count your pregnancy-related illness as normal sick leave. It's meant to protect you from discrimination on the grounds of pregnancy I think.

Some companies will have a formal process of discussing your sick-leave after a certain number of days but pregnancy-related sick leave shouldn't count towards those days. Obviously you will be asked for your doctors note and may well be asked for a chat about how you are coping.

It sounds as though your manager needs some training in H.R. policy and general compassion!

im pretty sure any time off i have taken since i told them i was pregnant has gone down as normal sick-leave but im not too sure. I havent been asked to produce drs notes which is what makes me think this but i have only taken 2 days off max at a time :/ How would i go about finding out if my sick days have been noted as pregancy related or general ?

if they havent been noted as pregnancy related do they have grounds to fire me?

Firstly , i do hope that you start to feel better soon for your own sanity :-).
However if you are ill DO NOT go into work. Firstly you can self certify for a week and after that you will get a doctors note. Your health and your baby's health are SO much more important than worrying about what your colleagues think - they are giving you opinions and not fact ! - You are allowed time off for antenatal appointments and they will not legally have a leg to stand on ( as i would be very surprised if they would want to compromise their own positions as a result !) make sure that you write down any appointments and conversations which you have with colleagues too.
I had really awful morning sickness at the beginning and had just started a new job. I felt really guilty about work but tbh i looked horrendous and they knew i was really poorly the doc signed me off work for 2 weeks and i was mortified to be having so much time......However when i did try and go back i had to have a fit to work note anyway so i just stayed off.
To cut a long story short .....IN hindsight i should have just taken the time, chilled out and most likely felt better in the long run ...but hindsight is a wonderful thing :-) x

Pragmatic, Respectfully you are incorrect. Maternity related sick leave is treated the same as any other sick leave other than it is often recorded separately so that it is less likely to be used in a discriminatory way, I.e in capability proceedings resulting in dismissal.

new mum to be, please read the company handbooks, look up your rights as per threeweels mentioned and then go and see human resources or equivalent. Play it respectfully, take evidence and ask them to explain.

aww hun, your employers seem to be rite twts. they have to pay you for your antenatal appointments, scans ect, your boss can change your working hours if you agree to it. rather than asking for time off for appointments give notice of when you are taking them (dont ask them tell them)that way it they cant ask to change your hours and if they do say you cant do different hours to what you usually do. i think that no where will give you the day off for appointments they give suitable time to get there have the appointment and get back to work. and as heartofdixie* said your maternity leave is treated the same as any other sickness but recorded separately. your company can not sack you or give you warnings ect for pregnancy related illnesses. and as others have said go to h/r and keep a record of all your days/ time off so if your company do try to sack you, you will have evidence ect of where and what you were off for. they shouldnt be making you feel like this good luck p.s look on direct gov there is loads of maternity stuff on there x

I think asking for the day off for a scan is not right, even with getting there and editing for you'd appointment etc you'd just need some time off then go back to work. So if you were due to start work at 10am and you'd scan was at 12noon, depending on how close/easily you can get from work yo hospital you may if may not go Into work but certainly would go in as soon ax you have finished.

If you work for z large company then read their maternity policy, it is not thd decision of one person their policy should state clearly your entitlements and this will not be what they decide if will be from what is pretty much from thd link above.

Are you in a union? Coul be a valuable support for you in dealing with this numpty of a manager...

If you work for a large company you need to ask your company secretary for a copy of your family/maternity policy, it will all be in there.

How much time off sick not including appointments have you had since announcing your pregnancy to work?

I really hope you feel better soon, I worked for the NHS years ago in early pregnancy and they made me feel so guilty I spent days in the toilet or being sick in the bin at my desk

Sorry NewMum, looks like I was wrong, it must be just my employer who treats pregnancy-related sick leave differently. Hope I didn't confuse, probably best to check your employer's pregnancy and maternity policies and then decide about how to deal with your manager's attitude.

Hope you feel better soon and manage to enjoy your pregnancy instead of feeling stressed.

Just because your manager says she had a difficult pregnancy but soldiered on, doesn't mean you have to. You can't compare one persons pregnancy to anothers. Her's wasn't that bad if she could carry on. Get some advise from CAB, they can be very good and help you make sense of the law on pregnancy. Hope things improve for you, but get your doctor to sign you off for a bit if it's all too much at the moment.