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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Work related rant.. advise please

42 replies

Springmummy19 · 18/02/2019 12:41

hello

Sorry for the rant,...

Advise please as I feel like my pregnancy hormones are making me over react.

I live 25 miles away from work which means when I have hospital appointments (I have a lot now due to GD) even if they are only for a half an hour, I dont get to work for a few hours or I have to leave earlier. I've always always made my boss aware of all my appointments and at no point was I told by my boss to provide proof.

My boss left the business 2 weeks ago and I have randomly had an email from HR to say I need to make up all the missed time plus provide proof of my appointments. I emailed HR back stating that other than the appointments with the midwife, I don't get a letter to confirm my GD appointments or my GD related scans. Event time I attend, they tell me when my next appointment is. The only thing I have as proof is my hospital book which has the midwifes notes and the date on there. I did mention that I will ask the hospital if they are able to print something to confirm all the dates/times I attended however I wont be able to obtain this until my next combined clinic appointment which is on the 1st March. I have the letters for my midwife appointments at the doctors and I will bring them in next week as I am off from tomorrow for the week.

I was off 1st of feb all day because I had my 28 week scan at 9.40 and my GD clinic appointment at 10.10. I didn't get seen to until after 12 and then the consultant made a mistake in my emergency prescription which resulted in me having to go back to the hospital to have this corrected. I had to make 4 Uber trips to and from the hospital and by the time I got home it was after 3pm. Again the only thing I have as proof of this is the email Uber recipets and my hospital notes.

She then emailed me back saying I need to make up 5.5 ours for this day but I cannot do this during lunch as I must take a break. Well next week is my last week before I have a month off and then start mat.

Can they legally do this? I know I was off the whole day but it wasnt due to a fault my end. If they can, am I better of just saying dont pay me for the 5.5 hours? like how the hell do you expect me to make this time up if I cant miss lunch?

Also the reason why I am getting so agitated is because there is another lady in my team ( she was my boss then got demoted to my level) who wanted this week off but I think because I booked it first she got told she cant have it off. she was working from home for the past 2 weeks due to her kids not being well ( I dont have the option to WFH) and then manged to come in last thurs/fri. I was off sick thse days. it is very well known that she is on very god terms with the women from HR and I just find it off that she has come back to work, found out I am off this week and so she cant be ans then HR send me this email.

As I'm leaving in a week, I don't want to cause a hooha or make a fuss and ruin my working relationship, specially if I want to come back after mat leave but its just making me so angry

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Karigan195 · 18/02/2019 16:20

Btw we have flexible working. When I’m going for appts sometimes I too think there is no point going in for an hour however I log it as hrs to make up.

TurquoiseWeekend · 18/02/2019 16:21

All of my appointments are written on the back page of my maternity notes by whoever is booking them in. Is there any way you can scan that back page in and send it to them if they're wanting proof?

Florenceflamingo · 18/02/2019 17:07

You should try to get proof before then - give them a call as they should be able to send you something.

Not going back because theres no point for an hour is out of order though.

Heyha · 18/02/2019 17:17

I think you probably owe an hour for that one day (totally understand why you didn't go through!) But sounds like your HR person needs a bit of schooling in the law Vs company policy Vs what she's making up on the spot. However I do agree that you should be prepared to provide evidence of appointments which it sounds like you will be able to. Print out the maternity action stuff and suggest they go and take a bit of time to check if company policy is compliant with the law if, after you've organised to make up the hour, and proven your appointments, they are still being shirty.

Florenceflamingo · 18/02/2019 17:19

Its also worth giving acas a call for advice

SpannerH · 21/02/2019 09:07

I agree with the majority of the above, stand your ground, ask her to point to the 2 hours in the handbook. Not only that but mention something about this causing you undue stress at such a late stage in your pregnancy.

emmskie03 · 21/02/2019 19:41

Given the extent of the time off, I don't think it's unreasonable for HR to ask for evidence of appointments. I would expect to have to provide this if my antenatal appointments were over and above the norm. Particularly if it was covering a whole day and you've been making the decision not to go in for an hour because it's not worth it.

I'd just get the info you need to give them together with details of travel time to the appointments and back to work. Explain that perhaps you've misjudged the position in respect of not going back in for the hour and any other hours you've taken like this and offer to make up that time. I'm sure once they can clearly see that you have been attending appointments it will all be fine x

Original poster

Springmummy19 · 24/02/2019 20:34

so the hospital printed put a screen shot of all my appointments times and dates. the maternity unit manager signed it to say that on the day in question the clinic over ran and I was there for 5 hours. she also put down her contact number and said by law they shouldn't be asking me to make time up or refusing to pay me and that if they still persists I should contact citizens advise bureau. she was flabaghasted that it it was HR asking this.

I am more than happy to make up the 2 hours of that day and I should probably mention that on the 1st of feb there was heavy snow and my car was on a hill and ay 7 and half months preganant I was to scares to drive in the snow. they was the whole reason I had to get an uber to the hosptial and back.

I have a meeting with the HR lady tomorrow and I will 100% be asking her to tell me where she got 2 hours from. I will absolutely not make up the time I missed while at the hospital nor will I allow her to not pay me.

OP posts:

Heyha · 24/02/2019 21:18

Good on you, hope she gets the message nice and quick!

DustyDoorframes · 25/02/2019 08:10

Good luck today OP!
I'm shocked at the employers up thread who seriously would insist on someone travelling for an hour to be on the office for one hour, after a hideous day of delayed hospital appointments. I'm thankful that I've never worked somewhere where that would even be countenanced.

Littlebelina · 25/02/2019 08:33

Your hr department would have hated me then as I had to have several days off to attend a specialist hospital 3 hours from work during my last two pregnancies. Luckily my work were really good about it. Good luck today!

( The 6 hours mentioned up thread relates to unpaid entitlement for partners who can take up to 6 hours unpaid twice, mothers get reasonable time off paid and what is reasonable depends a lot on the pregnancy)

Original poster

Springmummy19 · 25/02/2019 10:43

I dont even know what to make of this meeting, I feel like I left with no clear explanation, I showed her all the screenshots I had taken from CAB as well as all other websites and out HR policy showing that legally they cant not pay me or ask me to make time up.I showed her the paperwork of all my appointments and made it clear that all the GD ones are 2 appointments. She said the maternity managers signature only states the time I was seen and not the time I was there until.

She said 2 hours isn't a figure mentioned anywhere but that is what we go by ( I pointed out that it needs to then be mentioned in our policy) shre then said they can not pay at their discretion.
BUT THE LAW SAYS YOU CANNOT DO THAT!!!

I feel like when she realised I had done my research she just said 'I'll look into it and get back to you but I know this is your last week so I will do it urgently' ..let see now

OP posts:

DustyDoorframes · 25/02/2019 10:51

Argh!! Hopefully she will go away, take advice, and leave it.
If not, speaking to ACAS is probably your next step (unless you have a union?). Lovely last week...

Whisky2014 · 25/02/2019 10:58

You should be giving them notice of your appointments as far in advance as you can and in my workplace policy it does state to provide proof. So even if the midwife tells you you're next scan date you shoild ask for a letter.
On the day where you had to faff about with 4 uber trips via hospital etc did. You call your workplace and let them know what was going on?
I'm sure you can get a midwife to write a letyer confirming the datea and timea of your apppintments and have her stamp it.

Whisky2014 · 25/02/2019 11:02

Ah i see you got a print out..good.
It could have all been avoided if you were proactive and communicative.
It's not acceptable to not go back to work for an hour cause it wasn't worth it. It's still an hour of company time.

Original poster

Springmummy19 · 25/02/2019 11:13

@DustyDoorframes yeah if she comes back and still refuses to listen, that will be my next step.

@Whisky2014 but I was! They never asked for any proof before but I was able to give her all my letters today and I showed her the stamped letter I got from the hospital with all the dates and times listed along with the maternity ward managers signature confirming I was seen to late on that day. I did call my boss and let him know. I even emailed him every time a new appointments was confirmed and detailed the date, time and what the appointment was for but the idiot left work 2 weeks ago and didn't pass any off this onto HR. While I can prove my emails to him I cant prove the phone call conversation on that day but I wold have thought a letter from the maternity unit would suffice.

As I said the only reason I didn't go back was due to the snow but I also have an email from my boss stating that if I finished late, I wouldn't be expected to go back (as I live an hour away from work) but would need to make the time up whihc I was doing for the others anyways and I said I am happy to make up the 2 hours after leaving the hospital but I refuse to makeup time for when I was at the hospital

OP posts:

PennyMordauntsLadyBrain · 25/02/2019 12:17

I feel like when she realised I had done my research she just said 'I'll look into it and get back to you but I know this is your last week so I will do it urgently' ..let see now

A fiver says she goes and has even a cursory google, finds out you’re right and then does nothing in the hope that you don’t flag this with her own manager before you head off.

I’d consider raising this with her superior- she’s leaving the business wide open to a discrimination case because she’s making up policies and legislation to suit herself. You might have been savvy enough to correct her, but that might not be the case for the next woman she comes across.

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