Working hours whilst pregnant

[Freddie15VES]

Hi all

I’m 25 weeks pregnant, my last stint at work without a day off was 10 days, I’m now on day 7 out of 8 in a row. Today I felt awful like I was going to pass out. Is it fair for me to ask to not work that many days in a row? I feel like it’s too much but I’m worried my boss will go funny with me if I ask him to reduce hours. I work in sales and only have 2 months left

Do you have a risk assessment in place? Has it been reviewed recently? This should lay out your working conditions to look after you and baby.

First of all, I'm not a lawyer, I've just been in a similar situation. I know how stressful this kind of thing is before you speak up, but I also know that once I did everything was so much better!

From what I understand, you have legal right for your hours to be adjusted:
www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/law.htm
maternityaction.org.uk/advice/health-and-safety-during-pregnancy-and-on-return-to-work/

If you feel you need any clarification on your situation, maternity action have a phone number you can call for free advice, or you can email.

He shouldn't go funny. You should already have have an appropriate risk assessment in place, and it may even be mentioned in it already. If he thinks your request is unreasonable send him the information above regarding the law and his responsibilities. If he still thinks it's unreasonable, it's worth considering taking it to HR or another appropriate person.

Good luck, and be brave! I'm pretty sure the law is on your side, and it's there to protect you (us!). You might even find that your boss gets embarrassed that he didn't think to make adjustments already!