Will you still wfh/be suspended on paid leave after 28 weeks?

[Cafeaulait27]

If you’re pregnant and have been vaccinated will you still wfh/or get suspended on paid leave after 28 weeks?

I’ve been wfh for over a year and now with Boris announcement I will be over 28 weeks by the time the wfh if you can guidance is lifted on 19th July (provided all goes well and restrictions get lifted).

I feel a bit weird about not seeing anyone in real life before going on maternity leave in September. But obviously also want to do the right thing for me and baby. I’ve had one dose of vaccine but second jab isn’t until well into third trimester.

Just wondered what everyone else’s plans were?

Teachers in my school have had to be in work as normal since March.

Ask to WFH or take maternity earlier.

Not sure if you read what I wrote @HercwasanEnemyofEducation? I’ve been wfh from March 2020, I’m just wondering what others will be doing. It just feels weird to not see my colleagues in real life in over a year and then go on maternity leave.

Interesting! A teacher friend of mine is 28weeks now and finished last week, the way she talked about it was she didn’t have a choice that was the rule due to covid. Is it different in Scotland?

I’ve been told informally I can WFH until I go on maternity leave, hoping it becomes a formal arrangement.

No choice for me, I'll be at work until I go on maternity leave. Being pregnant isn't an illness you know!!

Hi @Vetyveriohohoh it’s gov guidance I believe - so my work could advise me but I could then choose. They may say though that they really don’t want me to come in due to the risks though, and I don’t want to go against that as id never forgive myself if I got covid and something happened. It may be more strict in teaching as it’s harder to social distance etc compared to an office? Xx

@TheLovleyChebbyMcGee

No choice for me, I'll be at work until I go on maternity leave. Being pregnant isn't an illness you know!!

@TheLovleyChebbyMcGee what’s your job, is there any reason why you don’t have a choice?

Being in the third trimester increases your chances of becoming severely ill with covid if you catch it according to gov guidance.

Have you had the jab?

Guidance was wooly and open to interpretation re teachers. Some could WFH at the heads discretion.

Make the choice that's best for you OP.

It varies from school to school, in fact.

I actually ended up getting signed off at 28 weeks and went on maternity leave at 35 weeks, so I had a long time at home. It was lovely in a way!

I thought the guidance that women WFH in third trimester had been scrapped now anyway? I'm 25 weeks and noone has mentioned me being able to WFH?!

I can totally see how if you’re a teacher, work in retail, health or hospitality you’d be been to wfh/get suspended on paid leave from 28 weeks as you’ve been so at risk this whole time.

I was sort of hoping for a bit of normality over summer before going off on maternity leave after so long working from home, but I do also feel grateful that these safeguards are in place for pregnant women.

It’s a tricky one!

I'm a dental nurse I was no longer allowed to be patient facing from 28 weeks.

I worked in the office on my own luckily I had loads of holiday to use. So left 6 weeks before due date. As far as I was aware they are not allowed to ask you to take early maternity as your not sick due to the pregnancy xx

I'm an NHS clinician and totally expecting to be in as usual after 28 weeks. The guidance I thought had changed re shielding in third trimester.

@baldafrique I just had a look earlier and the guidance is still there, HR told me in a letter as well that it’s still in place. Maybe mention it to your employer?

I thought it may relax if more pregnant women are getting vaccinated now but it doesn’t seem to be - I guess with cases going up it’s sensible. I really thought it’d be like last summer where cases went right down and I’d feel pretty safe to go in at least a bit, but now I guess it’s all looking a bit more uncertain.

I think I’ve found the isolation of working from home for over a year quite hard.

That's really interesting, I clearly need to have a word with my work!

I'm a microbiologist and while I don't work with patients I work with their samples. May be because we've had to just get on with things this entire time in the NHS

That's what I'm thinking. Their view is going to be well you've been at work every day since March 2020 and now you have the vaccine so you're all good (even tho I've only had the first dose in Jan just before I fell pregnant). FFS. I know they'll say no.

Why are people being so snarky?

Obviously some jobs are harder to WFH than others but it doesn’t mean every pregnant woman should have to be in because you had to be.

It’s not the OPs fault, is it!?

@Babymeanswashing thanks 💜

Here’s the government guidance everyone -

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-pregnant-employees/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-pregnant-employees

It says if they can remove risks then have to be in Theyll be like that's your mask and vaccine

Dont know what all the weird grumpy responses are about.

Anyway I'm in the same position as you OP, been at home since March 2020 and going off at the end of September. Not sure what to do - I can continue to WFH until I finish but I'd really rather see some colleagues before I finish. If I don't, it will be March 2020 - September 2022 without seeing colleagues or setting foot in my office.

My issue is that it's pretty much voluntary as to whether you go into the office over the summer, so even if I went in, I might not see the colleagues I've really missed. In fact no one might be there!

@baldafrique definitely worth you having a chat with them I think xx

@TooTiredForToday glad there’s finally someone in a similar position to me who has answered this thread 😂

It’s so weird isn’t it? It’s kind of hard to come to terms with the kind of pregnancy I thought I’d have vs the actual ☹️ I guess I really thought things would be more normal now but thanks to the new variant it’s not.

I sort of feel a bit forgotten about at work already because people can’t actually see me, I worry about being ‘written off’ already because I’m pregnant. People keep talking as though I’m already gone and I’m like ‘I’ll be hear all summer you know!’

I’m hoping I can at least go in a bit to say bye to people/keep in the loop about stuff before I go. It’s really sad but I guess it’s just one more disappointment of covid ☹️

And I do feel really grateful to have the option to work from home of course and not be at risk. I guess we’re mourning the ‘office life’ that we’ve lost? Xx

There’s some grumpy women on here and other threads this morning!!

My work will let me do whatever, I’m also due in September and finishing 10th

I know what you mean about wanting to see colleagues before I go off as I do miss them

I can do my job from home fortunately and I’m not vaccinated so from 28w I’ll be staying put at home. I’ve already got colleagues to cover my in person court hearings during that time (which I usually love attending!!)

I decided against the vaccine so that’s influenced my decision to stay home, and then catch up with colleagues once the baby is here and I’m vaccinated