Pregnancy and work in the pandemic

[maneandfeathers]

For all of you still working (not at home!) what’s the plan?

I’m 25 weeks and have had the first dose of the vaccine.
I understand the government says to isolate from 28 weeks but is there anyone else not able to do that?

My job won’t sign me off but would give me the most boring pen pushing job possible if I asked to avoid paying me full pay to sit at home, or I can continue to work as normal in full PPE. There are two other pregnant people and one has opted to continue work while the other has been given a data entry type thing and is miserable. For context I work in an active job where I’m always busy, I’m not really used to doing nothing!
I work with a large team but have no direct contact with the public. Distancing is attempted but not always possible.

What are you all planning to do?! Take early maternity or stay and risk it

The government doesn't advise to isolate from 28 weeks - you're fine to work if you aren't high risk for other reasons eg underlying health conditions, and your workplace can provide safe working conditions ie social distancing, PPE etc. Your manager should do a risk assessment with you to look at what precautions need to be put in place. NHS settings are slightly different where you are advised not to work face to face clinically from 28 weeks, although some trusts have changed this guidance as well. 28 weeks is quite early to start maternity leave but it is up to you. I'd meet with your manager to do your risk assessment and see how you feel after that.

I'm 20 weeks and in a similar sounding job. I've started talking with my manager but nothing decided yet, but think my preference would be to work from home for at least a few weeks before i go on maternity leave. Maybe start leave at 37 weeks and wfh from 33 weeks. My role wouldn't change so much, as I'd be involved in the same projects, just not any hands-on aspects. I will be fully vaccinated hopefully in the next few weeks, and so very unlikely to get seriously ill. But pregnancy can knock your immune system and don't really want to be a guinea pig for whatever variants are around at that time, and there is possibility of more issues with other respiratory viruses, as we now have a lower immunity to them, as less exposure to them over the last year.

The 28 week thing changed weeks back unfortunately. I'm 26 weeks and still working f2f as a carer. I have 4 weeks left, taking the equivalent of 7 weeks annual leave from August and then maternity from 39 weeks.
It might be that if your not happy to carry on your role you might have to take on the boring data role or take early leave

I work with children, and I’ll work until I’m 35 weeks. I have had one vaccine, second not till August.

I’ve never worked from home throughout the pandemic, so I’m just going to crack on as normal. I’m not high risk, and I’m not going to stress about it.

I'm 27 weeks and a teacher in a secondary. Social distancing doesn't exist, ventilation is lacking but I wear my mask all the time and am torn with what to do.
I will only have 3 weeks left till summer holidays luckily but have decided to stay at school.

I currently don’t have any annual leave left thanks to vomiting and feeling half dead up until 20 weeks so I’ll be working until the end!

Really not at all sure what to do. Protect my mental health and say sane working as normal or take working from home and spend the next potentially 13-14 weeks miserable.
The admin role isn’t anything related to my current job, it’s literally a made up pen exersise to keep me pretending to be busy

I’ve spoken to my employers and there really is no middle ground, it’s work as normal or go into admin.

I had no idea the 28week thing had changed! Pleased to hear I can’t be forced into something either way at least!

Just wanted to say it doesn't look like the guidance has changed www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-pregnant-employees/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-pregnant-employees

Yep guidance is still suspension on full pay if you can't work from home and your job can't be adapted to be covid secure. OP if you've got access to PPE and social distancing is happening then you should still be ok to work as normal 😊

I've been suspended on full pay since 28 weeks as I'm a nanny and social distancing is impossible

@Baker0104 I find that really surprising- I’m a nanny too and there’s certainly been no talk of any kind of suspension here!

Are there any tweaks that could be made further to make you being at work safer- maybe a different work area so you can be better distanced but still present?
I've been WFH as although my role is in a school it can be done mostly from home, I just go in when I need to and take extra precautions, don't work directly with students and the adults are mostly vaccinated and have been for ages. If you can be creative about staying at work I would do as it sounds like you'd be miserable at home for all that time. If you were public-facing I'd say take the chance to be at home but if you're working in the same team and setting that you know well you might be able to find a solution.

@SmidgenofaPigeon I brought it up with my bosses when I was 21 weeks, it wasn't brought up by them and the agency who found me the job had no idea of it either to be honest. it wasn't recommended we have the vaccine at that point and my midwife was happy for me not to work in case of the risk. I also work for 2 surgeons so although they are double jabbed they are in and out of the hospital everyday. It was very much a mutual decision though once my boss read the guidance, she said ultimately there isn't enough evidence either way and she wouldn't want to be responsible if anything did happen. They were able to furlough me on medical grounds so they only have to pay the top up money.
I know other nannies who have done it as well (although most of them have had to fight it) but acas is on our side.
I also know nannies who are happy to continue working but ultimately if you don't feel safe then the guidance is on your side to not work and be suspended

I’m an infant teacher & will hit 28 weeks over the summer hols. When I go back in sept I won’t be whole class teaching as social distancing none existent with little ones - either wfh on dull paperwork jobs (planning, updating policies etc) or doing 1-1 assessments/ interventions with children which will mostly be able to take place outdoors under a covered veranda so pretty low risk. Headteacher will make the call which dependent on how the lay of the land is in sept with case numbers etc.

I was pregnant at the beginning of the pandemic (had baby in November). I worked with patients (NHS community midwife) until 28 weeks and then worked in the office in our antenatal clinic until 38 weeks. I was very much still mixing with patient facing staff and in and out of patient areas sorting things out.

As far as I can remember, RCOG retracted their guidance for pregnant NHS staff to come off patient-facing roles (as long as not in direct contact with covid patients) towards the end of my pregnancy. I haven’t been at work obviously but AFAIK that hasn’t changed. I think the only official guideline is for your employer to do a risk assessment and make reasonable adjustments.

@Baker0104 thanks- sounds like that was the right decision for you- my boss mostly works from home now, and the children are not very little, so although they’re in school all day they’re a bit more capable of social distancing. I’ve had one jab so I don’t think I’m particularly at risk (although if I was and didn’t feel safe, I know I’d have a hugggeee battle on my hands to get my boss to action any kind of paid suspension- if the attitude to me going on maternity leave in seven weeks is anything to go by…)

I work in a dentists office. I could WFH from 28 weeks but I am double vaccinated and would prefer to stay at work so as a compromise I am going on mat leave at 32 weeks. I am really looking forward to it.

There aren’t really any tweaks I can make other than maybe limit myself to less people.
I’ve already been removed from the client facing part although I will still be working with the team.
Everyone is wearing masks at all times other than lunch time but I could eat elsewhere.

I would still be in contact at times but never without a mask.

Dh said it’s up to me whether the risk is worth the potential boredom aspect!

@SmidgenofaPigeon gosh it's an uphill battle sometimes isn't it?! A friend is mine works for a HNW celeb and she's done the same as me but it's been a real battle! She only pushed because she knew she wasn't going back after maternity where as I am but my bosses are amazing!
Acas summed it up though... When I was first researching if they could furlough me etc (otherwise their childcare bill for those 10 weeks would have been extortionate!) acas point blank Said....well its not your problem if your bosses bill is huge! They signed up to be employers and unfortunately this is what it entails 😳
If they couldn't furlough me then I think I'd have carried on working as I would have felt bloody awful! It's a tricky line to balance isn't it!