Work being difficult about working from home

[hporter10]

Hello all,

I am 23 weeks with baby number 1!

Symptoms at the moment include being very tired, heartburn, hot flushes, struggling to walk long distances (possibly sciatica) and the return of morning sickness and nausea!

When covid was at its height, my work place had a rule where women at 28 weeks pregnant had to work from home. Now, that the rules have lifted slightly they are saying that this needs to be done with permission from department heads.

I am a teacher at a College and work with two different departments. So, I emailed both my department heads and asked them if I could work from home from 31/32 weeks pregnant and then start my maternity leave at 35/36 weeks (so I would only be working from home for 4 or 5 weeks.

One department head said this was fine, the other has said that unless I have a letter from a doctor stating that I need to then I have to continue to come in.

I know my body, and I am already starting to struggle with the commute and the long hours on my feet. I know that realistically if I went to the doctors they would probably be more than happy to provide me with a sick note that says I should work from home.

Has anyone else had problems like this? When I first told work I was pregnant they were very accommodating but they seem to have dropped the ball a bit now...

Any help, advice or stories would be very helpful

What you are describing is totally common symptoms of pregnancy which a lot of people go through, before COVID pregnant woman didn’t just get to decide that if they were uncomfortable they would work from home, they would have to take maternity leave early. People were working from home to due to COVID. What would you have done before COVID if you were pregnant and felt this way? It’s really your works decision unless you have a really valid reason which I don’t think you do personally because like you say you aren’t I’ll you are uncomfortable, welcome to pregnancy! I don’t want to seem unsympathetic but this is what so many woman experience and have to go to work . I hope you feel better

Hi Op- our EDDs are 10 days apart!

I think there's 2 separate issues here:

1. working in a public facing role in 3rd tri.
2. you suffering with a number of physical issues due to pregnancy.

Firstly, your employer has a legal obligation to carry out a Risk assessment for you as a pregnant employee- has this been done already? This risk assessment will need to be updated once you reach 3rd trimester. In that risk assessment they need to prove how they are mitigating risk- most likely with quite a large focus on mitigating risk of covid 19. Currently gov guidance states if C19 risks can't be adequately reduced for employees in 3rd tri then they either should be allowed to WFH or where this is not possible, they should be suspended on full pay until the date they wish to begin maternity leave. This is where things get a bit hazy- assuming you are in England- the national guidance for 'mitigating covid 19 risks' are very wishy washy. There's no longer mandated mask wearing or social distancing. Instead the gov is recommending we: 'Limit close contact- You may choose to limit the close contact you have with people you do not usually live with.' www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do
The best doc you can probably refer your employer to when completing the third trimester RA is the RCOG one- which specifically emphasises the importance of maintaining distancing for women in 3rd tri. www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/2020-09-10-occupational-health-statement-rcog-rcm-fom.pdf
If you cannot safely and consistently distance 2m from others whilst carrying out your job then you should be offered to work from home.

I would ask the difficult Head of department for a referral to occupational health and go via them or go via your union if you are in one.

I would NOT try to seek working from home for the pregnancy related issues you have- simply because, if you are signed off in any way for pregnancy related issues your employer can trigger your mat leave to begin early from a particular week of pregnancy. Occ health could sort out a workstation assessment for you to ensure your desk and chair set ups are correct and comfortable for you.
I hope your employer undertakes a thorough RA for you.

If Covid wasn’t a thing the WFH thing wouldn’t have crossed your mind. And you’re not saying it’s because of Covid and you’re not ill. So I think you get your pregnancy risk assessment and crack on. That’s just the way it is I’m afraid.

The thing is, unless your GP/midwife say you must be at home and sign you off, the insurance doesn’t kick in to cover you. We have two pregnant teachers coming back in September who would rather work from home, but the HT can’t cover their class without insurance money so they will return as normal. Yes, they are tired and achy-like all pregnant people.

If you’re convinced your GP will sign you off without it triggering an early Mat Leave, why don’t you do this?

Also from someone who is currently doing a degree and have experienced both in person and online learning, online is not to the same standard at all and I know most colleges/universities are keen to get back to at least some form of in person leaning where possible for the benefit of students learning and mental health. I personally wouldn’t be over the moon if people doing the same course as me were getting in person learning and I was receiving online because my lecturer was uncomfortable and couldn’t “chill at work”. Sorry OP if you can’t physically do your job, take early maternity - the same as every other pregnant person has had to do before COVID if feeling the strain of pregnancy. By all means the work place should be doing a risk assessment and making your work place more comfortable for example I got a new chair and a ball to bounce on. Again I really hope you feel better soon x

there isn't anywhere I can just chill out

Well, no-you’re at work!

I was still doing playground duty at 37 weeks pregnant!

Your post reads like you are pregnant and are suffering from things that all pregnant people are, so want to be at home and paid!

You aren't entitled to work from home just because you're experiencing normal pregnancy symptoms. The work from home was covid specific not a convenient courtesy so there's no point pursuing that in my view.

If your doctor thinks you are too ill to attend the workplace you could see if they will do a fit note that states adjustments such as working from home and that would be looked at in conjunction with your workplace risk assessment. Or they could sign you off but if you are off sick with pregnancy related symptoms in the last four weeks you will automatically start your maternity leave (but not if you're off sick with something unrelated, they can't start you early then).

Sorry to say you are being a big precious. You are pregnant and not sick. You don't want to continue going into work for normal pregnancy symptoms. You can ask work for accommodate you but if not you need to start your maternity leave and not ask for sick leave.

Oh hang on, sorry, have I misunderstood, you want to use the covid guidelines to work from home from 28 weeks? Other posters have put the guidance up but it could change again and you could still be asked to attend the workplace and just not be front-facing I think so I wouldn't rely on it at all. Plus that guidance was in place when pregnant women weren't readily able to get the vaccine so needed extra protection, whereas now the recommendation is that they do get it and it is very easy to do so, so I doubt very much it will ever go back to automatic WFH.

Hopefully you are also double jabbed and 16-17 year olds have also been offered the vaccine, so your role is much safer than those teaching younger children.

Admittedly this was pre Covid but when I felt similar (I think it was around the 30/31 week mark) I took a day off a week using holiday allowance and then worked from home one day a week. This made a big difference to my energy levels as I never had two days on the trot of a long commute and walking around the large work building/stairs. Would your department head consider something like that? I get it must be frustrating but is there a counter offer you could make to show willing to be flexible that would also afford you a bit more rest than you're getting now?

I think unfortunately covid has given a lot of people the impression that wfh is a given. Now the guidance has changed it's very much an ask nicely but ultimately it's up to your employer to decide in conjunction with a risk assessment. Pre covid if you weren't fit to work due to pregnancy, you would be signed off as sick.

As you work between 2 departments and one is happy for wfh, is 50/50 not a good compromise? If not then surely if you're too unwell to attend the workplace you should be signed off sick? I don't mean that unkindly. I'm assuming that by working in a college you can't take advantage of using annual leave to make things more manageable?

As others have said work legally must do a risk assessment to make sure that your workplace is safe for you and any risks are mitigated.

If you are not fit to go into your workplace, but are capable of continuing to work if reasonable adjustments are made such as wfh then your midwife or doctor can give you a fit note. Occupational health can achieve the same route.

In this case your employer must make reasonable adjustments (which may or may not include wfh) to support you to remain working. If they cannot do this then they must suspend you on full pay until your maternity leave starts.

If you are not fit to work then you should be signed off sick. You will then be off sick until you are fit to return or you reach 36 weeks at which time your maternity leave will automatically begin.

Good luck and sorry for the lack of sympathy on the thread.

You need to be clear in your own mind what you're asking for, OP. Pregnant women worked fh from 28 weeks due to being at greater risk of developing serious illness should they contract covid in trimester three, not because they were uncomfortable.

Your college should be carrying out a risk assessment for you, which looks at general risks due to pregnancy as well as how they will mitigate the additional risk to you in trimester three. It may be that they will put adjustments into place to support you to continue to work through your pregnancy. The covid issue is separate and should also be addressed by your risk assessment. However, as others point out, you haven't said you are concerned about Covid at all, so presumably you are satisfied with risk mitigation in trimester three. You can't ask to WFH from 28 weeks for any other reason than covid and then only if your risk isn't mitigated by the college's covid risk assessment or current govt guidance for school workers still says you should. Your options if you are struggling due to pregnancy are to ask for reasonable adjustments to meet your needs (eg later starts if sick in mornings, no meetings if v tired etc) or to start your ML early or to go off sick.

Don't feel pressured into starting ML early. Your job is important but your time with your baby matters too and you won't ever get it back. It's perfectly reasonable to ask for reasonable adjustments based on a risk assessment or to go off sick if you really genuinely can't manage work. There is a reason pregnancy-related sickness can't be counted for absence management purposes - it's an acknowledgement that pregnancy-related sickness is a real thing (and not just N&V - excessive fatigue counts) and it's acceptable to need time off for it. As you already know, be prepared for ML to start four weeks before your due date if you're off with pregnancy-related illness at that point.

The op isn’t making a Covid play to work from home she’s saying it’s because she’s not capable of going in. Hence the request for a sick note.

I think the OP was hoping to piggyback on the auto work from home due to covid for non covid reasons to be honest, otherwise why even mention covid in the post? That's how I read it anyway, and I suspect that's why several people have made the point that the two things need to be separated in any conversations she has with her employer.

Lots of good advice already.

Most of the symptoms you list are just part and parcel of being pregnant. Sit down at work more if you need to. If you can WFH say down, you can work in college sat down.

I worked ft in school until 39 weeks but accept this is unusual.

When covid was at its height, my work place had a rule where women at 28 weeks pregnant had to work from home. Now, that the rules have lifted slightly they are saying that this needs to be done with permission from department heads

Why is the OP talking about covid rules then?

If you are truly too sick to work, get signed off.

Most people have pregnancy symptoms when pregnant though. They kind of come with the territory.

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

Unless you have underlying health conditions the current guidance suggests your employer does a risk assessment. If they want you in they will work to mitigate any risk of covid. As PP have said they don't have to offer you any form of alternative working because you are pregnant and experiencing these symptoms. It's to do with the risks of covid.

I work in a school. Pastoral and one to one support can't be done from home effectively. Any one to one chats would have to take place online and it's really not the same for young people. They will be being difficult because they want you in to do your job and don't have a legal obligation to keep you at home unless they think there is covid related risk they are not mitigating.

You need to arrange to take your maternity leave early if you are unhappy working or struggling with the physical demands.

I mean this kindly but I agree that a lot of what you are describing is normal pregnancy...I worked in a secondary school until I was 38 weeks, toilet in another building. I also remember doing school bus duty where I had to stand on the steps of the bus to control the masses, I imagine that would not be allowed now thank god.

@ElliPolly

What you are describing is totally common symptoms of pregnancy which a lot of people go through, before COVID pregnant woman didn’t just get to decide that if they were uncomfortable they would work from home, they would have to take maternity leave early. People were working from home to due to COVID. What would you have done before COVID if you were pregnant and felt this way? It’s really your works decision unless you have a really valid reason which I don’t think you do personally because like you say you aren’t I’ll you are uncomfortable, welcome to pregnancy! I don’t want to seem unsympathetic but this is what so many woman experience and have to go to work . I hope you feel better

💯% this ⬆️

I'm a teacher, was pregnant, in a wheelchair with a broken hip, severe hyper-emesis (almost daily Ondansetron which is a pita as was given by needle in hospital), morphine, all other anti emetics and lost 4 stone during pregnancy as was that ill. Sole deliverer of my subject and went on Mat leave 2 weeks before baby was born via c-section as was the only one qualified to get exam classes through the subject. (Thank fuck we got amazing results that year!)

You are suffering from being pregnant, it is normal and generally ridiculously uncomfortable so you take steps to mitigate it.
I moved my KS3 to more project based learning so I could give all my energy to GCSE & ALevel, I stayed longer at school to avoid bringing work home and yes there were a lot of beige meals for the then 10 year old eldest child.

Try to show some resilience and some consistency for the kids, schools/colleges really really need everyone to pull together for a bit to get us into the full swing of the oncoming hell that will be the lead up to Christmas.

Do you want to be at home because of Covid, because you’re too ill to work or because you’re pregnant?

What you describe is unfortunately part of the package, common to most of pregnant women.
I worked until I was 38 weeks because I did not want to use mat leave time before baby was here, it depends also how long you are planning/can take afterwards.
I know it sounds "bitter" but I say it as a tip for you because I have been through this now twice the symptoms you are experiencing now are unfortunately normal, if you "give up" already now and spend all your time at home thinking how miserable you feel, it will make your pregnancy feel super long, you will also be less prone to stay active etc.
I was actually happy to work until the end because it kept me focused, active, on my feet, in good shape. Last 2 weeks of my pregnancy I was at home and honestly spent all my time worring about giving birth
Of course if there is a real medical reason to stay at home you should ABSOLUTELY do it, but if it's just because it is difficult to focus or sit confortably I would suggest to stay strong

OMG well done to all of you who battled through the typical pregnancy symptoms!! Gold star!!!!

FFS.

I couldn't walk by 30 weeks with first pregnancy. Why should i be signed off and trigger early maternity and all the financial difficulties that causes when a simple adjustment to my place of work, meant i could continue until my chosen date of maternity leave? This pregnancy, I am suffering horrendously compared to last two - where my work have helped me in my first trimester by letting me work from home until the pregnancy symptoms subside, then I will return in second trimester. I have a partial front facing role, but they have been really understanding. More employers should be accomodating where possible

Original poster i do have sympathy for you. 'Normal' pregnancy symptoms can be debilitating! And i 100% understand being able to wfh where you have all your comforts vs being 'at' work where it becomes substantially harder.

The advice given by some above is worth looking into. Review and update your risk assessment. You should be referred to OH to sort out a proper chair for you. You can refer yourself if your work fraffs about. Part of that assessment may involve some wfh if full wfh is not possible, in order to support you being in work and not having to get signed off. Though they should have a good reason why they can't make REASONABLE adjustments to support you in pregnancy. It's just determining what constitutes a reasonable adjustment.

If you need to get a fit for work note from GP they can state on there the adjustments you require to be fit for work.

If you need to be signed off but worry you'll trigger early maternity leave, get signed off for a non pregnancy complaint.

Honestly, some women are lucky and able to fight through full time working and pregnancy. Others need more support. It also depends on your job too.

Good luck xx

Hey OP. I work in primary. I haven’t had the chat yet, but basically my consultant have said that they wouldn’t be happy with me being in the building from 28 weeks due to not being able to maintain social distancing. They asked for extra measures to be put in place from 24 weeks, which school were brilliant about. So no playground duty, no taking children around school (there’s no way to keep 2m distance from the kid at the front of the line), no booster/1-2-1 teaching etc. My Head and H&S person said before the holidays that they weren’t expecting to have me back in the building before mat leave.

Forget about the symptoms, can you maintain 2m social distancing from everyone at all times whilst at work? If not, then look at the occ health advice on this as it isn’t safe for you to be in. I’m due in October, so the plan is for me to WFH for 4 weeks (I’ve got loads of admin stuff to do) and start mat leave at 38+6. It’s out of schools hands as most LEAs provide schools with guidance about pregnant people WFH in the third tri. But, it always comes back to that issue of being able to maintain a 2m distance at all times. The advice for people who are pregnant post 28 weeks has not changed at stated above.

Hope you get sorted!