Pregnant and starting a new job...

[deliwoman1]

Hi everyone,

I'm starting a new second job the last week of January when I'll be 17 weeks pregnant. The job is salaried, teaching just one course once a week that'll end in May (so before my EDD, which is early July). I'm still fuzzy if they're hiring me fixed term just for this course (after which I'll no longer work for them), or for the same course when/if it runs next year in the same semester. Should find this out soon (contract on its way).

What I'm confused about is my rights with regard to my pregnancy. I haven't told them yet - figured I'd wait until I get the contract, and have my dating scan which is on 14th Dec (at 11 weeks). Mostly, I'm concerned about Covid, and teaching a big bunch of undergrads face-to-face in Jan. Plus, I'll also be working for them into my third trimester and heaven knows what state we'll all be in then. I'm fully vaxxed and will be getting boosted, but you know!

How would you approach it with them? I don't want to bow out because it's a great add to my CV and I could really use the money, but I'm nervous about asking them to put the course online lest they flat out say no. I'm also nervous that a risk assessment won't determine that it's too risky to travel in and teach face-to-face.

I should add, this is an American institution with a satellite campus here in London. I know they have to abide by our employment laws, so not worried there, but I can't even work out how to contact HR and I'm not convinced the staff member who hired me would necessarily know what I'm entitled to right off top. It's awkward to start a new job with demands, but I'm willing to if I must...!

I have a main employer and haven't told them yet either, but it's only just occurred to me that I have to think about this new job too. I'm so tired already!!

@gettingolderbutcooler I was hired and accepted the job four months ago. University teachers have had delivery formats changed on them at the drop of a hat for nearly two years, so it's actually funny that you say 'what was I expecting?' The job ad didn't actually fix a format because it would've been stupid for them to do that knowing they might have to flip delivery based on government guidance. One minute it's been face-to-face, the next online. My employer was keen to know about my online experience during the interview.

None of us were to know Covid would go nuts again and we'd all be told boosters, masks, wfh, either. It's all been uncertain. I'm just trying to navigate it the best I can.

@TakeYourFinalPosition Thank you. I actually feel better to have come up with the uber idea! So this thread has been rough but also good for making me actually use my brain!

My main employer seems to prefer pregnant women to work from home after a certain point, because we easily can, so it cuts down on my exposure massively. My antenatal appointments are with the community midwives at my local health centre, which is super covid aware. I'm so lucky it's just a trip to the hospital for scans.

I hope omicron proves to be a storm in a tea cup for everyone's sake!

Wow there are some mean replies in here. Should we not be cheering on a woman getting a job; and an extra one too; while pregnant?! I think it is impressive, and should be encouraged. The negative attitudes - from women themselves, not even men! - are why inequality is still such a huge thing in UK society, in the 21st century. @deliwoman1 I guess Mumsnet is just really not the right audience for this question.

@AnonymousXXIX Thanks! I didn't imagine I'd piss people off so much, but I gathered quite quickly that I'd maybe asked the wrong crowd!

@deliwoman1 congratulations on your pregnancy and on your job! I hope both go well for you.

Legally in the UK, you don't have to notify your employers until a certain number of weeks prior to when you want to start your mat leave. However, if it's an international employer and your risk assessment process might be complicated, then you might want to start the relevant processes earlier, to give everyone a chance to get organised and develop an appropriate risk management plan.

If your employer might not be fully up to speed on UK maternity rights and risk assessment requirements, then you might find it helpful to prepare some resources for your discussions with them and to check that the person doing your risk assessment with you understands the processes.

Both you and your employer might need to make some compromises to find a risk management plan that works for you all (eg. could you do some face-to-face teaching in certain settings but do other aspects such as small group tutorials or 1:1 meetings online from a certain point, and then move to more online teaching as your pregnancy progresses?).

Don't let anyone make you feel bad for prioritising your baby. Nobody else is going to have you and your baby as their number one priority when considering your rights and risk management needs, so you need to stand up for yourself, your baby and your legal rights! Your employer will understandably have their business as a competing priority, and your students will have their education, so it's going to be up to you to be assertive about what you can and can't do. My advice would be to keep an open mind for reasonable adjustments and ways to balance wirk and safety, while also knowing and being confident in where your red lines are - what are you not willing to compromise on and what would mean you would walk away from the job rather than attempt?

[quote deliwoman1]@thatstheloveiwantiwantlove that hurts because I've been trying for a baby for years, with a lot of loss and sadness. Was I also supposed to put my career on hold while trying for something that I didn't know would ever happen? I'm very glad I've finally been successful.[/quote]

I'm very happy you've finally been successful. I suffered many losses and lots of IVF too so I do understand however yes I did make career decisions around TTC. I very much felt that My infertility was my own burden to bear not my employers

I very much felt that My infertility was my own burden to bear not my employers
Do you also understand that referring to pregnancy as a burden to employers is a very a dangerously sexist statement to make? Should employers just not employ women under 50 just incase?

I'm not comfortable teaching face-to-face while pregnant with so much uncertainty about,

This is ridiculous. I work in a university environment. F2f teaching is socially distanced - and you can ensure this is the case (easily done at 3rd level, not so in primary or secondary of course!)

It would be massively unfair for the students to expect a move to online, purely linked to your pregnancy.

Of course there are risks to pregnant women - but being vaccinated and following procedures will massively mitigate those.

I am sorry you've had previous losses, and wish you well for this pregnancy, but the whole tone of your post, that you expect a certain accommodation because you deem it necessary is very unreasonable.

You go on to say you will be asking for a risk assessment. This is fine to do, I've done it for many of my staff this year. It's the assumption that you are entitled to have an entire module move online that is UR