Work is expecting too much

[MatronicO6]

Looking for some advice.
Like many women on here I am expecting and a teacher. I have found my pregnancy largely complication free but at 28 weeks things are becoming harder. Work is getting harder at the same time. I am in a year group were expectations are high and it comes with a significant pressure to raise attainment quickly. It also comes with a lot of extra assessment, admin and event organisation. I did tell my head before the eyar began as I was concerned the expectations would be too much especially in my last trimester when my pregnancy would get more exhausting and work more demanding. They chose to keep me there with idea I would be transitioning supported in spring term, no sign of that support yet.

In fact things have become more demanding, with last min expectations, asking me to do extra after school groups to run a trial ofsted. I would be stressed by the workload and demands even if I wasn't pregnant. Last night I ended up having to go to maternity triage, I thought I was in preterm labour. The doctors thinks I'm rundown and a bit stressed. Even when they suggested taking another day off I started telling them I had so much work and it wasn't ideal. Work was my first thought and i know it shouldn't be.

Having spoke to a couple of colleagues, who have their fair share of pressure, I am taking another day but as usual riddled with guilt. But I do feel irritated that work haven't done anything to reduce my workload yet. In the last two years pregnant women were removed from class room. Before that the two pregnant members of staff weren't given class duties as they were due in December so we're out of class for their last three months anyway. I'm the only one who has had to keep a class straight through to my leave and I think the have underestimated how demanding it is.

Am I reasonable to raise this with head? I do feel quite intimidated by her but I can't go experiencing such anxiety and stress if I'm not coping well with it.

I think some of the harsher comments are sort of right in that you can't just expect not to have to do parts of your job because your pregnant.

However, everyone is entitled to ask for reasonable adjustments for a health problem or to take account of changes due to pregnancy. Some pregnant women won't need any and so will carry on as normal. But plenty will and there's nothing wrong with the OP speaking to her manager about the adjustments she needs. And if they don't agree for her to seek support from GP and/or union.

OP in your shoes I would think carefully about what the problems are and changes that could fix them. So this could be e.g. the extra duties are causing too much stress, raising your blood pressure etc so ask to be excused from them for the next 3 months; standing in classroom for long hours isn't possible so you would like to teach seated whenever that's more comfortable for you etc. The key here is your adjustments need to be reasonable, so if there is a way to do the task but you need to do it differently thats the way to go, not to just not do it at all.

Of course if you are seriously stressed to the point that it's having a serious effect on your mental health you may want to speak to GP about being signed off. I doubt they would sign you off for 3 months though. You should also check your t&c re impact of that on maternity leave.

In the uk if you're signed off sick with a pregnancy related illness they can trigger mat leave from 29 weeks...I believe.

@CherylPorter350

In the uk if you're signed off sick with a pregnancy related illness they can trigger mat leave from 29 weeks...I believe.

Wrong, 36 weeks and only if you have a fit note that specifies the illness is linked to your pregnancy.

Wow...I did say "I believe"

No need to be rude

A lot of people have misinterpreted my issue. The too much that work they are expecting are actually additional duties. Tasks that are being added to my workload and timetable unexpectedly and usually last minute and on a whim.

I am happy to stay working till my chosen maternity date, I would go stir crazy being off and I enjoy my actual job. But I think it is reasonable that they fulfill the expectations of the council policy on pregnant employees and my risk assessment and get the same treatment as my pre covid colleagues got. Which is a reduction of all the extras outside the class teacher role and transition support.

I also want to point out that one person's pregnancy does not define all women's pregnancies. Your ability to carry on work as your pregnancy is fine does not mean all women are the same. I actually feel like someone who will be able to work quite late in the conditions my employee guidelines set out. But all women's pregnancies are different and I'm shocked by how many people on here would be so judgemental and harsh towards women who may struggle.

Thanks to all those who replied in kindness. I am meeting my head tomorrow to say no to all the additional things and ask about the transition support. I'm also in regular contact with my midwife for monitoring. Hopefully everything will work out and I will be a bit healthier and happier for the next ten weeks.

I'm also a teacher, now on mat leave. You can't expect to be removed from the classroom but there are adaptations they can make. My school put my on interventions in my year group and covering my class occasionally. I had someone else to pick up and drop my class to the playground and end of the day because I didn't feel comfortable being on the stairs surrounded by lots of kids (I had a fall at 28 weeks out of work time but it made me nervous about stairs). I didn't do break duty because of the risk of ball sports hitting me. That sounds Iver the top but it had happened in early pregnancy and I didnt go on the playground again. I was allowed to teach from a seated position and I did more peer assessment as live marking was harder with the bending over kids' desks. You can't ask not to teach. But there are changes that can be made to your workload. An after school tutoring session is fine but seated and peer assessed.

And ask for a full time member of staff for your year group who can go to the printer and guillotine things for you, live mark and help you with behaviour management to reduce your stress. This could even be a trainee, but a TA should be supporting you all the time.

Good luck today @MatronicO6 I hope it goes well.

@anonanonanon123 I was also a City lawyer and might have agreed with you pre DC.

But my DD1 was born at 34 weeks. I’d been working 14 hour days, I had just had an already challenging deadline brought forward, and the day after that I went into premature labour. DD1 has a lifelong condition due to her birth. I took things easier with DC2 and she came later so I think the stress was a major factor in DD1 being early.

OP please do put yourself and your baby first.

@anonanonanon123 what an unkind post. You’re clearly lucky that your “HG” was so mild that you didn’t miss a day of work. Are you sure it wasn’t just a bit of nausea? Hospitalisation, IV drips, and days spent in bed vomiting bile and blood certainly cause a few days off work here and there, in my experience and everyone else with HG that I’ve spoken to.

@MatronicO6 I think as it’s not really a physical job, it’s not that reasonable to expect massive adaptations. Either you work, and deal with the inevitable stress that ALL or MOST jobs also have, or you can’t. I don’t know if this is your first baby, but 28 weeks isn’t dramatically pregnant - you have a long way to go yet. By all means go in and discuss options with the head, but with a straightforward pregnancy like you’re describing, it’s not beyond expectations to keep teaching etc.

I'm 34 weeks and a teacher. Occupational health arranged for me to work from home from 32weeks under what was generalised covid work from home advice (not pregnancy specific.). Obviously this guidance has all changed now but I will continue to wfh as I have a fitness certificate until my due date. That said, when I was in class I did everything everyone else did.

I'm only 26 weeks pregnant but a high risk pregnancy, ive struggled most of the way through this time with various issues. Anyway I am now (with the support of my school), working from home helping with subject planning etc and will be starting my maternity leave at 32 weeks out of personal choice.
Your GP can do you a sick note for amended hours or amended duties. If a meeting and a kind request doesn't work it may be worth seeing if they will do that for you. My GP was extremely supportive unlike some that I read about on here!

Good luck OP, teaching is hard at the best of times and we're in the worst of times right now AND pregnant so just ignore some of the haters ^

*I would have lots of pregnancy related appointments (Can be exercise classes) in the middle of the day

That's such a crappy attitude and unfair to colleagues & the employer. Along with theat the end*

I would say the employer is being pretty crappy myself. I killed myself going to work in pregnancy, if I had my time again I would definately be more aware of my rights and take it easier. Glad to hear maternity leave can't be triggered until 36 weeks.

@SouthwestSis

Speak to your GP and ask for a fit note with amended duties. Speaking to your trade union would also be a good idea

This. A sick note is now called a fitness note. It allows GP to state you are fit to return but only if x or y adjustments are made. Or the Gp can state reduced hours for a while. See your GP and explain clearly to them what you are doing above the “norm” and what that is doing to you.

@MatronicO6

A lot of people have misinterpreted my issue. The too much that work they are expecting are actually additional duties. Tasks that are being added to my workload and timetable unexpectedly and usually last minute and on a whim.

I am happy to stay working till my chosen maternity date, I would go stir crazy being off and I enjoy my actual job. But I think it is reasonable that they fulfill the expectations of the council policy on pregnant employees and my risk assessment and get the same treatment as my pre covid colleagues got. Which is a reduction of all the extras outside the class teacher role and transition support.

I also want to point out that one person's pregnancy does not define all women's pregnancies. Your ability to carry on work as your pregnancy is fine does not mean all women are the same. I actually feel like someone who will be able to work quite late in the conditions my employee guidelines set out. But all women's pregnancies are different and I'm shocked by how many people on here would be so judgemental and harsh towards women who may struggle.

Thanks to all those who replied in kindness. I am meeting my head tomorrow to say no to all the additional things and ask about the transition support. I'm also in regular contact with my midwife for monitoring. Hopefully everything will work out and I will be a bit healthier and happier for the next ten weeks.

See mine and other comments. Go to GP FIRST. Get a fitness to work note with what the Gp has stated as adaptions that need to be made. This will carry more weight with the head than you just saying “I can’t cope “ etc.

It’s a difficult one but many many women with much more physically demanding jobs don’t get to demand less duties at 28 weeks.

Don’t take on any extra work I agree but I think to expect to have ‘lighter’ duties just because other colleagues did is not right. Do you know if they had complicated pregnancies? Perhaps they had doctors notes?

Many women work up to their due date with no adjustments, women have coped with pregnancy since forever!

@anonanonanon123 another city lawyer here. I did 12-14 hour days regularly throughout both my pregnancies, which were thankfully straightforward. It’s still shit though isn’t it? I wish I could have rested a bit more and I feel that the intense pressure I was under with DC2 particularly massively contributed to my PND as I was working insane hours right up to the day my mat leave started, then baby born the next day, so I had no break whatsoever, plus a toddler to deal with.

I agree in that the OP shouldn’t compare her position to the worst of the pandemic, or have an easier time of it where it’s not justified by her health. But if she is being overwhelmed and treated unfairly then absolutely speak up because she is her baby’s only advocate.

Well actually I have a small update. I called another member of staff to help me articulate how to raise the issues with my head and she was very supportive and actually had some great insight.

Turns out, other teachers who have worked in my current year group have always been given cover in the afternoons to meet all the extra expectations I mentioned in my original post. So every other teacher was given every afternoon out to meet the demands, including the head was there. Whilst I have been asked to do this after school on top of the after school meetings and training that is the norm for other staff members.

It also turns out that a lot of staff members have been feeling equally stressed and under pressure. In fact a much loved member of staff handed their notice in today citing unreasonable workload.

So it turns out it wasn't even necessarily to do with my pregnancy and a lot of staff are in the same boat. Gives me a lot more confidence in making my case tomorrow, especially the extra support which I was promised in September. But yeah clearly there are actually be bigger issues at play with school issues as whole.

Thanks to all who actually read my post and empathised with my concerns and offered advice instead of dismissing me as being entitled or lazy.
Between your support and that of my colleagues I'm feeling confident to set some boundaries tomorrow.

if I had my time again I would definately be more aware of my rights and take it easier.

It's one thing being aware of your rights.

It's another taking the utter piss by going to exercise classes (which you accompanied with a wink) during the working day.

It's not just sticking it to the boss, it also affects your colleagues.

I'm glad you have got support & it sounds like the issues are relevant to all staff, as you say, and not pregnancy related. That's absolutely fair to address

In your OP you wrote

I'm the only one who has had to keep a class straight through to my leave and I think the have underestimated how demanding it is.

Which sounded like you objected to your stated core duties, and as the preceding lines spoke about adjustments during Covid, you can understand why people did make the assumption that you were unhappy with having to do your normal work at 28 weeks.

Your later posts explain it better.

Good luck with the Head.

At 20 weeks I was in the office till past midnight on a completion with my team. I didn't cop out because I was pregnant. I have also had HG till 24 weeks and now it's back again and I haven't missed a day of work.

So you’ve never had HG then it doesn’t just mean ‘feeling manageably sick’.

At 20 weeks I was in the office till past midnight on a completion with my team. I didn't cop out because I was pregnant. I have also had HG till 24 weeks and now it's back again and I haven't missed a day of work.
More fool you. It’s not a race to the bottom.

maternityaction.org.uk/advice/time-off-for-antenatal-care/

This link maybe helpful

For those questioning my knowledge of HG, yes I know exactly what it is thanks. I was sick 30+ times a day at the height of it and at least daily for 24 weeks and lost nearly a stone in weight, so no, it wasn't a bit of nausea but thanks for your input. It's not relevant and it's not a competition. I was citing it as an example that yes pregnancy does sometimes make it tough but I don't believe it's an excuse for a skive which I think some people do take it as (not necessarily saying op, but the first post did come across like that). Some people will need time off or light duties or adjustments and if you have actual health reasons of course you should. But people are too quick with this "look after your baby", yes obviously but at 28 weeks with nothing wrong with you you should be capable of carrying out your job description. The OPs stressful time at work does seem shit, but actually it's nothing to do with pregnancy and the fact she's pregnant is actually irrelevant. It was the first post and mentioning others put out of class at 28 weeks which was due to covid that made it sound lazy and entitled because unfortunately that is my opinion of some people at the moment now they feel entitled to this. My baby group is full of people moaning that they work for the nhs and x tryst have sent people home from 28wks and there's doesn't.

@anonanonanon123 you still sound so bitter and angry about what other people are doing. Is that because you feel aggrieved that you need to attend work until midnight even though you're being sick 30+ times daily? Perhaps you should do a thread about that and get it all off your chest. You did sort of say it as though it was the standard we should all be aspiring to though. It really isn't.

A skive