Boss giving me unfair shifts on the lead up to maternity leave

[littlemissdozy]

I am 7 weeks away from maternity leave and I've had a day off today and I've just sat and thought about how unfair my boss is being. I've had multiple issues with her since she replaced our old boss in august and she's really boiling my blood.

So I'm already choosing to go on maternity leave at 34 weeks for myself, but also she has played a part in me wanting to go early because I just can't bloody bare her. She's just come back after being suspended for 2 weeks for breaking covid rules, but she's got away with it as someone retracted their statement and there wasn't enough evidence. She's been in the office since Wednesday doing work rotas and yesterday as I was cashing up she called me in and went on a run down of shifts with me. A week I have 2 hospital appointments which are early enough to work a shift around, which I explained. But she's given me those days as my 2 days off. She's then said to me she's put me on a 10am-6pm shift Friday, 4pm-11pm Saturday, 10am-5pm Sunday, 5am-10am Monday as we have an inventory count and as staff are all new, all the older staff are the ones counting which is me as I've been there 4 years.

I've said to her I don't mind helping, but there is a line between helping and taking the mick. She's then turned and said leading up to your maternity leave you could be in full weekends to make it fair on others. Fair on others? Excuse me? I didn't even think at the time and I just walked out because I can't bare the woman. But I've sat and thought about it today and she's taking the piss! She forgets I'm pregnant I'm sure of it. Oh and to top it off, I now have to chase payroll myself as my area manager text me and said a 28 weeks risk assessment is due, he's told my boss on her return, she's then come to me and said it no longer needs to happen as a 28 week risk assessment doesn't exist anymore as covid isn't a thing apparently. I'm counting down the weeks to be out of there. The place is toxic🤬

She's then turned and said leading up to your maternity leave you could be in full weekends to make it fair on others

Forget the stuff about scheduling late starts, early finishes. It's legal. And mentioning it dilutes your real complaint.

It sounds to me like she's saying 'you're about to have 10 months off when other poor staff won't. So do all the weekends for the next two months to make it up to them'.

Totally illegal and discrimatory if she's only expecting you to work weekends because you're about to go on maternity.

Try and trip her up in writing. Email her and say after reviewing your shifts you're confused about why you're down for full weekends as the standard shift patterns have always been to only work one weekend day and no one else is working both. Ask why this is and see what she comes back with.

If she speaks to you verbally, titter and say you have pregnancy brain and won't remember, so sorry hun! But can you pop it in an email reply for me so I can read it later.

They may not be illegal, but that's a brutal shift pattern- very late night saturday, no lie in sunday and very early start on monday- you'd be exhausted even if you weren't pregnant!

I think you can either go for the unfair side of things, where you hang it all on being made to work two weekend shifts 'to make up for when you go on maternity leave' or you ask for reasonable adjustments due to pregnancy. If they delay your risk assessment, I'd work the weekend and then ring in after your sunday shift to say you aren't fit to do the monday one. Once you start doing that, I suspect they'll find time to work with you to make a fair shift pattern, as punishing you will backfire on them.

Having had SPD I would be asking for reasonable adjustments need time to rest between shifts. I also would phone in sick if you are in too much pain to travel in due to lack of time to recover between shifts.

OP it's clear you have issues with your manager and I'm sure there are reasons you've not outlined here. But before you make a complaint I'd consider that this is just one weekend (so far), presumably the stock take doesn't happen every week? (Otherwise you'd be expecting the early Monday starts). If that's the case it's not a usual circumstance. Are there other reasons you had to work both weekend days? (Staff illness/leave?)

When I've worked shift patterns they always avoided giving people late/early but unfortunately sometimes it happens. If this becomes a pattern you may have grounds to write to HR but I'd be really surprised if there was anything in your contract about not working both weekend days or late/early patterns. So you would want to stick to no other employees being asked to work those patterns, but you'll need more than one weekends example!

You honestly sound like such a moaner. Even calling a 10am start an 'early', that's an easy middle by most shift workers standards . You're 27 weeks pregnant not 37.

It's one weeks rota. Calm down.

@JustWonderingIfYou oh wow, really wow. How kind of you.

If you read properly I've stated it could be a regular thing for the next 7 weeks until I leave for maternity leave. If I take what she says as gospel and the new rota is out, I just haven't seen it yet. So it could be more than a one week thing. Take away the 5am start which won't be regular as it's one off.

I don't care if I'm 7 minutes pregnant or 7 minutes away from giving birth. What does that matter? Is there a limit on the weeks on how you should feel at what week? That comment has blew my mind🤨

@littlemissdozy of course it makes a difference how far gone you are, you don't honestly think you will have as much energy and be as comfortable in another 10 weeks as to how you are now? Your comment about it making no difference if you are 7 mins pregnant or 7 mins from giving birth is obsurd. If it makes no difference how far gone you are you don't need another risk assessment do you, the same risk assessment you are complaining your manager won't do

Hugs.
While I think she isn’t doing anything illegal, it is certainly immoral to be putting you on exhausting shift patterns and working you every weekend. It’s a mean thing to do and she appears to be enjoying making you suffer. So wishing you strength for the next two months.

Maybe she will be gone by the time you return.

@mummyh2016 I wish I had energy. Do people honestly think everyone's pregnancy is the same? Since I've been called a "moaner" I'll moan. I suffer terrible migraines, at least once a week. Which I've been told are hormonal before anyone says get checked because I have been a few times now. I have SPD, my pregnancy is also high risk. So I think as women we need to get out of the habit of telling others in pregnancy how they should feel and how they shouldn't. I'm not silly. That's why I've taken maternity at 34 weeks instead of hanging on.

@EmpressCixi thank you for being kind💖

@JustWonderingIfYou

You honestly sound like such a moaner. Even calling a 10am start an 'early', that's an easy middle by most shift workers standards . You're 27 weeks pregnant not 37.

It's one weeks rota. Calm down.

No need to be so rude and unkind.

Honestly you sound clueless, the OP has described her health complications and how her boss has been consistently unsupportive. If you cannot grasp how this translates to difficulty with the assigned shifts then you need help with comprehension.

Push for the risk assessment. If you feel working lates is impacting you then go to your GP and get them to write you a fit note to say avoid them. Most GPs would as late /night shifts combined with enforced sitting are known to raise high blood pressure / dvt risk in pregnancy.

I work in HR. Putting you on weekend work (ie unsociable hours) for the rest of your pregnancy BECAUSE OP IS GOING ON MAT LEAVE is the very textbook description of maternity discrimination. It’s treating you unfavourably due to your pregnancy. Who gives a stuff if it’s to preempt complaints from the other staff members, that’s not for OP to worry about. I would be contacting HR in writing and asking if it’s company policy to treat pregnant women in this way. It’s literally because of your pregnancy. You’ve been told as much. Your manager needs familiarising with the Equality Act.

You are entitled to a risk assessment - nothing to do with Covid. Changing your hours, giving you horrible shift patterns and causing you stress is the very opposite of what they should be doing.

www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/employer/risk-assessment.htm

I would say that her making your days off your appointment days is fine. You don't work set days or times bar maybe the sunday, so she's perfectly entitled to do this. As if she suddenly needed to change shifts around due to sickness etc, she wouldn't be able to with you because you'd be at an appointment end of day. I know you'd like your days off free to do other things, but unfortunately it is what it is 🤷

However the mish mash of hours i can completely understand it taking a toll. And the penalising you for weekends.

I would stop stressing and just put in writing to her you wish to add to your risk assessment a reasonable adjustment in your working hours due to pregnancy tiredness that you will not work past say 8pm or before 8am. And ask for clarification re weekends as others have said.

Then escalate it if needed to HR. And as others have said, get GP to do you a fit note with adjustments on.