Announcing pregnancy to work

[Scamdemic]

Hi sounds silly maybe, I just need some advice on how to word an email to work to announce I'm pregnant. This has caused me a lot of anxiety, I'm 24 weeks so am feeling the pressure to tell them now. How would you approach this? What is the subject of the email? Need a kick up the arse really 😬

Subject: Pregnancy

?

Are you working remotely? This is the kind of thing I’d tell my manager in person or at least on a call.

Why haven’t you told them sooner? I know you don’t have to, but this is so late (and the fact that you want to email, not speak to someone) means that I assume there’s a context which might inform things.

Regardless, I’d be very straightforward. Subject - maternity leave. Text - dear X - I’m getting in touch to let you know the nice news that I’m pregnant. My sure date is X, and I’d like to start mat leave Y. I’ll be able to give HR my MatB form soon, but do let me know if you need anything more from me beforehand.

I told my boss - before my family even! I was catching every bug going and couldn’t take anything, and was at loads of work events (organising them) and bloody knackered. I must’ve been just over 2 months gone.

Plus I had just managed to spill a whole cup of coffee into the fax machine when I was about to go into a meeting…

He cheered, gave me a big hug and told everyone else. He was a big family man and absolutely lovely.

Not like mum who said ‘but you told me you were never having children!!’ (Trust me, we had NEVER had a conversation about families). Which kind of explains why I told my lovely boss first…

@MartinMartinMarti Yes there is, I'm trying not to reveal too much though as it would be outing. I know it's late but I've been afraid of things going wrong

@BundtCake yes I haven't been in the office for a while, just thought by email was OK as they normally ask for confirmation in writing? Usually in person would be more my thing

@KittenKong Yes normally I would probably be like this also

I didn’t have to inform work in writing, just give my matb1 when I had it. Perhaps a phone call/Skype if you are not going in?

You can definitely call and then just send the email through with the dates to confirm in writing.

Yes I’d follow up in writing but I would mention it to manager in a catch up first.

Email HR and copy in your manager. Subject is maternity leave.

Dear …,

I am 24 weeks pregnant and I am planning on starting my maternity leave on x date (and using annual leave beforehand from y date.)

Please find attached a copy of my MAT1B form. Please let me know if there is any other forms I need to fill in or if you need anything else from me.

kind regards,

If you have mint told your manager I would give them a courtesy call. Regardless of what issues are going on, you need to let them l ow by the end of your 25th week. If you’re worried about repercussions then you need to document everything in case you need to put together a maternity discrimination case.

Ah shit I'm going to have to pick up the phone then aren't I 😅 OK then how would the conversation go then, I'm not very good at wording these things on the phone either. I'm better in writing but was even struggling to know how to do that

Thanks @InTheNightWeWillWish

@Scamdemic the PP was right, you probably knew this but there is a legal requirement to tell employers before a certain time:
www.gov.uk/working-when-pregnant-your-rights#:~:text=Employees%20must%20tell%20their%20employer,told%20as%20soon%20as%20possible.

If you are 24 weeks now that means you are already in the 25th week and need to tell them asap!!

I know, I really need to do it this week😬

@KittenKong Did you want him to tell everyone else?! Last time I was pregnant I was self-employed so got more privacy. Newly pregnant now and dreading telling my boss because she’s the type who’ll want to “make a plan” and “share the news” and I’m the type to “not tell people my personal business”.

OP, you know you have to tell: treat it like ripping a plaster off. Stick a Teams call in your line manager’s diary for a 1-2-1 so you can’t wriggle out of it. Follow it up with one of the emails suggested above, CCing HR. Treat yourself to something nice afterwards: cake, or a nap. Document everything if you’re anticipating fall-out.

@stuntbubbbles I was the same re telling initially as didn't want the whole place to know. Spoke to HR first though who ensured me that I've got the right to keep it as long as I wanted, which was a relief.