Work problems during pregnancy

[Beestar1122]

Hi moms! I'm 14 weeks pregnant with my first and I'm looking for some advice. It's a long one, apologies!

I'm a body piercer and I work full time for a popular jewellery brand doing ear piercings. I have 19 slots a day and each person can get up to 3 piercings. That's a lot of piercings and a lot of bending/awkward position all day long. I already spoke with my company about in the future possibly giving me a desk job 2 days a week (and I pierce 3 days) but they are not being too helpful... the people I spoke with are in head office, they are not piercers and are never in-store to see how hard it is to perform this number of piercings a day, it's roughly 25 to 35 on a busy day.

For now they agreed to remove 1 of the slots a day but on a Saturday it's still not enough as most people get multiple piercings and I end up with crazy back pain 😔. I asked them to not put me to work on Saturdays but they said they can't help with that (it's the most profitable day for them). Getting closer to Christmas, everyday is going to be like Saturdays and I'm already stressed 😭When I spoke to them was mainly to talk about the future, for when I'm big but I'm already feeling a lot of back pain now, I'm also scared of a needle stick injury if I get overwhelmed or tired.

I feel like they are not listening to how I feel or what I need. Also I believe that in their view they pay me a high salary because of my skill and they don't want to pay me the same salary to do something less profitable...

The general manager told me that I can reduce my hours if I can't cope but surely this not right! This is my first baby and I'm not from this country, is this normal? Will my GP or midwife help if I ask them to?

Any advice will be highly appreciated ❤️

Are you in the uk, if so get on to ACAS they will help you. If your company can not adjust work to suit your needs they need to offer you paid leave, there is some details on government website that will help.

www.gov.uk/working-when-pregnant-your-rights

If you’re in the UK your employer should do a risk assessment to see what impact pregnancy has on your role.

Take a look at their maternity policy and the government website mentioned above.

Anything involving physical activity should be monitored throughout your pregnancy.

There’s information on your employers responsibilities to ensure your health at work here.

Also, definitely keep your midwife in the loop so she knows what is going on. You can also speak to the GP if it gets to the point you need time off (keep in mind that if this happens towards the end of your pregnancy they can start your maternity leave early).

You need to get a pregnancy risk assessment done for your role by head office which will dot the i’s and cross the t’s. From what you’ve described it seems perfectly fine to carry on as normal until you get to a point where you can’t physically bend to do the job and even then adjustments could be made…

With most jobs, unless you have pregnancy or existing issues you should just be fine up carry on as normal.

Honestly think you were being optimistic looking for a desk job two days a week. You're a body piercer not a high rise window cleaner.

They have to make reasonable adjustments ie make sure you have a chair etc but they don't have to give you a totally different job .

@Beestar1122 how you getting on with work

Hi, sorry for the delay! Thanks for all your comments.
I've done another risk assessment and still no changes... yesterday I sent HR a long email and today I had a meeting, they are helping more now but let's see what's going to happen in the future, closer to Christmas.
I'm not saying I'm not capable to do my job, I totally can but not to the extent they expect me to because there's a lot of bending. If they cut down the number of people I see a day and make sure I don't go over a certain number of piercings then I'll be ok. But since this is a big company it might be worth it for them to have another piercer do all appointments and give me something else to do, that's what I meant.

@Beestar1122 how you getting on

My line manager was completely useless in arranging a risk assessment for me as I suffer from SPD pretty early in pregnancies. My GP just signed me off from 18 weeks and I have remained signed off.

sorry to hear that feistymumma :-( was it your doctor's opinion that you couldn't work at all? Couldn't he write to your workplace asking that you do a different type of job?

Hi rubygiz, thanks for checking up! So after that meeting with HR, she decided I'd not work Saturdays anymore.... that worked to an extent because I'm scheduled to work 2 saturdays in November, but I already said no more after that, they have to find cover.
Now I'm 18 weeks, my back pain is getting worse and work is getting busy during the week too, last week I saw my midwife and spoke to her about all this, she said indeed the number of appointments is too much and recommended I do no more than 9 or 10 a day (instead of 19). I'm on annual leave this week and already emailed them this info. Haven't heard back yet... but I hope they follow through!
I've already requested a letter from my GP (so I have this in writing) and the midwife gave me a number to call and report my company should they not follow what she's recommended. Let's see what happens now! I'll go back to work on Wednesday.

What else do you have to do though instead of your job? If you are a qualified piercer what admin are you qualified for that makes up the rest of the time as they have to have something for you. You can’t be paid the same to do half the job.

If you are suffering so severely at 14w you may need to leave really early. I had no other options in my job when having my kids and zero sympathy from management and was essentially forced into working to 38w for my first when I wanted to leave at 34w, and was then told how incredibly unreasonable I was. I’m not saying it’s a race to the bottom but if I argued things like potential needle stick injuries I think people would have died laughing (I was an A&E clinician in an extremely busy unit and this would have meant I couldn’t do the job I was employed for). You will get sympathy from a midwife though as nurses get accomodations, adjustments, temp relocations and are not whipped until they virtually give birth on a double shift while working without a break.

HoppingPavlova it seems like you had a terrible experience with your employer and I'm sorry you went through that. It also seems like you are a bit sour about it and want to crucify me because I'm asking for what I need and getting sympathy from the midwife?

"You can’t be paid the same to do half the job" - I absolutely can! There are laws in this country and I'm 100% going to use them. There's plenty of other roles for me to do inside the company because piercing is not about just sticking a needle in somebody and saying goodbye... yes, people within the company doing that kind of work get paid less than me but also know less than me and we're constantly having to fix their mistakes.
Reducing workload or changing a role during pregnancy is something that's done only for a few months and if your employer cannot look after you during those short months then you shouldn't be working for them.
As I said earlier I am perfectly capable to do my job, but not at the same intensity as before because I'm PREGNANT. I've been with this company for over 4 years, never received a bad review from a client nor from a staff member, so I don't think I'm asking for much and I am 100% putting myself first during my pregnancy.

Again I'm sorry for what you went through, but that's not the norm and just because that happened to you it does not mean pregnant women have to sit quietly and take abuse at work when we live in a country that actually have laws protecting us from said abuse.

100% agree with you! Keep fighting x

My GP couldn't be bothered with it all and initially I missed work but I was happy to be signed off after a few weeks. I work from home and my role means sitting for hours which aggravates SPD.

Just get a fit note recommending reduced hours that you at fit to with three days a week or even two. You will still be paid full pay

Fit to work 2/3 days a week

I’m in no way wanting to crucify you, if that’s how you interpret it you are overly sensitive. It’s just hard to understand how a full time body piercer can drop several days and be fully occupied with paperwork or such. If there are genuinely alternate duties that you can do as a body piecer for those days or hours then that’s fine and dandy. Where you say it’s law that an employer has to let you do nothing instead and pay because you are pregnant (which you shouted thinking I didn’t understand the situation, I do, I understand that was the premise of your post), I was pointing out its not the case, they just need to find you alternative duties if such duties exist. If they genuinely do for you then that’s fine, if they don’t it’s not feasible. As I said above, with nurses for example, they do have genuine alternative duties they get put on. I was just struggling to understand what those may be for a body piercer.

I also didn’t have a terrible experience, and no need to feel sorry for me. I had a job to do and I just got on and did it, as it is what it is.

Firstly, congratulations on your pregnancy! It's understandable that you're experiencing back pain and discomfort with your job as a body piercer. It's important to prioritize your health and safety, especially during this time.

It's unfortunate that your company is not being helpful in accommodating your needs. It's important to communicate your concerns clearly and persistently with your managers, emphasizing the impact your job is having on your physical health and the potential risks to your safety. If possible, try to provide specific examples of how your job is affecting you and your pregnancy.

In terms of support, your GP or midwife can definitely help by providing advice on managing your symptoms, and may be able to provide a letter stating that you require adjustments to your work duties to accommodate your pregnancy. This can be useful in negotiating with your company for reasonable accommodations.

Regarding the use of a pregnancy wedge pillow, it can provide relief and support for your back while you're sleeping or resting. Hiccapop's pregnancy wedge pillow has received positive reviews from many pregnant women and may be worth trying. However, it's important to note that a pillow alone may not be enough to alleviate your back pain, especially if your job requires a lot of physical activity.

In the meantime, make sure to take breaks and stretch frequently throughout the day, stay hydrated, and practice good posture. If you continue to experience discomfort or feel unsafe at work, consider discussing with your GP, midwife or a pregnancy support organization for further guidance and resources.