Feel unwelcome at work (pregnant)

[limoncelloo]

I've just returned to work after a long absence due to hyperemesis and am now able to work but with restricted hours. I am only 20 weeks pregnant so a while until maternity leave.

I work in a large organisation where there is a mixture of office based roles, more physical roles and some with a mixture of both. The department where I currently work is a mixture of both.

Occupational health have stated I am unable to do the physical role so will be desk based. Management have not been able to find me a "fully" office based role elsewhere in the organisation so have organised for me to stay in my current department until maternity leave but just doing the office based duties.

I have returned to work 2 days ago and have been made to feel so unwelcome by my line manager. He has made comments several times throughout both days about how I am taking the place of someone able-bodied on the team and preventing him from getting someone new and more useful into the team. He even said he was going to make some phone calls to get me moved.

I cried behind my desk today, it has made me feel so bad. I have been having a pregnancy and it's already been stressful, now I feel stressed about going in to work. It's a small team and I don't want to make issues, so I'm not sure if to speak up but I feel discriminated against in a way.

Speak to hr, also try to get things in writing/emails or have someone else with you when your manager speaks to you. Pregnancy discrimination happens but you don't need to put up with it. You have to put you and your baby first which means avoiding unnecessary stress

Thank you. We all work in the same office so my manager is there all the time, he's been making these comments in person so hard to get it evidenced in writing. I want to speak to HR then again I'm so afraid of making things worse for myself... I can also partially see his point of me not being able to do every aspect of the role however there is still plenty I can do! It's also not my fault management have put me to stay there...

If you can't get evidence then I'd write down exactly what he says, time and date. It's not acceptable.

That's awful. And you are pregnant, not disabled. Not that the comments would be acceptable either way. You say it's a large organisation. It would help to understand how large? And public, private or third sector?

That's dreadful behaviour.

Speak to GR about lodging a grievance. You should not be treated this way.

@Quveas it's public sector.

And I know I'm not disabled. I won't say exactly what I do but the physical part of the job could be potentially dangerous and all pregnant employees are taken off physical duties, so it's not just me.

Sorry I wasn't having a go at you. I was having a go at the bloody manager saying they could get someone able- bodied. As I'm a public sector manager with a disability!

Start getting evidence. But immediately, refer yourself back to OH (your organisation will have a process to do this) and tell them everything.

Are you in a union - please say yes!

Can you give an indication of your work area?

@Quveas I might as well just say now- it's emergency services.

Thing is we actually have more "staff" on the team then we ever did before we left... at least 3 more and 2 more to come in a months time.

I've worked in this department for a long time so I feel like to say I'm stopping someone that is "fully" able to do every aspect of the job on this team coming in is a bit of a cop out when we actually have extra staff (I wouldn't say the workload has got any bigger either).

Feel like it's just an excuse not to have me there.

The job still requires a lot of paperwork and other office based duties and I was looking forward to still working away and taking on my colleagues office stuff to free them up. If anything I'm an extra pair of hands surely?

Please keep a diary and log everything!! Dates, times, if anyone else was present..,

How absolutely diabolical to be treated like this particularly by your manager!

It’s actually illegal discriminate against pregnant/recently pregnant or breast feeding women. You are protected under the 2010 equality act! So please document everything, contact HR and occupational health. Speak to you union if you are in one and also citizens advice can offer you further information. Please don’t let it slide. No one should be made to feel how you have been xx

Get into a union, a union rep will give the dodgy excuse of a manager a piece of their mind.

Log dates and times and details of incidents, in the meantime.

You are protected by legislation and as your pregnancy continues, you do need any extra stress which is no good to you or your unborn child.

Thank you all.
A lady from HR is going to phone me tomorrow so I will be able to get some advice from her.

This! And I would send it to him saying just wanted to clarify the conversation we had this morning where you stated xyz. He doesn't have to reply but you will have evidence in writing. I did this with a previous line manager, raised a grievance and also sued them. Some people are just horrible. Sorry you are going through this.