Job hunting while pregnant - disclose or not?

[dutchmummy1]

I was made redundant at the end of last year, just before I was ready to announce my pregnancy to the world.

I have been trying really really hard to find a job - difficult since I cannot do fulltime due to childcare restrictions.

Now (20 weeks pregnant) in the interviewing process for three jobs. I am not really showing - especially when dressing smartly - and have not yet disclosed to anyone I am pregnant. But I feel quite bad about it!

One of them is quite a physical job and the other two are office based. I will be out in June for maternity leave and potentially sooner for the first job due to the physicality.

One one hand, I really want a job and especially the office based ones are perfect for me. Like a few times in a lifetime kind of perfect! I know employers are not allowed to discriminate but if its between me and somebody else I am willing to bet all the money on it that they take the other person. And I would too in their place.

On the other hand it feels like a 'bad' start to get hired and pretty immediately say: hey I'll be out in a few months.

Has anyone been in the same boat? Any advice? I'm leaning towards maybe telling the physical job before signing anything as I feel like it has much more impact.

I think it depends totally on the job you are applying for. In my work place there are huge risks to both mother and baby everyday dependant on the role. It can be very physical too so again not ideal for all pregnant women.

When I was pregnant I had to have someone with me most of the time and or avoid certain things. It is doable and my employers were brill. I also had to start mat leave earlier as I couldn’t physically do my job after I was about 34 weeks. Would have loved to work longer (DD born at 41+3)

I am also involved in the hiring process. Would being pregnant affect a job offer, not for the perfect candidate but a heads up would be good at the job offer at the latest. This allows us as employers to complete the correct risk assessment and have things in place for you starting.

Would this be a possibility for you? If a job offer comes in then let them when you accept? This way you don’t have to disclose the pregnancy right now and you will know if you were suitable and not left guessing if it’s pregnancy that made you miss out?

As others have said you’ll likely only get statutory mat pay. Most positions you have to be in a job for a while before you get benefits. ( mine is minimum 1 year )

I interviewed for a job at the beginning of my 2nd trimester. Didnt disclose until after an offer of employment was made. The offer was quickly rescinded.

Now that is illegal. Unless the job was genuinely no longer available but if they recruited someone else for the post you could've taken them to tribunal and won.

@sleepysleepytired It's very very easy to get rid of a newly hired, pregnant employee during probation. That's the point of probation anyway. They just have to be clever about it.

The case above is obviously illegal. So is an obvious move like an employee getting consistently great feedback but not passing probation.

I do wonder though what happens if someone goes off on mat leave when probation hasn't finished. If it's, say a month when probation lasts 3 they've effectively managed to keep a job without going through the full trial period. You might have hired a dud, but who knows? It'll take a year to find out.

Also adding of course peopl can slack after passig probation so that's the same anyway

@nachosandnachis the job was still available. They offered and withdrew in the space of like maybe 30 minutes? It was working on the phone at a gp surgery , it was a 6 month fixed term contract so I'd have been able to work right up until birth pretty much

That's really stupid of them. You'd have been perfect for it.

@nachosandnachis wanna know the best part? It's my gp practice 😂 I'm a patient there

Hahahaha 😂 so you'd have to see the person who did get the role.
Awkward on so many levels.
Also nice to know your GP doesn't follow the law.... (sarcasm ofc)

And yet I'm too lazy to change practice

You are absolutely right, the law says we don’t have to disclose.
Similarly, a pedestrian has right of way on a protected crossing but they will still wait if they are not sure cars will stop.
This is my point: why do something that will most likely have negative repercussions for you just because you are entitled to? (hiding a pregnancy when interviewing for a new job)

What repercussions are you imagining?

Also, if you get hit by a car you can die - so yes, obviously a pedestrian will double check they are safe so as not to lose their life. Hardly comparable.

You don’t have to tell by 25 weeks if you aren’t working for them, you would just need to tell them when you start. I’m currently looking for a job after maternity leave after being made redundant when pregnant and kind of wishing I took something beforehand. Remember that companies only have their interest in mind so whatever you do, do it with your interest in mind and don’t worry about the company’s feelings etc

You fired someone for being pregnant? That's ethically not okay and legally not okay.

Analogy doesn't make sense. The negative repercussion is surely being denied the job despite being the best candidate - because of pregnancy discrimination.

No fired for dishonesty on medical form. Risk assessment impacted as well.

I’m in this situation. I’m current working as a contractor completely wfh and I’m 28 weeks pregnant. They’ve told me they’re going to make me perm and I’ve had an interview waiting for the offer. I definitely don’t trust them to have not pulled the offer of going perm if I had told them beforehand. Maternity pay for a number of months starts from day 1, so I’m hoping it all pans out. I have nothing to loose as I would have just had smp as a contractor and no job to return to. They’ve taken absolutely ages to do this as they first started talking about it last year.