I know there are bigger problems out there but I need a hormonal hissy fit about work sorry!

[heverhoney1]

I am 23+3 and we are supposed to be having a team meeting tomorrw. Since before xmas I have been led to believe this meeting is predominantly to discuss what work I will and wont be able to do over the coming months and how this work will be covered.

As my job involves around 50-60% of my time walking long distances from site to site my colleagues led me to believe that I was abolut to be made office bound. Now this is not what I normally would like but I am achey, cold and blooming tired!! and I dont want to be risking myself or my baby like this any more!

I had a quick chat with my boss and contry to popular belief he just wants me to carry on like normal and just say which little bits I cant do. I hate giving other people my work so will just end up trying to do it all. I really wanted this taken out of my hands.

Wail and hissy fit over. As I say I am well aware that there are bigger issues out there and sorry to anyone I have offended with my self pitying ways.

You've still got the meeting tomorrow so don't let your boss put ideas in your head before hand!
Have a good think tonight about what things you are really struggling with now (and therefore will find impossible when you are more heavily pregnant) then go in with determination to get things resolved!!
If it is the long distances that you need to walk that is the main problem then really focus on that. Make it clear that you are willing to your usual job in every way except this one thing that will be impossible in your condition. Offer solutions that can put be in place to make everyone happy - ie can they provide you with a company car? Taxis between sites?
Good luck!

Speak up for yourself. If you aren't comfortable doing it, and feel like you physically can't anymore - then tell your boss. It's not just you that you need to look out for now. Don't put yourself at risk. They'll have to adapt when you go off on maternity leave so they may as well start getting used to it now.

Your employers have a legal H&S obligation to make sure your work is suitable and not harming to you or baby.
Stick to your guns!

Its the guilt!! They keep telling me how good it is for me to keep active and walking. YES I know it is but surely when I feel up to it not to fit in with their stats and timetables??

P.S I love the name - YouCalledYourBabyWHAT!!!

Honey

When you told your company you were an expectant mother they should have done a risk assessment on your job

Did they?
And did they do it asap you had told them?

Look up the work H&S assessment, I know that someone I work with was not allowed to use kicks-tools after 4 months.

Well we had a "Chat" and went over some paperwork but it wasnt the official risk assesment. (I know because I have one printed off and sitting next to me and we def didnt look at that) I did tell the boss we need to look at the risk assesment as it does say working alone is not recommended in the "Later Stages" of pregnancy- Any one any idea on what "Later stages" actually means??

p.s - Thank you all for listening to me and not making me feel like I am totally over reacting

Tell them you want a proper risk assesment done asap. One that you both have to sign, and then stick to it. Be clear about what you can and can't do, what you will and won't do.

You're the one who's pregnant, not them, so don't let tem tell you what you can do. You need your back covering should anything go wrong, and so do they. It's in both of your interests that you don't do anything that could harm you.

Well i had a risk assessment done on my job as soon as i told my employers, they were actually very good as i was the first woman they had employed that got pg, and the first in my particular job.

I was told no heavy lifting, above shoulder height, no batteries not even two man lift, ect. And the lads refused to let me lift a finger bless em. I did try to remain active so i didn't feel like a spare part but as they told me, if they couldn't find alternative safe work, they could put me off on full pay, the job i do is the only one i could do at the company tbh, so they lightened the load as much as poss, i had to do job checks ect.
They still put me forward for training i would have missed out on through maternity leave, and were very flexible on overtime, which, expecting a baby, i wanted to earn as much as poss, they put me out with the lads that wouldn't mind working that bit harder to cover what i couldn't do, but a lot of them said i still pulled my weight.

Its about keeping you and your baby safe which is a legal obligation in any case, plus a moral obligation too.

Ask for a risk assessment asap .. it will probably be the solicitors for the company that will come and do this, if you have any concerns you can raise them at this meeting and that INCLUDES any worries/concerns about if you feel unfairly treated ect..this is your baby and relies upon you and the attitude of those you work with to keep him/her safe so kick company up the bum

You've def gotta stick up for yourself. i worked (am now on mat leave) in an office of 3 ppl (small!) and next to a warehouse. Theyd never had any1 pg before and made a slightly big deal about their obligations to me with H & S etc. In the end i had to push them for a risk assessment and i told them what i could and couldnt do and what i was prepared to do and such. They had me lifting boxes of paperwork at 35 weeks pg - i refused and made one of the men do it. TBH, i dont think men and also a lot of women get what pregnancy does. If i had a penny for every time they said "you're not actually ill or anything" i'd be rich! Stand up for yourself, be reasonable but put it out there - you'll regret it otherwise!

They are legally obliged to do a full risk assessment, with you, and which you are both happy with, as soon as they know you are pg.

With contigencies.

In my case I was taken off farm visits and building sites straight away, and driving long distances and was asked to chat to Occupational Health from time to time. But it could down to anything as small as reassessing your sitting position and getting you a foot rest or something.

Stand up for yourself now, it will only get harder to get your employers' sympathy once the baby is here and you need occassional flexibility for that.

Thanks everyone turns out in the meeting everyone else stuck up for me and made the boss back down a bit. IT was really nice of all my colleagues it actually choked me a bit!