issues at work since informing of my pregnancy

[needadvice1234]

Hello

I am looking for any advice as I'm feeling complete lost:

I work for a small company, I am the only full time employee that works from the office. All other consultants work from home apart from the General Manager and CEO (a man and wife team).

Having recently informed them of my pregnancy my job has taken a turn for the worse. I have been told that I am no longer receiving my verbally agreed payrise (without explanation).

I have requested flexible working and have been told that I will not be allowed flexible working in any form. I have also been instructed to take my maternity leave at least two weeks (although preferably 6 weeks) before my due date due to the fact that the company are concerned about me being in the office alone in case I go in to labour etc.

My General Manager has started to ignore my emails, will not confirm anything in writing about the responses to my requests, and is generally making things very awkward.

This my first pregnancy and we cannot afford for me to lose my job but I don't know what else to do. I would be really grateful for any advice anyone can give me.

Thanks

I can't help personally but maybe try Acas, they should be able to help.

Your employer cannot dictate when you start your maternity leave at this stage. If you are off because of your pregnancy within four weeks of your due date they can make you start your maternity leave but that is some way off.

This sounds like sex discrimination to me.

Put your query about the payrise in writing and ask for a written response as to why it isn't going ahead.

Re the flexible working - is this now or after the baby arrives? They should give you business reasons for a refusal. Tbh if they only have a set up that has you in the office as full time alone I would think they can find good business reasons for a refusal and it may time to look for another job after maternity leave.

Thanks for your advice. I have asked for everything in writing but they refuse to come back to me. Any suggestions?

TBH you may be stuck between a rock and a hard place. You could get a solicitors letter to them reminding them of their obligations not to treat you unfavourably because of your pregnancy and to communicate with you, but that would just sour your relationship further, which isn't really going to help.

With regard to forcing you to leave 6 weeks before DD they can't do this, but they do have to perform a risk assessment and TBH lone working is a risk factor to consider (but they still couldn't make you start OML earlier).

Are they ignoring all your emails, or just those relating to your pregnancy? I'd advise you to keep a diary of everything that is happening just in case, but also to spend a few weeks keeping your head down and working really hard to prove to them what a capable person you are. Maybe inadvertently you have bombarded them with stuff relating to your PG and rights and they are reacting adversely against that, rather than than your pregnancy itself? Perhaps they think their normal efficient worker has disappeared and been replaced by PG-obsessed, demanding diva? Doesn't mean they are in the right, but perhaps things might calm down if you spend some time really putting in an effort to see if their attitude changes. If not then you know you are on a hiding to nothing so you may as well then start coming on stronger with regard to your rights.

Payrise thing is bad, but in itself doesn't add up to a case because I am sure they would just deny the verbal conversation. But if you keep a diary of everything that happens then you might build a case which would include this as a key piece of evidence.

Have you asked them in writing? Do so and then keep a diary of their failure to respond plus notes of any convesations. Then you need to decide what matters to you most - do you wnat to put up with less favourable treatment but retain a job you can actually live with or is this bottom line unfair treatment you won't put up with?

Keep any questions to written form and keep copies of all emails, dates etc. This does sound like sex discrimination to me and, at the v best, a crap manager. I would contact ACAS as the op has suggested

I regularly put in over a 45 hour week and since informing them of my pregnancy have not in any way changed my working habits. I have taken less than a day off in total so far for all maternity appointments. I have also only mentioned the maternity leave to them twice in 13 weeks.

I do not think that I have bombarded them with information at all as we have a very strange office relationship anyway so have not wanted to complicate things further.

The only emails that are being currently ignored are ones relating to the conversation we had the other day about maternity leave.

I have recently won two pitches for the company and have in the last three weeks received 5 letters of recommendations from clients, so I do not believe that my job is suffering due to my pregnancy.

The payrise was confirmed verbally and in writing to a third party referencing agency (as I recently moved house and needed this for the agents to complete the referencing).

I think that covers everything, thank you all for your help so far :o)

So they were giving you the payrise and your performance continues to be good but since you said you were pregnant that payrise was pulled? I think you should get a solictor but that's not an easy path to go down.

Its great that you have the pay rise acknowledged in writing, you may need this as evidence. Shame that you're having problems with them though.