Were you made redundant while pg/on mat leave or refused flex working in the UK?

[BlackSwan]

Just a straw poll as I'm curious. I seem to meet a disproportionately large number of women who have found themselves unemployed or slowly edged out of work once they start families. Is it just because I'm a SAHM?

Any views?

...To clarify, I meant, Is it just because I'm a SAHM and therefore moving in circles where I'm more likely to meet other women who aren't working for one reason or another.

I was made redundant when I was 5 months pregnant, there was no way I could get another job between then and my due date so I sucked it up (and bled them dry as they knew they were on shaky ground for more reasons than my pregnancy) and decided to become a SAHM. Best thing ever by the way. But I was still mad - we were a department of two, my boss had mental health issues and was also booted, scumbags

I was made redundant on M/L.

But so were my 2000 other colleagues, so I don't think it was personal

I imagine mostly folk who have been treated badly by their employer will respond to this!

So to redress the balance I was not made redundant when PG with DS1 and my flexible working request to job share on my return was accepted.

Currently on MAT leave with DS2 - I was very ill during my pregnancy and had loads of medical appointments and time off then had to start mat leave early- my boss was fantastic about it.

BTW I hear lots of flexible working requests as part of my job and I'm amazed by how many people make it easy for their managers to turn down the request. You must write down how you are going to negate the 8 business reasons employers are able to give in turning down the request.

I was made redundant on maternity leave.

Was vair expensive for them.

I was the most senior woman in the company at the time.

Bunch of cunts.

Ah, feels good to say that as I had to sign all sorts of things to promise that I would not slag them off

Bunch of fucking, fucking cunts

:)

No.

I retained my job level, went part time, they have let me work from home (with odd days in the office), they are flexible about when I do my hours (today im working in the evening as I've spent all day playing with DS in the sun) and I am involved in all major decisions.

I am very, very lucky and I know it.

Justfeckingdoit, I'm glad I gave you the opportunity to get that off your chest.

Well done to all those whom it did work out well for. Heartening.

Teatowel - SAHM has its privileges. But it's better when it's your choice.

I was made redundant on mat leave. Was also vair expensive for them. Best thing that happened. Got a fab job then that latter a year, rebuilt my confidence and am now a SAHM until the right next job comes up.

Was made redundant whilst on mat leave with DS1 - just as my time on OML was up. They were on shaky ground and knew it, but were canny enough not to put anything in writing so I ended up not persuing it. It also didn't help that I had PND, so just couldn't deal with it on top of everything else. I had been there 9 years so walked away with a decent package.

Been a SAHM ever since, now expecting DS2 and very happy that I get to spend this time with my boys, which is only possible due to DH working very hard to support us all.

Will look to go back to work in some capacity when DS2 is in school, although never back to my former industry and I never expect to earn the same salary that I was on when I was made redundant again.

I found out that I was being paid out of line with my male colleagues when pg.

Before I went on mat leave my boss said she expected I would go x days
When I put in flexible working for x days they told me to get stuffed and that if I didn't want to go back full time I had to resign. So I resigned.

It wasn't expensive for them in the least.

Apart from they lost me

Yep 6 weeks post birth I was made redundant along with every other single member of staff in the company as it went into administration. Now I'm a SAHM and I would love a job, but it just isn't going to happen for a while.

SardineQueen - wish I could say your situation is unusual...happens often it seems.

Sedatives, I'm sure it's no consolation that everyone lost their jobs, not just you.
It's a bad economic climate for all, but more so for women?

Wipsglitter, sounds like all worked out ok regardless, good thing you were there for a long time.
WhendoIsleep - I'm sure it will all work out, good luck with DS2!

In my first pregnancy my then employer put me at risk of redundancy when I was 31 weeks pregnant. I managed to talk myself out of that one and got my job back (and that even without putting anyone else at risk in my place, which made me quite happy.). They then proceeded to cut my (and everyone else's salaries) by 10% a couple of months later.

I used my maternity leave to intensively look for something new and handed my notice in within a week of returning to work after ML and got a much better job.

Yes, was made redundant when on mat leave with dc2. I could have made something of it because I got to a final interview for a role that covered much of my old job which they ended up giving to an external candidate, but having seen the awful time my very strong and robust mate had gone through when she pursued a claim, I opted not to. If I thought they had made me redundant because of mat leave I would have, but I think it was just one of those things.

I got made redundant while on mat leave - a week or so before I was due to go back. But as it happened it was part of major redundancies at the company and my job quite genuinely ceased to exist. So that was that.

Turned out to be the best thing ever. I went freelance in desperation and it took off brilliantly

Resilience and courage. Interesting to hear everyone's stories.