Probation and Pregnant 😫

[Mumsy89]

Hi All,

So I started a new job this week and the day after discovered I was pregnant with our first child! After 8 years of TTC we were told that we would not get pregnant without IVF therefore this happening naturally was a complete shock. I am approximately 5 weeks pregnant and currently under a 6 month probation ( my job is with the local council) and now at a time where I should be thrilled I'm simply filled with dread that they will give me the heave ho. Has anyone been in this situation and can offer advice ? I have no intention of telling them until the 12 weeks have passed but that will still keep me firmly within my probationary period. Many thanks in advance

There's a specific maternity leave legal thread going at the moment. I'll see if I can find the link for you.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/employment_issues/3414725-MNHQ-here-Sign-in-for-FREE-legal-advice-about-pregnancy-maternity-or-parental-issues-at-work-from-Maternity-Action-and-the-Employment-Lawyers-Association

Thank you Honnibee :)

Congratulations on the pregnancy OP, I would advise you to check on your eligibility for maternity pay - if you've been working previously then SMP/MA is likely even if the company's maternity policy won't cover you by the time you take mat leave.

I'm not too worried about the maternity pay as I've worked with no gaps for 10 years, my concern is the impeccable timing of my pregnancy and the likelihood of my current employer taking a dim view and basically giving me the sack.

My daughter earlier this year discovered she was pregnant one month into a job. They sacked her the day after she told them.

At the end of the day under two years service you can be let go without a reason. Not fair but perfectly legal.

I hope you have better luck and congrats on your pregnancy xx

I work in my local authority and one of my colleagues started work pregnant.

She was trained, went on ML, came back part time and was retrained on her return. It was fine, our employers didn’t have any problem with it and she passed her probation.

Thanks guys for the responses, a mixed bag but I suppose all I can do is show my worth over the next 7 weeks before I tell them and that'll be sufficient

Hope that will be sufficient rather!!

As it’s The Public Sector I would be a lot less concerned, they tend to err on the side of caution when confirming employment after probation where there’s the possibility of a protected characteristic

I had almost the identical situation to you twelve years ago: local authority, about four weeks into the job, a long hoped for but unexpected pregnancy.
They were totally fine about it - were lovely about it (though I did say it was all a bit unplanned and unexpected). I only got SMP as didn’t have 12 months’ service, but the baby was more important to me than the cash.
Many congratulations!!!

Don't say anything until after 12 weeks. That's normal and expected. In the mean time, ask for regular performance reviews. Document everything. Any positive emails from managers and customers. Ensure you have 121's and they are followed up in writing. Create a timeline of asking for feedback constructively (not in a needy annoying way). Then continue this after telling them of your pregnancy. It is a protected characteristic and they can't dismiss you for being pregnant. If they try to dismiss you for competency reasons, you should have enough ammo to back you up. As it's LA they cannot simply make you redundant either as too many people need to sign off on that.

Congratulations

norfolk it is not legal to dismiss someone because of pregnancy, no matter how long they have worked for their employer. It’s a shame your daughter didn’t take legal advice.

There are actually lots of reasons when it’s unfair to dismiss someone, even when they don’t have two years’ continuous service, but they tend not to get talked about much.

#amummyatlast. I believe they didn't directly say due to pregnancy as they and we knew they couldn't but under two years service they don't have to give a reason so even if we tried to fight it, it wouldn't have been worth it and my daughter didn't need the added stress.

I believe you don't have to tell them until closer to 25 weeks, if you want to hold off, and the appointments are manageable.

Congrats and the job and the pregnancy!

Congratulations. I have worked for a local authority as a manager and have experience of HR issues. It's discrimination if your pregnancy is taken into account in the decision to continue your employment following your probationary period. If you're at all worried about it during the probation period ask for a HR rep to be present at your formal meetings. Usually local authorities are very good with such issues. Of course any company can have a rouge manager but hopefully you won't experience that.

Local authority will be fine. Congratulations!

Thank you for all your comments, you have really put my mind at ease I will come back and let you know how it went once I've broken the news to them x