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Original poster

Line manager has told colleagues I am pregnant

40 replies

Sunshinedaisybuttermellow · 15/11/2021 19:46

Hi all, not sure if this is the right place but thought it seemed most fitting.

I am currently 10 weeks pregnant. Due to my job, I have already told my line manager as we require risk assessments to be completed.
I specifically told her that it is not common knowledge, it is very early and I'm not ready for people to know. There is a colleague who I previously worked closely with when seconded to a higher level. Due to the end of the secondment she is now slightly senior to me again, but we worked at an equivalent level for just over 2 years.

Today I got an email from this colleague, saying congratulations on my pregnancy and that my manager has delegated my risk assessment to her. I am not ready for colleagues to know about my pregnancy, especially not when I haven't even told all of my family yet.

Is my line manager allowed to tell people I am pregnant without my consent?
Is it not considered private medical information?

OP posts:

ImmortalCandle · 15/11/2021 19:49

So your manager has told ONE colleague, who is senior to you, in order to delegate the task of the risk assessment? Seems reasonable.
Not like they put up a neon sogn in the staff canteen? Do you have any evidence that anyone else knows or has been told?

Starlightstarbright1 · 15/11/2021 19:49

Well as she is doing your risk assessment then yes she would have to know.

O would reply, thanking her but letting her know you want to keep ot quiet as its early days

Mouseonmychair · 15/11/2021 19:53

The business need to know this to function and do the appropriate risk assessment so not a problem really.

ImUninsultable · 15/11/2021 19:53

She hasn't told people you are pregnant. She has told the one person who needs to do the riso assessment. This wouldnt be considered a breach of confidentiality.
The staff member she told has been told because it is her job to do the risk assessment.

Has this person been informed that this is not common knowledge? That's really the only concern and I would have replied with something like, "I understand that you have been told this because you need to do the risk assessment, but I just want to make sure that this will not be discussed with anyone else. It is medical information and it is confidential so cannot be shared with anyone else in the company until I choose to tell them. Can you just confirm that no one else has been told?"

GreyhoundG1rl · 15/11/2021 19:54

God, is this another of those "the contents of my uterus are PRIVATE" posts?
Bloody hell.

Musicaltheatremum · 15/11/2021 19:57

@GreyhoundG1rl

God, is this another of those "the contents of my uterus are PRIVATE" posts? Bloody hell.

Well said.!

AssassinatedBeauty · 15/11/2021 19:57

@ImUninsultable has the perfect reply. It is not unreasonable to expect discretion and tact, if you have asked for it to be kept as private as possible for now. And yes, the contents of a woman's uterus are her private business. It would be very odd to think that everyone else has some kind of right to know that information.

JingleCatJingle · 15/11/2021 19:58

How are you proposing that the risk assessment be completed without the relevant information?

PotteringAlong · 15/11/2021 19:58

So you need a risk assessment.
Your immediate boss told a colleague, who is senior to you, that you were pregnant in order for that risk assessment to be completed.

I am failing to see a problem here.

GreyhoundG1rl · 15/11/2021 20:01

And yes, the contents of a woman's uterus are her private business
She needs the risk assessment due to being pregnant 🤣

AssassinatedBeauty · 15/11/2021 20:08

@GreyhoundG1rl

And yes, the contents of a woman's uterus are her private business She needs the risk assessment due to being pregnant 🤣

Yep. And the OP has chosen when to tell her line manager, whilst also very reasonably asking for privacy. It's not reasonable to expect the line manager not to tell those who need to know, eg delegated colleague, but it's reasonable to check that the delegated colleague understands it isn't something that the OP wishes to share generally atm. That's her choice.

Mamacarrot · 15/11/2021 20:19

What a misleading post .

GiltEdges · 15/11/2021 20:45

Right... so she actually told one colleague for a legitimate purpose, not colleagues (plural), as per your title?

Bluntness100 · 15/11/2021 20:47

Um she’s senior to you and needs to do your risk assessment,

Is it the fact it’s her and she’s senior to you now that’s the issue?

Kitkat151 · 15/11/2021 20:53

Of course she’s allowed to tell her....she’s delegated this task to her...
She’s told her on a ‘needs to know’ basis....total non issue

Mantlemoose · 15/11/2021 21:00

Can't do your RA without knowing the reason!

OkNowTellMeWhatToDo · 15/11/2021 21:10

GreyhoundG1rl. God, is this another of those "the contents of my uterus are PRIVATE" posts? Bloody hell.Well said.!

Are you Effing serious @GreyhoundG1rl @Musicaltheatremum.?!?!?!

This is an awful attitude. Have you been privileged enough to never have lost a baby? How nasty and mean, I'm gobsmacked.

@Sunshinedaisybuttermellow she shouldn't have done it but my guess is that she blabbed and to cover her back she's 'delegated'. I'd note it with HR so it's on record but not do anything about it other than that and like pps email to say you hope no one else knows as it was given in strictest confidence to your line manager (use these exact words).

PotteringAlong · 15/11/2021 21:27

I'd note it with HR so it's on record

But there’s nothing to note! A colleague senior to the OP has been told she is pregnant for the purposes of carrying out a necessary risk assessment. This is a non-issue!

Cosmos123 · 15/11/2021 21:33

OP do you not want a risk assessment?

Also colleague needs to know and is only trying to be pleasant.

Kitkat151 · 15/11/2021 21:40

@OkNowTellMeWhatToDo

GreyhoundG1rl. God, is this another of those "the contents of my uterus are PRIVATE" posts? Bloody hell.Well said.!

Are you Effing serious @GreyhoundG1rl @Musicaltheatremum.?!?!?!

This is an awful attitude. Have you been privileged enough to never have lost a baby? How nasty and mean, I'm gobsmacked.

@Sunshinedaisybuttermellow she shouldn't have done it but my guess is that she blabbed and to cover her back she's 'delegated'. I'd note it with HR so it's on record but not do anything about it other than that and like pps email to say you hope no one else knows as it was given in strictest confidence to your line manager (use these exact words).

What’s there to note??? The task was delegated....why shouldn’t the line manager have done this?? Absolutely fine....TOTAL non issue

GreyhoundG1rl · 15/11/2021 21:43

This is an awful attitude. Have you been privileged enough to never have lost a baby?
Er, no... fwiw . Wtf? Your whole post is hysterical nonsense.

Cosmos123 · 15/11/2021 22:00

@GreyhoundG1rl

This is an awful attitude. Have you been privileged enough to never have lost a baby? Er, no... fwiw

. Wtf? Your whole post is hysterical nonsense.

Mouseonmychair · 15/11/2021 22:26

This look like the professionally offended are looking for problems that aren't there. This info is needed for the risk assessment I really can't see the issue.

Thewindsofchange · 15/11/2021 22:52

As someone who has had this same confidentially breached at work for 'work' reasons I would be fuming. How hard is it for the manager to ask op if it ok for x to be delegated to do the risk assessment? You should never presume you can tell something like this to someone else, even another manager.
In my case word eventually got round my whole team. I only found out they knew when I returned from having a miscarriage, which again everyone had to be informed about, without my knowledge or consent.
It all started for 'work reasons', not idle gossip but was devastating all the same.
Op at least you know and can ask the one person to keep it confidential but I would be asking your manager not to tell anyone else without speaking to you first.
I don't care if others think I'm being touchy or over sensitive, it was like a punch in the gut when I was already delicate and was so easily avoided.

GiltEdges · 16/11/2021 07:42

@Thewindsofchange

As someone who has had this same confidentially breached at work for 'work' reasons I would be fuming. How hard is it for the manager to ask op if it ok for x to be delegated to do the risk assessment? You should never presume you can tell something like this to someone else, even another manager. In my case word eventually got round my whole team. I only found out they knew when I returned from having a miscarriage, which again everyone had to be informed about, without my knowledge or consent. It all started for 'work reasons', not idle gossip but was devastating all the same. Op at least you know and can ask the one person to keep it confidential but I would be asking your manager not to tell anyone else without speaking to you first. I don't care if others think I'm being touchy or over sensitive, it was like a punch in the gut when I was already delicate and was so easily avoided.

I'm sorry for your experience, but you're clearly projecting as a result.

How hard is it for the manager to ask op if it ok for x to be delegated to do the risk assessment

It isn't hard. But there's no reason for the OP's manager to ask her permission either. What would happen if OP said no, and the risk assessment still needed to be done by x?

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