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Pregnant and feel like employer targeting me

3 replies

Livingintherealworld · 06/07/2025 19:49

So a bit of a back story. I have been with my employer since 2022. There has always been a culture of staff working significant above their hours consistently in order to keep up with the workload. Since been with my employed I have had a period of maternity and then my husband had an accident and has been left with issues and is now on disability.

I did take around a few months off using annual leave and a month sickness during a time when my husband was have operations.

When I return to work, I did say that I wouldn't be able to work additional hours and was assured that this would not be an expectation. The first few months things were going ok and I wasn't pressured into working additional hours. I found out I was pregnant towards the end of May and Informed my employer immediately.

Since the beginning of June they have just piled work on me. I raised this with a manager and asked that no new projects were given to me. However they said that can't happen as they are busy. I raised again how I was feeling stressed and was getting behind on my work. My manager suggested that I have a dairy planning meeting and got a senior worker to meet with me because they could not meet with me because my diary was full!

Anyway during this I contacted the union who supported me in requesting a maternity risk assessment, asking for an occupational health assessment and also sending a letter to my managers manager (they are good friends my manager and her manager).

Since I send the letter, I received an email saying they were going to HR to put my on a performance improvement plan. I am aware that they met with HR but no further info about the plan. They said that my manager manager would attend my employment development review where usually talk about career progression ect not something my manager manager would normally attend... This is taking place on Monday.

Tonight Sunday, I have received around 10 emails where my manager has gone through every project and picked up every little possible thing that they could find.

I am worried that I'm going to be sacked before my maternity and left jobless with no maternity. It feels so distraught. Nothing like this has every happened to me.

Help please

OP posts:
Harassedevictee · 06/07/2025 20:26

Find your employers performance management policy and check the process. The key part you are looking for is that feedback should be timely I.e. given when the error occurs not saved up for a performance review. Also make sure they are following the process.

The guidance on the performance improvement plan should be about formalising your objectives which must be achievable, ensuring you receive any training or development, along with giving you a reasonable timeframe to improve. A part of this is the maternity risk assessment and any adjustments.

I would also be taking along the Health and Safety at work stress management standards https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/index.htm as giving you retrospective feedback in one go on a non-working day is inappropriate.

Start keeping a timeline with evidence of what is happening e.g. suddenly picking you up on a whole lot of projects.

Also talk to Pregnantthenscrewed https://pregnantthenscrewed.com

Stress and mental health at work - HSE

How to manage work-related stress and support good mental health in the workplace.

https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/index.htm

Livingintherealworld · 06/07/2025 21:03

Thankyou for your advice this is really helpful.

It will check those processes. I feel as though because I have complained about working extra hours that they are now ooking for anything and everything.

OP posts:
Thunderpants88 · 13/08/2025 07:06

How did it go OP?

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