Pregnant-Time off in work time?

[Blessedbe26]

Currently pregnant with a high risk pregnancy. It’s my third (last!), with one at school and one in nursery whilst I’m working.
Back at work after maternity leave, on 3 days a week for affordability and life balance reasons . I need regular check ups and scans. Some have been booked before I returned to work last month.

Work are saying I need to reschedule them outside work hours which then means I need to find and pay for childcare and a couple have been at school pick up time which is a logistical nightmare

I thought paid time off was my right under employment law?

You’re right, they’re wrong

https://www.gov.uk/working-when-pregnant-your-rights

This is on the ACAS website.

Oh good grief: my screenshot of what the ACAS website says is ‘under review’ 🤦🏻‍♀️

if you are part time they might feel you should schedule in your regular days off but if a certain department only runs these clinics on a tuesday and you work tuesdays then it should be paid time off but only for the hours necessary not the whole day however sometimes a high risk pregnancy means travelling further for these appointments as can't be done by midwife or local GP at local surgery /medical centre

I'd just tell them you've asked and it's not possible to reschedule. They shouldn't have asked you to though.

You’re right but I see their point if you’re deliberately scheduling the appointments to clash with work.

I had no choice regarding timing of my antenatal appointments - simply given a time and date and told to turn up

What makes you think op is different?!

Full time workers it is clear cut, if you are part time then it’s important to be reasonable and perhaps a balanced approach is 3/5 are in work time - yes I know this isn’t always possible but childcare can’t be the reason that appointments that could be scheduled on your day off aren’t.

Quite. Reasonable - i would not be expecting you to book all of your maternity appts during your 3 days per week. Ie 100% in your 60%. I didnt understand your comment about the appt at school pick up. That's nothing to do with your employer. Surely if you are offered that by the maternity clinic you decline or get the children's father to deal with existing children, whilst you go to the maternity appointment.

Thank you. This is what I researched too.

I am not “essential” and I’ll be there 3 months tops.
@lllamaDrama My antenatal appointments are also allocated. Possibly I could change them but assume I’m given them according to availability. They just happen to be on days I work.

The key is that both sides do whats reasonable - for me whats reasonable is trying to rearrange each apt for your days off, if you cant you cant but you need to show willing

agree childcare cant be the reason to schedule them for work days only

My DH is freelance working abroad. It’s impossible for him to come back for a few hours. He had cancelled a big two week project but needs to keep up some work.

@Rhubarbandcustardd it would be rescheduling them. The original appointments have been sent for days I work.

This is nice sensible advice but legally wrong. @Blessedbe26 Mumsnet is not a great source of advice for employment law. You are legally entitled to time off for appointments.

Reasonable time off.

I think it's reasonable to expect some of these would take place on a non working day. But also reasonable for you to to just tell them it is impossible. That's the problem with the policy - it's not particularly clear. There's no reason you'd need childcare for the appointments really - plenty of people go to maternity appointments with another child.

If it was my company I would be looking to get rid if someone did that

Also, as a PT worker, you can't suffer a detriment, just because you are PT.
Being requested to schedule medical appointments on your non working days can't be asked if a FT worker, so could be a detriment, as others are getting medical time off covered.
Equally, if it's a high risk pregnancy and work are creating additional stress/difficulties, it could be worth considering being signed off for the rest of your pregnancy.

and then you’d lose to a discrimination lawsuit

Print out the information from ACAS and give it to your employer.

Don't worry it is because employment rights are going to be improving with lots of new legal entitlements coming in over the next 12 months.

They mean the image is under review on MN. All images go under review for a few seconds.

Ah right. I misunderstood.

With antenatal appointments it tends to be that at the start of your pregnancy when you schedule appointments quite a way in advance you get more of a choice as to dates/times. Towards the end when they become more frequent you get what you are given.

Hospital appointments you get absolutely no choice at all.

As others have said - the key word here is reasonable. Yes your employer is legally required to allow you time off - but it has to be reasonable. If they find out all your appointments are during work time they can quite rightly start to get difficult with you.

But at the same time it's not always possible to rearrange allotted appointments.

@Blessedbe26 I think as long as you can show you are being reasonable (ie try to have some appointments outside of worktime) then you should have no problems.