very newly pregnant - got a job interview - & a maternity leave entitlement question

[tiredfeet]

I am very very newly pregnant, and have a job interview on Friday for a job I would really like. I've currently been on a career break after quitting my old job because my boss was bullying me. Have had a 12 hours a week retail job to keep me going.

my question really is whether if I start a job after I get pregnant this will affect my rights re length of maternity leave?

I think I will get maternity allowance and this will be enough to keep us on budget, so not worried financially, but would like to still be able to take the full year with my little one (assuming all goes well of course)

I would definitely want to go back to work after maternity leave at least part time, so tthat I don't struggle to find work in the future, so I really want to know the max time I could take wihtout losing my right to rreturn to work

sorry, should have been clearer interivew is a week on Friday, so I guess it would be early- mid-march before I started work, if I was successful. Its a large private sector company but don't think size of employer makes any difference?

Size of employer makes no difference.

You used to get less maternity leave if you had been there a short time. Now everyone gets a year. The only difference comes in entitlement to SMP or MA, which you've already researched.

Congratulations!

agree, if you are successful, you will be entitled to 1 year, 9 months SMP if you qualify, think MA is the same but not sure. However, definitely a year.

Congratulations and good luck

thats great, I know it is maybe not great to apply for a job knowing I'm pregnant, but its a career move I've wanted to make for a while now, and I am so very early on in my pregnancy that obviously things could still go wrong and I would hate to not go for the job and have that happen.

thank you for the advice, head was feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything this week so struggling to do research myself!

oh just thought of one more question, I have to fill in a medical questionnaire - do I have to declare the pregnancy? (period only due last Saturday so this is very much early days)

You do have to declare it at some point before you start, but not sure when, especially given the early stage of it. However, if they are specifically asking, not sure if 'omitting' it at this stage would be seen as dishonest? As opposed to if you were not given the form or asked directly (not sure they can ask you directly though can they? as it is irrelevant to posting, would be seen as discrimination if not successful?).

I hope someone can answer that question with certainty.

I don't mind declaring before I start if necessary, although due to it taking so long to get this first ever bfp (16 months) we are trying to keep news as private as possible for a bit, in case I lose it and then have more trouble ttc I would prefer the heart break to remain private (just the way I am, not saying this would suit everyone), so that is more my reason for wanting to keep quiet than anything else

thinking about it if you're not legally obliged to disclose until 12 weeks when you're in a job, should this be any different when being appointed (obviously the moral argument might be different, at least if it was a small employer)

sorry, going round in circles!

Have a look at the questionnaire and see what it asks. Don't lie, but don't feel you have to volunteer it.

Also, it would be normal only to fill in a questionnaire after you've offered and accepted the job, and wouldn't normally be seen by your manager. Ours go to an external agency, who just alert the company if there's a problem that would stop you taking up the job.

yes, I know I'm getting ahead of myself in a sense, certainly might not be offered the job. But the questionnaire does have to be handed in when I go for the interview. Will check it and like you say, not lie but not volunteer it either

thanks

in my public sector organisation the health questionnaire is handed to the HR person in a sealed envelope and not disclosed to the interview panel.

i also think they're not opened unless you 'win' at interview and are the preferred candidate so that they can't influence the decision on who is best, only on whether to involve Occ Health and if any DDA adjustments are required.

might be worth checking on this...

You don't have to tell your employer you're pregnant until 15 weeks before your due date.

I would be surprised if there is a question about pregnancy on the medical questionnaire, because as Missus said, you don't need to tell your employer until 15 weeks before you are due, and certainly don't need to tell anyone who isn't your employer yet. It would therefore be strange for them to be asking for that information from a candidate for a job.

There isn't a question about pregnancy, but it does ask if there is any reason I might need time off for medical treatment/reasons in the near future....

technically yes I may well do (I hope ) I guess, but as I need to get post the form to them this week it is such early days with the pregnancy that I'm no way able to assume this is the case.

Also I was thinking that as they're not allowed to discriminate, from an employer's perspective it is probably easier not to know?

I really don't want to deceive them, but it doesn't even feel real enough yet for us to make plans really.

Ooh, to be honest I'd fudge that one and distinguigh medical treatment/reasons from antenatal care in my mind...

That question sounds to me as if it's getting at whether you are likely to need additional support in the workplace due to ill health, and pregnancy isn't ill health.

If there's a box for the answer, I'd write something like "no current or ongoing illnesses". If it's a yes/no, TBH I'd tick no.

It's not best practice to be asking this stuff at interview stage and, as you say, it's so early on you could easily not know yet.

Yes thats what I thought, that its a distinct category in a sense and as they aren't meant to ask I think I can treat the question as you suggest

after all this agonising I probably won't even get it! but thank you all for your help

If you tell them you're pregnant they almost certainly will discriminate against you, even though they shouldn't. They can't ask you about pregnancy so I'd say nothing about it at all.