Pregnant and applying for a job - tell employer?

travel_freak

Hi,

I hope someone can help. A friend of ours has just found out she is pregnant (2 months approx). She is in the process of applying for jobs and desperate to get one. She thinks if she tells employers she is pregnant they won't consider her - what should she do and what is she obliged to do by law - is she obliged to tell a prospective employer?

She is basically an honest person and said she would prefer to be upfront but is worried she will be turned down for jobs/interviews.

There is one job she has an interview for and is desperate to get, so desperate that she said she would be prepared to tell the employer that if they took her on she would not want maternity pay - would this be an option?

Any advice gratefully received.

Many thanks in advance.

Becles

You don't have to mention pregnancy at all, and the employer is not allowed to ask if you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant.

Her only legal obligation is to inform the employer in the 15th week before her due date.

I wouldn't mention the maternity pay. She won't qualify for SMP as she won't have worked for the employer long enough before baby arrives. She will have to claim Maternity Allowance which will be payable direct from the state rather than through her employer.

If the employer has an enhanced maternity package, then she may or may not get more money depending on the T&C's of the enhanced payments.

clairec79

If she's already pregnant when starting for an employer they don't pay her maternity pay anyway so she wouldn't be offering them anything

At 8 weeks or so she doesnt have to say, she probably wouldn't be telling if she was already working for them - plenty of women don't even know at 8 weeks

surreysaver

Becles wrote: »

Her only legal obligation is to inform the employer in the 15th week before her due date.

You are not obligated to tell them. You only have to tell them by the 15th week before the due date if you want maternity leave / pay. It is also in her best interests to tell them as she will then have to have a risk assessment. But it is not a legal obligation to tell them. And she is certainly not obliged to tell them before she's got a job!

pinkshoes

I guess it's more of a moral decision.

If she's already 8 weeks pregnant, she's not entitled to maternity pay from them, so that's not an issue.

If it's just a general job, then I'd say she should go for it and doesn't have to say anything, BUT... if it's a job to replace someone for maternity leave or similar, it would be rather immoral to take it!

Did she not have a job before? Why the sudden decision to get a job?

travel_freak

Hi,

Many thanks for all the helpful replies.

Re the last post, reason for looking for a job now is she spent some time working abroad, returned and moved to a very rural area where she has been trying for the last 3-4 months to find work but could only get seasonal work there which has now dried up. She wanted to stay in the rural area as she loves it there but as she can't find work she's having to move back to London to look for some and has only now found out she is around 2 months pregnant!!

I guess as she won't qualify for any maternity payments anyway that makes the decision a bit easier - she just feels guilty as she feels she should be being upfront and tell any prospective employer from the start. Anyway, thanks for the info which is really useful as we were both a bit in the dark on this. I'll pass it on and it will be her decision.

surreysaver

travel_freak wrote: »

Hi,
I guess as she won't qualify for any maternity payments anyway that makes the decision a bit easier - she just feels guilty as she feels she should be being upfront and tell any prospective employer from the start. Anyway, thanks for the info which is really useful as we were both a bit in the dark on this. I'll pass it on and it will be her decision.

Why should she feel guilty about being pregnant? It is just a job - the employer wouldn't feel guilty about not employing her becuase she was pregnant! It is business - feelings shouldn't come into it - just play the game like the employer would! Think about Natasha Kaplinski - that Channel 5 newsreader - women have for too long been opressed - although they now have more rights than men, there is no point if women are going to oppress themselves!