Possible chance of Promotion, Pregnant but they don't know yet

Calvinandhobbs

bigheadxx wrote: »

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/HealthAndSafetyAtWork/DG_4016683

If you do not tell your employer that you are pregnant then you are potentially putting yourself and others at risk. You cannot take paid time off for ante-natal appointments if you have not told your employer you are pregnant.

Out of interest . . . how is she putting others at risk? I appreciate there may be some jobs (pilot?) where the heightened risk of fainting and dizzyness could be a problem, but generally speaking, I think her colleagues will be ok, unless you think they might catch it?

surreysaver

bigheadxx wrote: »

You have a responsibility to yourself and others which is the same as a duty.

You do not have any such responsibility, nor any such duty. Yes, it would be a responsible thing to do to tell them, but it may be more beneficial not to tell them, for example, to prevent them from discriminating against you - which is why there is no legal duty to inform them - the decision is left in the mother-to-be's hands.

I understand where you are coming from, but your choice of word such as 'duty' is wrong. That is why employers keep losing tribunals over this sort of thing - they think they are doing the right thing, but they are not.

bigheadxx

The law is there to protect you if you are discriminated against. If your employer does not know you are pregnant how can they safeguard your health and safety.

ie If you did have a serious accident it would be very important for the Paramedics to know that you were pregnant

There may be potential hazzards in the workplace that a particularly dangerous to pregnant women ie chemicals,

You may be asked to do something outside of your day to day duties that may pose more of a risk to pregnant women than other people

surreysaver

bigheadxx wrote: »

The law is there to protect you if you are discriminated against. If your employer does not know you are pregnant how can they safeguard your health and safety.

ie If you did have a serious accident it would be very important for the Paramedics to know that you were pregnant

There may be potential hazzards in the workplace that a particularly dangerous to pregnant women ie chemicals,

You may be asked to do something outside of your day to day duties that may pose more of a risk to pregnant women than other people

I am not disagreeing with these points. I merely disagreed with your comment several posts ago: ' You have a duty under Health and Safety legislation to tell your employer as soon as you are aware you are pregnant ' that was factually incorrect.

And the law only protects you against discrimination if you are willing to go to a tribunal - a very expensive and stressful experience - which most of the time a woman will prefer just to quit a job than go through all of that, as they will have far more important things on their mind, and will probably not be up for the trauma of a tribunal even if they could afford it. And employers know this, which is why they take the mickey, which is then why women hold back from telling them they are pregnant.

LilacPixie

OP you don'thave to tell your employer until 25 weeks, from what you have said your employer seems to have little regard for employment law anyway.

Could you do the promotion job after baby arrives?? is it semi child friendly?
I have two young children and I literally cannot go further in my chosen field at the moment because it would mean working away from home during the week or a 2/3 hour commute.

-BA-

pinkshoes wrote: »

As a female, I would not put myself up for a promotion if I knew I was pregnant, as I feel it's really unfair on the company and other candidates. Just a few months into the job (i.e. when you're fully trained) you'll be leaving for 6 to 9 months!!

I know companies are not allowed to discriminate against anyone pregnant, but morally I think it's wrong. By all means have a career and a family, but think about the needs of the company too. Perhaps there are some people who will resent you if you get this position then announce you're pregnant? Then who would take over when you were on maternity leave? One of the other candidates who didn't get it?? What happens when you come back?

Just make sure you've thought this through thoroughly!

This is an extremely refreshing post to read. I have to say that some of the posts have disheartened me somewhat. From whatever angle you look at it, it represents a significant change in circumstances for both you and the company. Using the semantics of it being right or wrong on the part of the employer is a very one sided view. How about looking at the morals from your standpoint? I was horrified to see one poster comment on witholding the information simply to gain a higher salary and extra training.

Now don't get me wrong I fully approve of maternity leave and people should never be diswayed from wanting to start a family but this is promotion we are talking about where you will have responsibility for a team of staff who will look to you for support. Let someone who can take on the job and do it fully, fill the role and have some respect for your colleagues and possibly future subordinates.

pinkshoes

surreysaver wrote: »

If I were female, I would. Employers all too often take the mickey out of employees, so you might as well play the system legally and take the mickey out of them - after all, it will mean more maternity pay if you are in a job earning more money! Stop worrying about your employer's and colleagues' feelings - it is a business decision!

It's a business decision if you tell them you're pregnant BEFORE applying...


I work on a team of all men, and if there was a promotion coming up here, and I was also pregnant, then I wouldn't go for it, even if I knew I had a good chance of getting it.

Why? Because given I spend 40+ hours a week at work, then I should have some respect for my employer and colleagues. If I took that promotion, knowing I would be leaving for 9 months maternity, then my colleagues would hate me for being such a selfish b*tch. Then, one of them would then have to fill the position for 9 months... hardly fair when it might have been their position in the first place!

Attitudes like that give women a bad name. I'm quite sure the company would think twice about employing a woman again, so if two candidates going for a job had identical CVs and experience, they would end up picking the man every time, or a woman too old to conceive!!

surreysaver

pinkshoes wrote: »

It's a business decision if you tell them you're pregnant BEFORE applying...

A business decision on the part of the OP, i meant. A business would withold any information from an employee if it was in their interests, so why can't an employee do the same?

surreysaver

-BA- wrote: »

How about looking at the morals from your standpoint? I was horrified to see one poster comment on witholding the information simply to gain a higher salary and extra training.

Morals have nothing to do with it. And what is wrong with witholding information to gain a higher salary? It is a perfectly legal thing to do. Companies do things morally wrong, but legal, to their employees all the time,

TruthOrDare_2

After reading through the thread, the conclusion seems to be that although legally you can go for the job without telling them, it may create problems in the future.

First off, your fellow candidates will be angry if after getting the promotion, you then reveal you are pregnant and take maternity leave. They will most likely feel you hid it to get the job.

How would you feel if someone got a promotion which you really wanted and then went away for months, leaving the job in the hands of (probably) a temp?

This will cause resentment and could well ruin your chances later on should you get another opportunity for promotion from the new position. The employers will think that you weren't straight with them last time, so rule you out. Of course, that would most likely be illegal, but good luck proving it.

Then there are the health issues. Starting a new job is stressful enough, let alone being pregnant and having people resenting you or trying to make life difficult.

I would say that you tell it like it is. Tell your employer you are pregnant, and see what happens.

If you get the promotion, great, and because you were upfront and honest, other employees won't resent you, or as much.

If you don't get the promotion, at least your employer knows that you are upfront and honest. When a position comes up in the future, it will be looked upon favourably. If they don't, then at least you know that you should look for an employer that will value your honesty.

Of course, this is just my opinion. Only you know how much of this is true to you and your workplace.