Job offer whilst pregnant but employer doesn't realise!

LinasPilibaitisisbatman

If you are clearly showing they probably know finee.

To bring it up would have been risky however as they would face discrimination allegations if they said no.

Now you have the offer I would give them a call and tell them.

I.e I think you probably noticed that I am pregnant but thought prior to starting I should give you more determinable dates. either that or immediately at induction. That way your making it look like it was no secret.

gwen80

Hi

I agree with Linas above. I'd ring them up and tell them. They can't withdraw the job offer now without risking discrimination allegations. Maybe they noticed, maybe they didn't, but I'd clear it up now.

A girl at my work accepted a job while pregnant and nobody had realised. She made it clear once offered the job. Of course, the job offer couldn't then be retracted. I think there was a *slight* sense of annoyance, but more at the situation rather than her. After all, most people in the same position would do exactly the same. Just because you are pregnant doesn't mean you shouldn't work and you are entitled to the same opportunities as everybody else.

Congratulations on your pregnancy and all the best!

Gwenx

withabix

You've done nothing wrong at all.

THRIFTY_GIRL

lauzellen wrote: »

You will be entitled to Maternity Allowance OP. As you were already pregnant when you were made redundant! So you were working for the 26 weeks prior to falling pregnant plus the weeks when you didn't know you were pregnant and then these further weeks in the new employment! You need to have worked 26 weeks in the 66 weeks before your due date and as you were still working when you found out you were pregnant you must qualify. I hope I'm making sense! Say your due date was 18th December 2009, then you would have to work atleast 26 weeks in the period of 12th September 2008 - 18th December 2009.

HTH

Yes, this is correct - look on direct.gov.uk and you will find all the details. Also bear in mind that MA is tax-free whereas SMP is taxable!!

zzzLazyDaisy

Congratulations OP - a new job AND a new baby :beer:

Frankly I am appalled at some of the comments that have been made.

The fact of your pregnancy is absolutely nothing to do with the employer at the interview stage. Legally the employer is not allowed to ask about pregnancy, children, etc, and is not allowed to take that sort of thing into account when deciding on who is the best person for the job. In fact, as another poster has pointed out, it is better all round that the employer did not know about the pregnancy at interview stage, so they could not have been accused of unlawful discrimination if you had not got the job.

There will always be people who think the law is wrong, but really, that is irrelevant [I would say that though, I'm a lawyer ]

Edit - am pleased to see Woody's post has been removed

mountainofdebt

mandragora wrote: »

Not very pc, but I think a lot of employers would be miffed. I would, if I'd taken on a new member of staff and they hadn't told me of something that would affect their ability to do the job within the first six months of them working for me that meant I was going to have to go through the whole rigmarole of hiring again, albeit for the short-term. I know you don't have to tell until the last 15 weeks, but if I was interviewing you, I'd rather you did. Then at least it's out in the open. If it's a problem for them they won't ever tell you so, you just won't get the job, and that's the hard truth; if you look pregnant, they're not stupid, and will make their decision according to whether they want you enough on those terms or not. For anyone who doesn't look pregnant in similar circumstances, if they took the job and then announced impending maternity, they wouldn't be making themselves the most popular person in the workplace with their new bosses and colleagues, who might, understandably, feel a little taken advantage of and aggrieved.


If you can afford it, open, outright honesty is probably the best policy and would be best in the long run, but I also understand why you wouldn't mention it too. To be honest, I don't know how some smaller businesses survive nowadays with the maternity leave regulations as they stand.

Whilst the OP has 'technicially' done nothing wrong, I must agree with these comments. Whilst being pregnant doesn't technically stop her doing the job, I would imagine that being pregnant will involve requesting time off for antenatal appointments as well as the Company having to do a risk assessment on her role because she is pregnant.

As far as agency fees are concerned, I think that employers usually can reclaim part of their fees if the placement doesn't work out.

The only thing I would say OP is that I would be very careful. I assume that you are on some sort of probabtionary period and it may be the case that your new employer engineers it so that you fail to pass and can get rid of you without any recourse.

FZwanab

I'd tell them straight away, if you were a boss you'd like to know. Its part of life and if they are not understanding about it they are not very nice employers, in another scenario you could have got the job and got pregnant afterwards with only a couple of months difference in it really, or you might not have known you were pregnant at 6 weeks and got a job and had to tell them at 12 weeks. If you'd booked a holiday when you got a job, you'd tell them. Your baby is more important than any job so just tell them and stop stressing.

DrFluffy

lauzellen wrote: »

See my post above - i've explained it albeit possibly not as clearly as I could. Obviously the 66 weeks is both time when not pregnant and when pregnant lol Only a man would say something so rediculously humerous

Sorry - I stoped reading when Woody started being a twonk.

Plus, I've very definitely not male. Well, I wasn;t last time I checked

barnaby-bear

mountainofdebt wrote: »

Whilst the OP has 'technicially' done nothing wrong, I must agree with these comments. Whilst being pregnant doesn't technically stop her doing the job, I would imagine that being pregnant will involve requesting time off for antenatal appointments as well as the Company having to do a risk assessment on her role because she is pregnant.

As far as agency fees are concerned, I think that employers usually can reclaim part of their fees if the placement doesn't work out.

The only thing I would say OP is that I would be very careful. I assume that you are on some sort of probabtionary period and it may be the case that your new employer engineers it so that you fail to pass and can get rid of you without any recourse.

I'd seriously considering hiring her - her maternity allowance wouldn't come off our payroll - and we know she's got some of her breeding out the way. Plus giving someone like this a break could make them very loyal in the future. Plus I know she has a kid to support, will be likely to want to stay put (no going off to Oz travelling/chasing a fellow up to Manchester/other disappearing acts those without ties do). Also know she's got enough get up and go to want to support herself. A pregnancy risk assessment takes very little work and the odd antenatel appointment isn't going to bother most folk (given the ridiculous amounts of time some take for spurious sickness/illness or lack of productivity when they are there)

gwen80

What lie has the OP told exactly? And how has she deceived them? She didn't hide her bump, in any case it's pretty difficult to. Whether a woman is pregnant or of child bearing age should have no bearing on any hiring decisions. It's fairly short sighted of any employer in any case. If you refuse to employ pregnant women, then you may aswell not employ women of child bearing age (as they could well become pregnant shortly after starting the job), then you've almost halved the pool of potential employees and significantly reduced your chances of getting the best candidate for the job. I hope to God you're not a manager.

Stop being so narrow minded. Women have children. These children also have fathers. At my workplace, men get 2 weeks paternity leave on full pay. Maybe companies also shouldn't hire men who have wives of child bearing age???