Would you tell a potential employer you are pregnant?

squashy

No way would I tell! I would wait until I had started and say I have just had a surprise.

Uncertain

woody01 wrote: »

It would be practically impossible to prove.

What an extraordinary attempt at justification!

So, you would be quite happy to murder somebody or rob a bank as long as "It would be practically impossible to prove"?

Just as a matter of interest how may other laws does your business choose to ignore?

zzzLazyDaisy

woody01 wrote: »

Also, i am sorry but you are 100% incorrect about giving reasons when not employing someone. Of course information can be requested, but it certainly does not have to be given. Even if Equal Opportunities got involved, any evidence would certainly not have to be given to the candidate personally..

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Okay. Have it your own way. You clearly know a lot more than me about these things - despite my having over 20 years experience as an employment solicitor, specialising, for the most part, in discrimination law.

I'm out!

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Almo

This thread has really got under my skin because I can honestly see it from both sides (ethically). I've been thinking about it, and I would much prefer to be told in advance. If the person was the best person for the job then I would employ them anyway. I would expect them to work damn hard until they went on maternity, but if they had proved their honesty in the first place, and complemented this with their hard work, I would have no problems with making the necessary cover arrangements while they were off.

As I said before, I understand, respect and even applaud the fact that the law does not require women to announce their pregnancy until 25 weeks but I'm only human.

Zazen999

Almo wrote: »

This thread has really got under my skin because I can honestly see it from both sides (ethically). I've been thinking about it, and I would much prefer to be told in advance. If the person was the best person for the job then I would employ them anyway. I would expect them to work damn hard until they went on maternity, but if they had proved their honesty in the first place, and complemented this with their hard work, I would have no problems with making the necessary cover arrangements while they were off.

As I said before, I understand, respect and even applaud the fact that the law does not require women to announce their pregnancy until 25 weeks but I'm only human.

But if you employ someone who is pregnant and then expect them to work harder [than the other workers], then you can be accused of discrimination then....it's a no win situation for the employer. Damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Almo

Zazen999 wrote: »

But if you employ someone who is pregnant and then expect them to work harder [than the other workers], then you can be accused of discrimination then....it's a no win situation for the employer. Damned if they do and damned if they don't.

If they worked for me they would be the only person doing their role so no one to compare against! I take your point though.

OH and I are at the stage of deciding whether to employ someone to work for us, in our tiny business, and to be honest all this kind of stuff puts me off massively. This is my business, that I have put my heart and soul into, and I don't want to employ anyone, male or female, who isn't honest and straightforward with me.

I wonder if anyone can tell me, if you employ someone, and they go off on 9 months maternity leave after working for you for 3 months, does that mean that when they get back you cannot sack them without reason? I.e. have they effectively passed the 1 year mark even though you can only assess them on 3 months work? I'm only asking out of academic interest, so please don't jump down my throat/assume I am evil, it's just something that occurred to me earlier.

postingalwaysposting

mountainofdebt wrote: »

Not having a go at the OP but this is one reason why OH won't employ women.

As a small business employer, he can't afford to employ a woman and then her go off for a year on maternity leave.

Yes he might be missing out on 50% of the population but in his industry, certainly at the moment, he can afford to do so.

Charmin, what about all the woman out there who don't want to or phsically can't carry a child? I suppose if a woman apply's he fobs them off with a 'not suitable' etc letter. As he legally can't say 'your a woman so I won't emply you', can he :mad: I wonder if a woman in his busniess that made a high impact on his profit whould change his mind

Op, I wish you all the best but at the end of the day as another poster said everyone is out for themselves these days. Even when you are in a 'secure' job/within a team. As long as you tell them before/on 25weeks they can't grumble

tronski

I just wanted to share this with the OP. I started a Xmas temp job back in Oct. After one day there, I discovered that I was pregnant. I spoke to my manager the next day as the job involved lots of heavy lifting. The company have been excellent and I was trained in other areas which didn't involve the heavy lifting. I worked really hard over the Xmas period and was fortunate enough to be kept on after Xmas (when they got rid of a lot of the other temps). I'm staying until I leave to have my baby and have been offered a position if I wish to return after.

Uncertain

woody01 wrote: »

Once again ..... complete rubbish!


You are right...i wouldn't.
And before people like Uncertain start whining again, as it is apparent he/she is NOT an employer i will tell you firstly why, and secondly, how i would lawfully justify it.

The reason why is that you, for a certain period of time, whether it's 3 months or 12 months, would be no use to my business whatsoever. The reason you would've been employed would obviously to fill a roll that is required. In these times, with headcount freezes etc, to employ someone is an important step. Then to find out they will disappear again, doesn't help the business, the people working there or the profitability.

So, if i am advertising a position, i will always see at least 6 people to give me an idea of what the calibre of candidate will be like and until i can narrow things down to 2 people, i will not commit.
If you got to the last 2 on ability alone, which you may well do, the other candidate would be at least as capable as you are. Therefore, it's down to opinion as to who gets the job.
If i don't like your perfume, you have spots, a weird laugh, any number of things, i can use this as my excuse not to employ you.
Contrary to popular belief aswell, i do not have to give you a reason for not offering you the job.
As long as it isn't blatantly obvious i didn't employ you because of your pregnancy there is nothing you can do.

Almo and myself have given you the facts from an employers point of view and they are pretty similar.

Like xxxLazyDaisy (who's advice is always excellent) I am only going to waste so much time replying to this sort of ignorant garbage.

So, here is my final answer........

Not that it is relevant, I have run a successful small business and been an employer.

I have also spent a considerable amount of time over many years working with other small business through my professional association.

Additionally I have run a specialised department within a world famous institution and experienced first hand their extensive but, at times, unbelievably bad HR department.

Finally, and perhaps most relevant, I worked on a freelance basis for several years with a highly successful specialised business working at the top of their field. They, interestingly, came closest to the type of employment practices you seem to advocate. The difference, I suspect, is that they had the financial clout to act in that sort of way and the owner had virtually unlimited personal resources.

So, having got the CV out of the way.....


Far from being "complete rubbish" my comment that discriminating against a pregnant woman can lead to an unlimited award is 100% fact.

You claim to explain " how i would lawfully justify it." But you don't! What you do explain is how you might hope to get away with it - which is a totally different thing.

Your approach is like knowingly sending the company van out with bald tyres. One of three things may happen....

You may get away with it.

You may get pulled up in a routine check and incur a minor fine.

or

You might kill somebody with it and it be proved that you knew it was defective. In that case you will end up in jail.

xxxLazyDaisy has pointed out the various steps a pregnant woman who feels she has suffered discrimination can take. Your response is, in effect, to rely on lying. I suspect you are the sort of person who would presure your staff into doing the same. No doubt you would be "unable to find" records that were "inconvenient" but, as xxxLazyDaisy has explained that won't help. The law is wise to that so the presumption would be that you had in fact discriminated.

Oh, by the way, an employer in Scotland got sent down for 18 months recently for lying to an employment tribunal and manufacturing evidence.

So, keep that in mind next time you discriminate then tell you mates (if you have any) about how clever you have been. The next young woman might be the daughter of somebody like xxxLazyDaisy........

Oh, and why did I mention the business I did consultancy work for? Well, their approach WAS along the lines of "hire who we like, fire who we don't like and if all else fails pay up". For the most part they did exactly that. They had a high profile and a queue of well qualified people wanting to work there. If you fell foul of the owner you were out and then he simply got his solicitors to broker a settlement. Effectively he budgeted a couple of salaries each year for doing just that. However, even he caught a cold on a discrimination case and the settlement would have taken many small businesses down. After that he got some professional HR help!

Somehow I very much doubt you are in that sort of league!

bettybelle

I have read this thread with great interest and think zzzLazyDaisy has given excellent information. As she has said she is a specialist in this area and I would take much more notice of what she has said, OP, than some of the employers on here getting a dig in.

I've been wondering lately what I would do in your position. I'm currently looking for a new job and my husband and I are trying for a baby. Should I wait to try until I am established in a new job? No, because for various reasons time is precious so we will continue to try. If I am lucky enough to find out I am pregnant and it is before going for an interview, I will keep quiet. If I get the job, I will not say anything until the 12 week period has passed. Then I will apologise to the employer for the inconvenient timing but share the HAPPY news that I am pregnant.

If they don't like it, TOUGH. As they say, no sentiment in business. Laws are there for a reason, maybe some people feel it's unfair on employers but they need to take that up with the Government, it's not your problem!!

Lastly, OP, what wonderful news you have got, all the very best for your pregnancy xo