Made redundant @ 9 weeks pregnant

[Deleted User]

Chickola wrote: »

Instead of a redundancy payment I can be kept on for another 4 months which will take me into the qualifying SMP period, although there will still be 2 months before I can start it when I will have no income.
.

Can you just explain what you mean by this?
If your Employer is willing to keep you on until you qualify for SMP then you will be entitled to the whole amount of SMP and can opt to have this in a lump sum.

i.e 6 weeks @ 90% + 33 weeks of SMP @ £135.45 (rate from April):j

Firefox1975

2sides2everystory wrote: »

Hmm, call me cynical if you like, but it sounds to me like your employer may have been gelled into action by the news.

Your employer may well have been worried for some time about lack of new business, and your employer will have been even more worried to learn you are pregnant. But that's business.

All things considered (including you announcing your pregnancy) your employer having made a new decision which is an attempt to shift the bulk of the worry on to your shoulders like this may have been unlawful. I imagine they know they are on very thin ice.

Perhaps someone like Sar El might offer a view and sound advice.

Good luck!

More than likely - But how would you prove this? most businessess are struggling anyway and making redundancies. the fact the OP is pregnant would be a moot point for a judge in the face of the current climate.

And going for a job and not announcing your pregnancy is morally wrong. If it is worng for the company not to offer a job on the grounds of pregnancy - then isn't it likewise wrong to withold this information which will be dertimental to the companies future? or is it ok because companies "can afford it"

Good luck with the Baby OP! full time job anyway!:)

tsstss7

OP if you can stay on in your current job to qualify for SMP I would do so unless you do find another job where both employer knows you are pregnant and is certain to take you into your qualifying period for maternity allowance (as you would not qualify for SMP with a new employer now). Some empolyers are rather more enlightened than others and wont neccesarily see it as a reason not to employ you.

One thing I would say is that being pregnant is quite all consumming once you hit the latter stages and planning to work beyond 36 weeks was a mistake for me when in my last job as I feel I was not of the mind set or physically able to do the job as well as I would have liked.

On the other hand finding another job now does mean you will have a job to go to after your up to a year maternity leave and as job hunting is very stressful you might find that gives you the best of both worlds and time to consider your options.

ALIBOBSY

OP something else to consider is that once baby is born you will qualify for some benefits.
Child ben is around £20 a week for the first baby and unless you OH is on a high salary you will get at least the basic £10 a week tax credits I think the cut off for getting tax credits is around 40k currently.

Ali x

Firefox1975

2sides2everystory wrote: »

Strongly disagree. I believe this would be a classic case of direct sex discrimination, and that it would be up to the employer to prove otherwise in every respect.

So the employer can show a distinct drop off in sales orders - this will be in hard copy evidence from the order book. Their argument for this being the current economic situation, which has already technically been proved by the recession we are in.

and then the OP says no it is blatant sexual discrimination?!?

Please, look at at without emotion, like a judge would.

(granted - the business will have to prove the drop in sales - but due you really think the business is lying when it says sales have dropped off?!?)

goodcommonsense

2sides2everystory wrote: »

Strongly disagree. I believe this would be a classic case of direct sex discrimination, and that it would be up to the employer to prove otherwise in every respect.

Your understanding is fundamentally flawed. It is for the claimant to establish a prima facie case of discrimination before the employer has to prove otherwise.

Chickola

Thanks you to everyone who has taken the time to reply.

I know it isn't pregnancy discrimination and there wouldn't be a case. There has been a lack of new business the last six months and the owner has decided to take the opportunity to relocate overseas and scale it back to just himself directly managing the remaining ongoing accounts.

At the moment I just feel really despondent - I had my dream job for two years and I know it doesn't exist elsewhere. I had the flexibility of a good salary while working from home in a very specific role.

Part of the problem is now my priorities have changed. Even looking a year from now I know I will want to spend time at home with the new baby, I don't want to rush into a senior role elsewhere (if I could get one) and be out the house 12 hours a day and most other roles while in the same field would be quite different.

So first of all I need to work out how I can manage financially until the baby arrives. I am hoping he will keep me on until I qualify for SMP, which I will then need to take early. Things will be very tight and there will be a two month gap when I have no income but I think I should be able to save up for those two months.

Then I need to work out what I do when the baby is six months old. In some ways this is the worst thing as you just never see part time roles come up, they don't exist, but I can't afford not to be working after this time.

Which leaves me with the option of trying to use the time to retrain. I would love a more stable career where I felt I had a secure job (as much as is possible), an option to have a pension and the opportunity to work locally. Teaching does seem to tick those boxes but I know it is highly competitive.

I think I would feel better if I had a proper plan and could see a light at the end of the tunnel. Instead I am just struggling to stop myself crying.

goodcommonsense

Have you looked at tutoring as an interim (or possibly longer term) source of income? Chances are there are children in the village that are having to travel for this, whereas you could offer them a local service.

Chickola

I am thinking that retraining might be my only hope of a stable career with a good income and pension, I'm just worried that at 35 it is far too late and that having now been made redundant I just won't be able to cope financially in the interim.

goodcommonsense

Chickola wrote: »

I'm not a teacher at present, I work in media / search engine optimisation.

I am thinking that retraining might be my only hope of a stable career with a good income and pension, I'm just worried that at 35 it is far too late and that having now been made redundant I just won't be able to cope financially in the interim.

No need to be a teacher in order to tutor, as long as you have a good knowledge of the areas you are tutoring you should be fine. And no need to worry about being too old at 35, you've still got 30 years to give and a candidate with experience in the workplace can be very attractive compared to somewhat that went to uni straight from school.