Telling employer about pregnancy

Bettyboop

Hi All,

I have just realised how much I rely on the advice and direction from other MSE's.....

I have worked at the hospital for 2 months now and I am pregnant. I am not 100% sure of the due date yet as my scan appointment is about 10 days away. The thing is my tummy is rather on the large side. I am going to work almost half naked everyday. I can't button my suits or even get the zips out. ....I will be getting some maternity wear eventually. What I want to know is when is the right time to tell your employer before or after the scan? I think people at work can clearly see that I am struggeling to fit into my size 12 clothes when I have already put on weight nearly 1 or 2 sizes bigger. Your thoughts would be appreciated on this.

Should I tell them tomorrow or wait for the scan appointment? What did you do? Thanks all!

emily.2828

You have a duty to tell them that you are pregnant for your own safety and insurance etc.. I know it is worrying that you have not been there very long but if you waited to tell them that you are pregnant and they request your doctor confirm when you found out you were pregnant they have grounds for dismissal where as if you are open an honest they cannot sack you for it, aslong as you didnt know before taking the job with them.
Working at a hospital as well i am sure they will understand.

izoomzoom

Bettyboob

By law you don't have to tell your employer until 15 weeks before your baby is due, but praticially you may tell them any time you want.

If you are ill, bursting out of your clothes, tired etc, it might just be worthwell telling them, so that you can get some 'understanding'. Your employer also has a duty of care to you, and needs to do a risk assessment re your health and safety at work.

Good luck

newbie71_2

Hi Bettyboop!

Congratulations! :T I'm 39 + 2 days preggers and just waiting for baby to make his/her arrival!

Re: your question it is up to you to decide when you want to tell your employer that you are pregnant. Legally, you do not have to tell them until you give notice for your maternity leave and pay in the 15th week before your baby is due.

However the other poster is right in that if you tell them earlier than this that means you will benefit from other rights you are entitled to, such as paid time off for antenatal care and health and safety protection.

I'm sure that if you're still below 12 weeks that you're not as big as you think and people haven't noticed yet. Although I know with the joy of pregnancy every woman is different.

Good luck with everything

firesidemaid

i would just tell your line/manager, and ask them to keep it between you until you have your scan.

you need to make sure (via a risk assessment from your manager) that you are not doing anything at work to put yourself and your baby at risk.

if you have access to your intranet, have a look at your hr policy for maternity rights at work.

you could also look on the tuc or unison websites for advice too.

congrats by the way x

becky004

emily.2828 wrote: »

You have a duty to tell them that you are pregnant for your own safety and insurance etc.. I know it is worrying that you have not been there very long but if you waited to tell them that you are pregnant and they request your doctor confirm when you found out you were pregnant they have grounds for dismissal where as if you are open an honest they cannot sack you for it, aslong as you didnt know before taking the job with them.
Working at a hospital as well i am sure they will understand.

That is utter nonsense and very bad advice, your employer cannot request a doctor to confirm when you found out you were pregnant. Neither does an employer have ANY grounds for dismissing a person merely for being pregnant let alone not telling them. You actually have more rights being pregnant (discrimination etc). You can begin a job without telling the employer you are pregnant, however you would not be entitled to the maternity benefits you would have received had you not been pregnant when you began working for them.
Don't quote me please check by other means, but if you got pregnant 1 week after starting your new job, then you are entitled to all maternity benefits provided by your particular employer. the above post was scare-mongering.
You are also entitled to by law, paid time off to attend all hospital appointments, midwife appointments, scans and ante-natal classes regardless of when you began working for them.

becky004

emily.2828 wrote: »

You have a duty to tell them that you are pregnant for your own safety and insurance etc.. I know it is worrying that you have not been there very long but if you waited to tell them that you are pregnant and they request your doctor confirm when you found out you were pregnant they have grounds for dismissal where as if you are open an honest they cannot sack you for it, aslong as you didnt know before taking the job with them.
Working at a hospital as well i am sure they will understand.

I find this post quite shocking, and am sure many first time mums will be unsure of their rights when they first find out they are pregnant. No employer can request information from either your GP or your midwife as to when you found out you were pregnant, that is your personal business and yours alone.
No employer can dismiss you for being pregnant, you can not be sacked for not telling them, even if you knew before starting. Am mortified at the repurcussions of the above statement for those that do not know their rights.

Justie

and the first reply is proof if ever it were needed that advice on the internet can be harmful :rolleyes:

As becky and others say you don't have a duty to tell your employer until 25 weeks. However depending on your job you may benefit from telling them sooner - especially your line manager. Once work know you're pregnant they are duty bound to do a risk assessment. If needed they may have to provide space for you to rest during your work time. You will be able to take paid leave to attend antenatal appointments.

If you've only been there a couple of months then you may not have entitlement to addition maternity benefits but HR should be able to inform you of that when the time comes. Your co-workers haven't known you long enough to know if you're just putting on weight or have a problem buying clothes so I wouldn't worry too much about it. In the mean time buy a bump band (Topshop or ebay) and you'll be able to stay in your regular clothes for longer - a lot of the initial growth is fluid etc and slows down.

oh and congrats

firesidemaid

hello again bettyboop!

i have just recognised your user name and remember you asking advide when going for this job in the nhs. you obviously got it - congrats on that as well x

viclav

Hi Congrats on your pregnancy,

I work for the NHS and am now 24 weeks pregnant, I told my line manager as soon as I found out and they've been great. Your entitled to paid time off for antenatal appointments which you wont get if they dont know! I think you have to work a certain amount of time before your entitled to company maternity pay and statatory mat pay but if you don't quaalify for that you get mat allowance paid by the Department of Work and pensions. The NHS internet site normally has their HR policies on so you could look at that and the Department of work and pensions site will tell you about statatory mat pay.

Hope this helps
Good luck

inkie

In answer to the OPs question - I told my manager as soon as I realised that I was pregnant, more or less. That was because I had hyperemesis and actually ended up as a patient on the ante-natal ward where I worked as a midwife.