Pregnant and job searching, can I change my mind?

Anne25_2

So i was made redundant and found out i was pregnant in the space of a week!! I frantically started applying for jobs straight away. I was offered the first job I interviewed for - which was a sales job for a good company with really nice people etc. However being a sales job the salary wasn’t very good. I had a few others in the pipeline at the time (interviews coming up a few weeks later) - offering a significantly higher salary. So my sensible head told me to hold off on the first job offer and concentrate on my other applications instead. Which i did and subsequently politely declined the first offer.

However, I have unfortunately been unsuccessful in my other interviews!!

I am now 4 and a half months pregnant and jobless and really regret turning down my first offer!!

My questions are: can I contact the company and change my mind? Is it unethical to do this? Also, is it wrong of me to start a new job during pregnancy, especially this far on? Would I also need to tell them straight away that I am pregnant?

** The position i applied for is still available! I think recruitment is more or less ongoing, they’re always looking for the right people and i think they’re quite picky about who they employ **

Les79

Try it, but irrespective of the pregnancy you have already declined their offer and they can so easily get you on that basis!

Being pregnant is a protected characteristic for discrimination purposes but on this occasion you've been offered a job and declined it, so very hard to claim any sort of subsequent discrimination there.

What that effectively means is that you at the mercy of the company. Maybe they will take you on, maybe they won't. Who knows? But you can always field the question.

[Deleted User]

Anne25 wrote: »

** The position i applied for is still available! I think recruitment is more or less ongoing, they’re always looking for the right people and i think they’re quite picky about who they employ **

Do you need the stress? This bit would worry me, you could find yourself heavily questioned/probed and the tables turned very much.

I once declined a sales job to do customer service which let me go day 5 of new job so back to the sales company I went which couldn't have been a worse idea, who on being re-approached suggest a 'trial' I think I did half a day before I ended up telling them I wasn't returning. In hindsight I should have left the job alone when I saw it re-advertised. A NMW sales job came up around the same time which lasted until I chose to walk so it wasn't all bad.

It was a strange place and I so can't imagine doing it knowing I needed to hide a pregnancy, sorry. x

Red-Squirrel_2

What reason did you give for turning down the offer?

If you were vague enough and polite enough, you could contact them and say something like 'my situation has changed and if possible I would like to be considered for the role again". You've nothing to lose after all.

Fireflyaway

I was pregnant and job searching and managed to hide my bump. I was 3 months pregnant so wasn't that hard. I didn't let on because although a company can't technically discriminate against a pregnant person, would you really want the hassle of employing one? I wouldn't. I had a colleague who had 3 back to back pregnancies. She was hardly in work for 4 years! When she was in, she was frequently off sick or attending pregnancy related appointments.
Its worth going back to the same company but I think you might need a strong story as to why you turned them down. Employment is always risky as companies can get rid of you anyway. They can just make up a fake reason it will be hard to prove otherwise.
I'd definitely try to put money aside once you get a job because I doubt you will be eligible for company maternity. I wasn't and so I had statutory pay and had to return to work really early.

mpython

Anne25 wrote: »

So i was made redundant and found out i was pregnant in the space of a week!! I frantically started applying for jobs straight away. I was offered the first job I interviewed for - which was a sales job for a good company with really nice people etc. However being a sales job the salary wasn’t very good. I had a few others in the pipeline at the time (interviews coming up a few weeks later) - offering a significantly higher salary. So my sensible head told me to hold off on the first job offer and concentrate on my other applications instead. Which i did and subsequently politely declined the first offer.

However, I have unfortunately been unsuccessful in my other interviews!!

I am now 4 and a half months pregnant and jobless and really regret turning down my first offer!!

My questions are: 1can I contact the company and change my mind? 2Is it unethical to do this? Also, 3is it wrong of me to start a new job during pregnancy, 4especially this far on? 5Would I also need to tell them straight away that I am pregnant?

** The position i applied for is still available! I think recruitment is more or less ongoing, they’re always looking for the right people and i think they’re quite picky about who they employ **

1 Yes
2 No
3 No
4 Still No
5 Depend on whether you plan to want any adjustments or maternity pay

If they are always recruiting for this sales post, why do you think that might be? How would you ensure you lasted longer than most other people?

Masomnia

Fireflyaway wrote: »

I'd definitely try to put money aside once you get a job because I doubt you will be eligible for company maternity. I wasn't and so I had statutory pay and had to return to work really early.

Unfortunately it looks like OP won't be eligible for SMP either.

Really not a good situation to find yourself in. I'd ask about the job. Nothing to lose. Save as much as you can. If they have a high turnover anyway it might not be a problem you coming and going.

Ja7188

You trying to hide your bump is not a good idea - had you taken on the role when it was first offered, your pregnancy would clearly have showed during the probationary period and at this point, the company would most likely not have been best pleased and would quite possibly have gotten rid of you by failing your probation - they could have used any number of factors to do this...

I think you're probably best off finding some temporary work for the next few months and accepting you may well have to manage without maternity pay.

Anne25_2

Les79 wrote: »

Being pregnant is a protected characteristic for discrimination purposes but on this occasion you've been offered a job and declined it, so very hard to claim any sort of subsequent discrimination there..

No I wasn’t planning on claiming any sort of discrimination, of course not.

Anne25_2

Red-Squirrel wrote: »

What reason did you give for turning down the offer?

If you were vague enough and polite enough, you could contact them and say something like 'my situation has changed and if possible I would like to be considered for the role again". You've nothing to lose after all.

Yes I was vague and very polite and complimentary about the company and job offer too. They sent me a nice reply too.

Anne25_2

Fireflyaway wrote: »

I was pregnant and job searching and managed to hide my bump. I was 3 months pregnant so wasn't that hard. I didn't let on because although a company can't technically discriminate against a pregnant person, would you really want the hassle of employing one? I wouldn't. I had a colleague who had 3 back to back pregnancies. She was hardly in work for 4 years! When she was in, she was frequently off sick or attending pregnancy related appointments.

No I absolutely would not want to employ a pregnant person - and people like your colleague really annoy me too! I know someone (a teacher) who keeps having babies to avoid having to return to work!! :mad:
My issue really is that I need to work and feel this company may be my only hope. But at the same time, I do not want to “mug them off” so to speak as they really did seem like a lovely bunch of people! Its a question of morals and ethics really.