Pregnant Friend Applying for a Job at my Company

TELLIT01

My advice would also be to keep quiet. I admire the OPs loyalty to those she works with but if asked she can honestly state that she didn't know about the pregnancy when she put the person forward for the job. She can add that the lady's youngest child is 19 as reinforcement of having no reason to think there was anything planned.
The friend has applied and is a strong candidate in the opinion of the OP. That doesn't mean those doing the interviews will have the same opinion.

Enterprise_1701C

I can't read without commenting.

You can't say anything about your friend's pregnancy, she has told you she is not saying anything, it would be utter betrayal if you did.

Another point, if she is not showing, how would they know you knew anything about it? Your friend could legitimately have kept quiet whilst in the process of applying for the job so as not to prejudice her chances. If she is as good a friend as you say she is then work out an agreement that she will specifically say she did not tell you until she had to, she could use some excuse like she was superstitious about it or somesuch.

sangie595

LilElvis wrote: »

You do realise that maternity leave can be as short as 2 weeks? That's how long my old manager took off - and she was on the phone to me within 2 days. Plenty of employees take that much time off for minor illnesses.

Quite!

I had major surgery on Monday this week. The absolute best case scenario is a minimum of three months unable to walk and up to two years before full recovery. Given the surgery, there's a strong chance it'll not recover fully at all. I was back working (from hospital) Monday evening! Everyone is different - someone else might now be off work for a year or more...

Equally, who says the woman will be taking the leave - other than the absolute legal maternity leave (2 weeks; or 4 for factory workers), it is entirely possible for the other parent to be the primary carer and to claim shared parental leave. It is, after all, 2018, and it has finally been recognised that there are two parents involved in this baby making process, not one.

And if doing the right thing, which is NOT saying anything, isn't sufficient motivation for the OP.... discrimination is one of the areas where it is possible, and in fact more common, to include individual employees in a claim, not just the employer. After all, it won't take a forensic scientist for the friend to work out who might have told the employer she's pregnant, and that would mean that if she claims the failure to give her the job was pregnancy related, the OP might find themselves a co-respondent and potentially at risk themselves.

LilElvis

Wishing you a speedy and full recovery Sangie.

sangie595

LilElvis wrote: »

Wishing you a speedy and full recovery Sangie.

Thanks. It's actually likely to be boredom rather than the surgery that gets me... Hence working! I have dozens of box sets, movies, three computers / tablets, coloring books and three phones all within reach!!!!!! I may not run out of things to do until Sunday....

Les79

LilElvis wrote: »

You do realise that maternity leave can be as short as 2 weeks? That's how long my old manager took off - and she was on the phone to me within 2 days. Plenty of employees take that much time off for minor illnesses.

Yea true, however I've processed maternity requests in the past for front-line staff and every single one of them have taken full advantage of maternity leave. Months off at a time.

I suspect that wages/earning power and job status may well play a part to be honest.

missile

If it were me, I would tell whomever you gave the recommendation to.

Mojisola

ChrisL123456 wrote: »

We recently had a new position become available, I spoke to my friend who wanted out of her job and she has successfully applied for the one we have and is due an interview next week.

Now today she has revealed to me that she is pregnant

JReacher1 wrote: »

Although they cannot discriminate against your friend it may make her probation period a bit dicey. I would not be surprised if she fails probation for an unrelated reason.

Dox wrote: »

Depends if she will have worked for the employer continuously for at least 26 weeks continuing into the ‘qualifying week’ - the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth.

Has your friend considered the possibilities mentioned above?

She might be financially better off staying in her current job for the time being - worth mentioning to her.

TELLIT01

Mojisola wrote: »

Has your friend considered the possibilities mentioned above?

She might be financially better off staying in her current job for the time being - worth mentioning to her.

Many people do seem to think they only need to have been in employment continuously for 26 weeks and don't realise it's 26 weeks with the employer liable to pay the SMP.

motorguy

Les79 wrote: »

Maybe, if you want an equal society, you should start with small steps and petition (haha) for The Queen to get a job and pay taxes like the rest of us.

I would say the Queen has worked harder and longer than any of us.