Pregnancy, risk of redundancy, potential new job

mean_squirrel

We have been through a lot of rounds of IVF over the last few years which costed most of our savings.

Lo and behold, I have found out I am finally pregnant - with twins.

The IT company I have been working for 1 year and 4 months has been acquired by an investor and is being merged with a competitor.

My boss has resigned as did his boss and I worry that my team of 4 might be at risk of a redundancy should they start cutting down the staff numbers as part of the merge.

I have been headhunted by another company in the industry and currently in interview process with them. The salary is about £15k lower than now, but it is still a very good pay / benefits package.

However, I currently qualify for a company maternity pay which is very generous (I think almost all maternity I would get full salary if I remember correctly). So if I didn’t get made redundant this would be a great option. 

However, if I lose the currency job and don’t take the new job then I might end up pregnant without any job at all.

What would you do?

Would it be worth telling the new company about my pregnancy and asking for their maternity package to be included as part of the job negotiation? Or will I be shooting myself in the foot?

I know companies like to talk about equality etc, but would they actually treat me equally if I told them I was pregnant or would they retract the job offer (covering it with a different reason)?

Devongardener

if you start a  new job when pregnant, you are not eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) - to qualify you need to satisfy the 'continuous employment' rule.  This means you have to have been employed for a continuous period of at least 26 weeks before the qualifying week, which is the 15th week before your baby is due to be born.   If you don't qualify for SMP, you may get Maternity Allowance instead.

You'd still be eligible for Ordinary Maternity leave (OML), though, which lasts for 26 weeks, as it doesn't matter how many hours you work, or how long you've been in your job.

You are entitled to this from the first day in a new job and it can start from the 11th week before your baby is due.

You are also now entitled to 26 weeks Additional Maternity Leave, which makes it one year in total. You can take this regardless of how long you've been with your employer and this starts at the end of your OML.

You’ll be entitled to SMP from your current employer even if made redundant.  You might find they offer an enhanced redundancy package anyway, to avoid any discrimination issues.

mean_squirrel

Devongardener said:

if you start a  new job when pregnant, you are not eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) - to qualify you need to satisfy the 'continuous employment' rule.  This means you have to have been employed for a continuous period of at least 26 weeks before the qualifying week, which is the 15th week before your baby is due to be born.   If you don't qualify for SMP, you may get Maternity Allowance instead.

You'd still be eligible for Ordinary Maternity leave (OML), though, which lasts for 26 weeks, as it doesn't matter how many hours you work, or how long you've been in your job.

You are entitled to this from the first day in a new job and it can start from the 11th week before your baby is due.

You are also now entitled to 26 weeks Additional Maternity Leave, which makes it one year in total. You can take this regardless of how long you've been with your employer and this starts at the end of your OML.

You’ll be entitled to SMP from your current employer even if made redundant.  You might find they offer an enhanced redundancy package anyway, to avoid any discrimination issues.

Thank you, I am aware of all this. SMP is not much in comparison to my employer’s enhanced maternity pay, so my concern is mostly how to survive with twins and not much savings that year off work (if I move jobs or am made redundant before maternity leave starts).

housebuyer143

As bad as it is, if you tell them you are pregnant I doubt you will get the job, so I probably wouldn't be discussing enhanced maternity pay tbh. 

Marcon

mean_squirrel said:

We have been through a lot of rounds of IVF over the last few years which costed most of our savings.

Lo and behold, I have found out I am finally pregnant - with twins.

The IT company I have been working for 1 year and 4 months has been acquired by an investor and is being merged with a competitor.

My boss has resigned as did his boss and I worry that my team of 4 might be at risk of a redundancy should they start cutting down the staff numbers as part of the merge.

I have been headhunted by another company in the industry and currently in interview process with them. The salary is about £15k lower than now, but it is still a very good pay / benefits package.

However, I currently qualify for a company maternity pay which is very generous (I think almost all maternity I would get full salary if I remember correctly). So if I didn’t get made redundant this would be a great option. 

However, if I lose the currency job and don’t take the new job then I might end up pregnant without any job at all.

1. What would you do?

2. Would it be worth telling the new company about my pregnancy and asking for their maternity package to be included as part of the job negotiation? Or will I be shooting myself in the foot?

3. I know companies like to talk about equality etc, but would they actually treat me equally if I told them I was pregnant or would they retract the job offer (covering it with a different reason)?

1. Prioritise my physical wellbeing and that of my unborn twins, especially if I'd been through lots of rounds of IVF. [Congratulations - hope the pregnancy goes smoothly.]

2. 'Please employ me. I'm pregnant and will soon be taking time off for maternity leave, possibly for a year, and I'd like enhanced pay during that time, with no guarantee I'll return afterwards'

3. Depends how valuable they think you'd be longer term - but you won't have much time to demonstrate your worth 

Khaderbhai

Congrats on the IVF success! I note you are still at the interview stage so you don’t have a job offer yet. Do you know the reasons why your boss and bosses boss left? From personal experience, I would try and stay at the current company if possible (I know its a risk) but can give you that sense of continuity going into the exciting stage 

Savvy_Sue

Personally, I'd stay put, risk the redundancy, and worry about job hunting once I felt ready to return to work. I'd be economising like mad now, and working out how to keep costs in check post-birth (for example there may be a local TAMBA club where you might find pre-loved bargains).

Obviously I'd love to suggest that you'll take up or carry on batch cooking, meal planning, and other worthy endeavours, but I'm a realist. I couldn't manage that with just one baby ...

You could put a Statement of Affairs (SOA) on the debt free board, they'll soon see where you could make immediate economies.

mean_squirrel

Khaderbhai said:

Congrats on the IVF success! I note you are still at the interview stage so you don’t have a job offer yet. Do you know the reasons why your boss and bosses boss left? From personal experience, I would try and stay at the current company if possible (I know its a risk) but can give you that sense of continuity going into the exciting stage 

Thank you.

I think my boss and his boss left as there were always some doubts about our team’s function in the org. We were brought in to manage/sort out some processes and organisational problems, but struggled to prove our worth in an org that wasn’t keen on change.

Hence my worry about the bosses leaving the sinking ship and potential redundancies that may target my team 1) since we have no management 2) since there always been doubts about our purpose in the org

TBagpuss

How long have you been at the existing company? Have you looked into what your entitlement would be if you were made redundant (https://www.gov.uk/calculate-your-redundancy-pay ) 

It may be safer to stay put for now as it preserves your rights to redundancy pay and of course if any redundancies aren't happenings yet, f they happen when you are on Mat leave you have added protections. 

It sounds as though that the moment, no redundancies have been announced and it may be that if 2 of your team have already left, that there is less risk of redundancies within your team itself as they can simply not recruit to replace these individuals. And in the mean time, you have the benefit of your good maternity benefits and knowing you would get redundancy pay if they do start cutting back. 

Undervalued

TBagpuss said:

How long have you been at the existing company? Have you looked into what your entitlement would be if you were made redundant (https://www.gov.uk/calculate-your-redundancy-pay ) 

It may be safer to stay put for now as it preserves your rights to redundancy pay and of course if any redundancies aren't happenings yet, f they happen when you are on Mat leave you have added protections. 

It sounds as though that the moment, no redundancies have been announced and it may be that if 2 of your team have already left, that there is less risk of redundancies within your team itself as they can simply not recruit to replace these individuals. And in the mean time, you have the benefit of your good maternity benefits and knowing you would get redundancy pay if they do start cutting back. 

The OP says.....

The IT company I have been working for 1 year and 4 months

So there is no redundancy entitlement at all!

In fact, although it would be a brave move due to the pregnancy, the OP could be dismissed for any reason that doesn't amount to unlawful discrimination (or indeed dismissed for no reason at all). Her only entitlement would be to the greater of her contractual notice or a week's statutory notice if no longer period has been agreed.

mean_squirrel

No redundancies announced yet, but there is a worry looking at similar situations in other companies going through mergers and acquisitions.

I don’t have a job offer with the new company yet, but they have offered me a job last year (got pulled at a last minute due to budget cuts). So this time I am straight at the final stage of interview process and I believe they want to hire me.

And yes, below 2 years employment, so they could give me 1 mont’s notice as per my contract and get rid of me.

i haven’t told anyone about my pregnancy yet.