Pregnancy, risk of redundancy, potential new job

Marcon

mean_squirrel said:

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.

If they are paying £15K below your current package, I wonder how much they want to hire (and keep) you? Rather than trying to negotiate improved maternity pay, why not try emphasising that you'd need a good incentive to move from your current role, and a salary cut of that order doesn't really send you the message that they are keen on engaging you.

mean_squirrel

Marcon said:

mean_squirrel said:

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.

If they are paying £15K below your current package, I wonder how much they want to hire (and keep) you? Rather than trying to negotiate improved maternity pay, why not try emphasising that you'd need a good incentive to move from your current role, and a salary cut of that order doesn't really send you the message that they are keen on engaging you.

Unfortunately the role is lower level than my current role and they can’t go up on base salary. 

I talked to them about it and they explained from the start that the salary band is what it is for this level and I should only apply if I am comfortable with lower job level and lower pay.

It is still very good salary comparing to many companies in this industry, so I know that it is fair.

Exodi

mean_squirrel said:

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)?

I've been working in senior management for many years now. What you are asking, is absolute unbridled madness.

No company will be keen to hire someone who will soon be departing on maternity leave - inevitably they would then need hire a 'temporary' replacement for you - makes no sense. There's also no telling if you'd even return after maternity leave, many don't. Unfortunately it's just reality.

Your suggestion to ask for their maternity package as part of the negotiation has truly left me lost for words:

"Hi Mr Employer - just to let you know, soon after being trained up and starting, I will be off for a very, very long time  and there is no guarantee that I will return... maybe you also could hire another one of the candidates from these interviews to be my temporary replacement? 

Furthermore for me to accept this job, you will need to agree to pay me above your obligations for my almost immediate time off."

Never, ever, ever going to happen. There would be nothing stopping you, (in the unlikely scenario they agree) receiving tens of thousands of pounds from a company where you've barely stepped foot in the office and then quitting once the maternity arrangement ends. I wish I could verbalise the point better than a mock conversation but I just don't know how.

Undervalued said:

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.

Indeed, and if the OP's fears are realised and the whole team of 4 is made redundant, then it's hard to argue there has been any unlawful discrimination because the OP happened to be pregnant.

Nonetheless with all things considered I think sticking with the current company is the best course of action. Many bigger companies wouldn't want to go anywhere near a redundancy situation if there are protected characteristics at play.

LightFlare

Also hard to argue any possible discrimination over something the OP hasn’t made their employer aware of.

Between a rock and a hard place sadly.

I would just stay put for now and revisit the situation on returning to work after maternity

mean_squirrel

LightFlare said:

Also hard to argue any possible discrimination over something the OP hasn’t made their employer aware of.

Between a rock and a hard place sadly.

I would just stay put for now and revisit the situation on returning to work after maternity

Haven’t told them because I don’t know what I will do yet. If I am moving to a new job then it’s not the current employer’s problem.
if I am staying then I will tell them and hopefully that will give me some protection.

TBagpuss

Undervalued said:

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.

Thanks, I'd missed where she said how long she'd been in post .