Hi everyone, I have just joined the forum as I am so confused by various sources of information...

I have just started my second trimester ans has not told my employer yet as I have not had my first scan due to NHS blunder...

My company has announced MAJOR redundancies, about 25%. I am really confused whether or not to tell my employer now or wait until it is all over.

The reason why I am reluctant to inform them is: pay on company maternity leave is 6 months full wages (which I presume they pay themselves as the Gov only covers SMP, right?). So financially I am a burden to them and they are looking for ways to cut costs...

HR in this huge company is a very sophisticated bunch of professionals...

Thanks a millions in advance and sharing your personal experiences!

shame i cannot edit my post, so many typos... I cannot sleep, I'm so worried...

I'm in a similar position and will be telling my employer in 2 weeks when I'm 18wks as i'm starting to show already. I don't know when it is the 'right' time to tell them but for personal reasons i've chosen to wait until I have to.

Check out the government website below
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/...ghts/DG_175088

There is a section on redundancy which helped clear things up for me, there are no guarantees as you can still be made redundant in certain cases, though you do have maternity rights and have some protection to a degree. They can't make you redundant because of your pregnancy.

Try not to worry too much and hope Ive been of help.

Thank a lot, tillymum!
Morning somehow feels more reassuring than evening , especially sunny and bright morning we have here in Kent!
The link explains a lot, particularly where it says "It is automatically unfair and automatic sex discrimination for your employer to select you for redundancy for a reason connected with: maternity leave, birth or pregnancy, paternity leave, parental or dependants leave."

I've decided not to tell them at least until my first scan next week - find out what the criteria for redudnandies are to start with. My performance has been so far so good, I was promoted last March, the project I'm working on is a government project so hopefully I am relatively safe (fingers crossed). In the end of the day I have 75% chance of not being selected!

Decided to think positive today and not to panic! Can't wait for my first scan which is next Mon, at 14-15 weeks!

That's absolutely right. You can still be dismissed when pregnant or on maternity leave, e.g. for gross misconduct or redundancy. But, the other thing to know, is that if you are going to be made redundant when you are on maternity leave then your employer must put you into any suitable alternative role which is vacant. You get priority over everyone else but this only applies while you are on mat leave. The protection doesn't exist before you go off and stops as soon as you come back to work.

I was in exactly the same position - company wide cuts announced and we had been placed in the consultancy period, and each member of staff was called into a meeting with the MD and Chairman. I actually did tell them I was pregnant in that meeting (I was not quite at 12 weeks) and boy o boy how I wish I hadn't....because they made me redundant! It was a shock - my role was not an obvious one to cut as I was the only person doing it, was very good at it indeed, and it still needs to be done whether I am there or not.

To me it is obvious its related directly to my pregnancy because of things they (accidentally) said and so I am appealing it and am fully prepared to take the grievance process as far as I can.

I really wish I hadn't told them - if I had been made redundant then I would have known it was a pure business decision. My advice would be to keep quiet as long as you possibly can. Don't give them an extra reason to consider you for redundancy.

x

The company I work for as a PA/Receptionist (sole responsibility) has been struggling since October last year and have been working short time since then. In January they announced the first wave of redundancies and then in late February we went into administration and there have been two more lots since and our total employee count has gone from 150 down to only 46.

I have kept my pg quiet till last week when the last people went but I felt I couldn't wait any longer as the whole situation was stressing me out and I had begun to show and so I told my boss. I had also read that at my stage of pregnancy stress can have serious effects on the baby and that was something I just couldn't risk. He was fine about it and has been really nice with me since.

We are currently still in administration and my MD is trying to buy the company back but I have been told there are a couple of other interested parties and sealed bids have to be in by Thursday, I think if my boss manages to keep the business I will be ok but really don't think if someone else gets it they will want to keep me in my condition! (I know they can't make me redundant because of my pg but they can say I am surplus to requirements!)

I think you would be well advised to hold out for as long as you can and just see what happens unless you feel it is going to affect you or the baby adversly by keeping it to yourself.

Good luck hun, it is a horrible situation to have to deal with

Good luck with your appeal, zgaze! It's shocking to hear that they made you redundant straight away!
I don't want to give them an extra reason to consider me for redundancy either... Financially I will be burden to them because of generous company maternity policy.

Thanks very much for all your replies. Isn't it appalling that in 2009 pregnant women have to go through work/redundancy related stress, it's like dark ages again... I personally do not trust anyone in HR, I am pretty sure they will make sure to put anything in a "reasons for redundancy" list but pregnancy.

Keeping it quiet then, the tummy shows a bit but I can hide it for now. Can't wait until all this redudnacy process is over... 1st of June is my deadline for officially informing them. Hope it'll be over by then.

I am in a similar situation at work too. they know I am pg and they are doing quite a few redundancies at the moment.
I work for a really big company and i spoke to a guy from HR who said that it could actually go in my favour, as they are scared of making pregnant people redundant in case you take them to court for unfair dismissal.

Hi, i am in a very similar position. From my experience it depends on teh company you work for.

If you work for a large company with a decent sized HR department - being pregnant usually works in your favour, as like honey pie said they are sacred of being taken to tribunal. My company is actually closing so they ahve no choice to make me redundany but what they aer doing is payign me my redudnacy (i finish work in May) and also my full maternity pay (6 months full pay and 21 weeks SMP) up front when I leave - even though i will only be 6 months pregnant by then. Basically they will do anything to keep me happy.

How do you feel you do in your job - if you haev had good reveiws in teh last couple of years etc and you feel it woudl actually be unfair of them to select you for redudnacy then I think you woudl have a good case if they did!

I hope that makes sense.............waffling a bit - sorry!

My advice - if you feel that you are good at your job and deserve to keep it above others in your group then be honest.

If they don't know you are pregnant and make you redundant then you haev no come back!