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hi, i went bk 2 work today and i hated it im findin it hard im so tierd, and im always runnin about and never stop! but im always runnin off to the loo every hlf hour lol image and i had to have a bk 2 work and they made me feel awful 4 bein pregnant they havnt even gave me a maternity pack or told me my rights theyve known im pregnant for over 4 weeks now! and im the one that feels guilty for having time off! im feelin so run down at the min too im very emotional so wen any one says anything to me that sounds nasty it makes me wanna cry!
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Replies

  • ok - questions:

    How far gone are you?
    Do you work for a private firm or local government or what?
    Have they done a risk assessment of your expected role yet?

    Tell me the answers to these then I will reply again with more help!!!!

    Chin up chuck there is a way to sort this out! image
  • im 8 weeks, i work in retail in a big well known firm, and no
  • Oh also meant to ask are you a union member at all???
  • no im not im afraid but can be in the next week if needed
  • Right give a me a sec and I will have an investigate and then write you a proper anser - ok? image !
  • i have the same probelm at work.and this will sound crap compared to your story. i sit on my arse all day.but staring at the pc screen and my headaches are so bad my eyes start wateringand i have to keep walking around and losening my stiff muscles.i dont do any running around.so my love i feel for you.if i feel like this then i cant imagine how you would be feeling.
  • hey,

    couple of quick things...
    you're company is legally required to give you a risk assessment...
    They dont have to tell you 'your rights' as such but information on maternity policy should be available to you - is there an employee handbook that you have access to?'
    This link will take you to a doc which outlines your rights as an employee..

    http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file34285.pdf

    Also, I'm going to play devil's advocate here... but you mentioned you're feeling very emotional and easily upset at the mo. It may be that what they said seemed worse to you than it actually was? If that's a possibility you should talk to your manager and explain how they made you feel and try and resolve things with them informally. (hope you dont take it the wrong way - just trying to look at it from all angles).

    I hope it gets a bit better for you.
  • ok here goes!

    First of all I think this website will really help you out:
    http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/WorkAndFamilies/DG_10026556
    Look especially at the 'health and safety for pregnant employees' section. I think it is quite simple to understnad but if you have any questions just ask!

    You need to go back to your boss/whoever dealt with your back to work or whatever and say that you want to see the maternity pack and their maternity leave policy. If they still don't give it to you then there are other steps to take but if you ask outright then that is a good first step. Also tell them that you want the risk assessment done (I had a real fight with my employer about this but it is a LEGAL requirement that they do it and change any duties that are no longer suitable e.g. I am a teacher and no longer do outside yard duties cos standing for long periods is not suitable - this is where I got my union involved cos my headteacher was being such an arse, like you I wasn't a member before but joined to get the back up on this and was so glad I did, but try just asking first and see what happens)

    You are also entitled to 'reasonable rest breaks' this is a tricky one to pin down what it actually means but I now will tell someone to cover my class and go for a 10 minute sit down and glass of water if things are getting too much and I think this is a reasonable rest break!

    AS for them making you feel crappy for taking time off when you are ill they can't do this - it counts as discrimination. If you are ill then you are ill! They certainly shouldn't be making you feel bad for being pregnant either!

    I don't know if I have been any help at all but I know how shocking my employer was at the beginning and I don't like the sound of how you are feeling so wanted to try and help!

    I really did find being a union member helped - even saying to my head 'well I will ring the union to check what I am entitled to' suddenly made her back down and do what I wanted without actually having to do any more than that. My headteacher tried to make out this was me starting to be a 'troublemaker' but I very firmly told her I was just getting what I was legally entitled to - she messed me about too much so that was why I pushed back hard.

    Anyway - if there is any more problems or anything else I could help with just ask image !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Good luck (sorry if this is long and waffle!)
  • thanks for that link! ive just spoke to my manager and shes gunna see personnel manager tomorrow then shes gunna try and get me a hand book and put me on light dutys until further notice! which helps! i thought of that but the way 1 manager spoke to me it did feel as she was tryin to get at me!
  • Hi
    was just wondering do you work in a school?
    if you do can i ask you a question as i too work in a school & have a question about mat leave was wondering if u had an answer??
    thanks
    Claire**
  • Hi there clairesy1 - yes I do work in a primary school so ask away and I will do my best to answer!
  • Hi,

    I agree about the risk assessment if you are in a job that could have an impact on your pregnancy. Generally at 8 weeks though there isn't a huge amount to change depending on what your job is. If you work at a desk you may find as you get more of a bump they need to assess your work station and make sure you are still comfortable to stop you getting back pain etc.
    In terms of their maternity policy etc it is very early really for them to be talking to you about this. I worked as a HR Business Partner when I was in the UK and most of the time employees don't even tell you they are pregnant until at least 12 weeks. If there is a sickness issue they need to be sympathetic with you and try and help you back to work, perhaps offer reduced hours if that helps you back.
    Once you have had your first scan and dates confirmed etc then it is more useful for you to have a meeting with your Manager or HR to talk through the maternity policy, how much maternity leave you are entitled to and what holidays you have to take etc.

    Try not to panic too much, it is an emotional time and I know a lot of employers aren't the best at dealing with us pregnant ladies! Sounds like your Manager is trying to be more helpful now you have spoken to them though so try and keep the lines of communication open.

    As for a union, teachers unions are a bit of an exception here as I am afraid from my experience unions are usually a complete waste of time and money!! 9 times out of 10 when I have been in a meeting when a union was involved they have either spouted a load of rubbish or negotiated the employee a much worse deal.

    Best advice I can give you is to keep your Manager up to speed with how you are feeling and what you are struggling with so they can make reasonable adjustments accordingly.

    Hope you get things sorted soon.

    Liz x
  • i have a work issue and was just wondering if anyone had any advice??? i am a betting shop manager which can be a stressful job e.g mad idiot customers shouting at me when they lose etc but my problem is i have asked my area manager to do a risk assessment his reply was to look up from his bit of paper and the he said your fine in here and looked back down, also i have been on hol this week and just called work for my rota and they have put me on all nites this is because they know im not allowed to work alone but had been up to this because i knew if i made a fuss about working alone i would be made to work nites all the time if anyone can give me any advice i would be grateful xx
  • hi bec n bump,

    glad to hear that your manager offering a bit more support now. I def agree with LizB - its important to keep the lines of communication open.

    Victoria - sorry to hear that you too are having a hard time of it - I'd also recommend that you have a look at the guide for employees issued by the government (i put a link on my earlier post). It's best you know exactly what your company should do for you before you go back and talk to your manager again.

    hope things go ok for you.
  • Hi,
    sorry only just managed to get on line, had such a hetic day putting up christmas decs!!
    Any way prob already know the answer to this but was thinking last night, when i was on maternity leave last time i worked in a nursery and while i was off i accured holiday, about 2 weeks i think and so took this at end of maternity leave so got 2 weeks extra off at the end.
    As i will be on maternity leave this time during the summer 6 wk holidays do you loose all this as seems we would be loosing out a bit as normally would get 6 wks full pay for doing nothing but will only be getting stat maternity pay for this time instead??
    hope you know what i mean & prob already know the answer to this already but thought i would check.
    Thanks
    Claire***:\?
  • Hi Claire,

    You shouldn't lose out on any holiday pay while you are on maternity leave . I'm not entirely sure how schools work it, but in a business you would either let the employee take the holiday before or after their maternity leave, or if for some reason it wasn't possible pay them for the holiday (although it is always preferred that you have the time if possible). I would have a chat to your manager and find out what they have done for other employees and what your options are.

    Good luck!

    L x
  • I haven't had time to read the whole thread but all employers who employ women of child bearing age (not even if employees are pregnant at that time) must do a risk assessment.
  • Hi clairesy1 - unfortunately, as far as I know, you do only get your maternity pay for holidays that fall into your maternity leave - BUMMER hey!!!!
  • i went to have my risk assesment and guess what?????
    they couldnt find the papers or a booklet for me!
    typical eh!
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