Interviewing While Pregnant. Advice? Experience? Thoughts?

1faceinacrowd

Hi all,
I thought this might be a good place to ask for advice, because I'm a little lost and unsure of what to do. Here's just a little bit of background:
I currently have a good job as an Internal Consultant. I enjoy what I do, but the company is VERY inflexible. As a salaried employee, I have to use PTO/Personal Time if I work under 40 hours (but, of course, don't get any extra compensation when I work over 40 hours). If I have nothing to work on, I have to stay at work and...well, do nothing, if I don't want to use PTO. And I have to save what very little PTO I have, because I only get 5 weeks of paid maternity leave and have to use PTO for anything else.
That said, I've started applying for some remote (work from home) jobs that pay similar salaries to what I'm making now, and I have a second interview next week with one Canada-based company. Now, what I'm trying to figure out is how to go about finding out maternity/leave/vacation benefits before accepting any type of job offer. I'm not under any sort of delusion that I can work a full-time salaried position, even if it's from home, while caring for a newborn. I also wonder if the fact that this company is based out of Canada will make a difference. Do you guys think I should ask about maternity leave at the time that I receive an offer? I'd hate to immediately tell the HR person before even getting to talk to my new manager and tell them myself, but I also don't want to start and then find out that I don't qualify because I'll only be working there for about 5 and a half months before the baby is born (if I'm offered the job in the next couple of weeks and baby comes on time). 

Any thoughts on when to ask about benefits?
Also, do any of you in the US work for a Canada-based company? Does it affect how your benefits work? Do they still have to abide by US laws around FMLA? Has anyone else gone through the interview process while pregnant in the past? 

MSUgrad12

I would wait until they offer you the position so that the pregnancy doesn't away their decision. When they call just say "Before I accept the offer I do want you to know that I am pregnant. Can you tell me about what I could be expect with Maternity leave, etc?"

cait5413

Canada has better maternity leave than the US, but I don't know if it will apply to you, since you will be working in the US. Bad news: FMLA will not apply to you--you have to work for a company for 1 year before it applies (I know, because I am starting a new job in August). It is not out of line to ask for a statement of benefits before or after a job offer--that should include any formal maternity leave policy. In the US, they couldn't discriminate against you for being pregnant. I don't know what the laws are for a Canadian company, but I doubt they are less protective than US law. 

1faceinacrowd

cait5413 said:

Canada has better maternity leave than the US, but I don't know if it will apply to you, since you will be working in the US. Bad news: FMLA will not apply to you--you have to work for a company for 1 year before it applies (I know, because I am starting a new job in August). It is not out of line to ask for a statement of benefits before or after a job offer--that should include any formal maternity leave policy. In the US, they couldn't discriminate against you for being pregnant. I don't know what the laws are for a Canadian company, but I doubt they are less protective than US law. 

I've done a little bit of research and I do know for sure that I won't receive Canadian benefits because theirs is paid out due to some tax that they pay into, which I don't and probably won't be paying into as a US employee. I think I'm leaning toward asking for benefits information after receiving an offer but before accepting (assuming I even receive a job offer!). That sucks that FMLA doesn't apply if you've been somewhere for under a year. I know my current company offers leave under FMLA if you've been employed here for 6 months though, so I think companies can adjust their policies however they wish.

erinmarie86

with my last pregnancy i was looking for a new job and actually switched jobs while 5 months pregnant. I told them as soon as they called to give me the offer.  I was not eligible for FMLA until i hit my one year mark.  So i got 6 weeks disability after birth.  And then after August (my 1 year work anniversary) and before my son turned 1 (in December) i took another 6 weeks off (paid because of the CA paid family leave that is combined with FMLA).  You should see if you would qualify for this sort of set up once you hit your year mark.  To be honest, i loved it this way.  When i took my 6 weeks leave my son was more active and would interact with me.  We would go out and explore new things and have play dates.  I plan to split my time again with this LO.

MSUgrad12

cait5413 said:

Canada has better maternity leave than the US, but I don't know if it will apply to you, since you will be working in the US. Bad news: FMLA will not apply to you--you have to work for a company for 1 year before it applies (I know, because I am starting a new job in August). It is not out of line to ask for a statement of benefits before or after a job offer--that should include any formal maternity leave policy. In the US, they couldn't discriminate against you for being pregnant. I don't know what the laws are for a Canadian company, but I doubt they are less protective than US law. 

Despite it being illegal to discriminate, it  can still sway their decision. It's easy for a company to "go with someone with more experience" or something of the sort

cait5413

1faceinacrowd said:

cait5413 said:

Canada has better maternity leave than the US, but I don't know if it will apply to you, since you will be working in the US. Bad news: FMLA will not apply to you--you have to work for a company for 1 year before it applies (I know, because I am starting a new job in August). It is not out of line to ask for a statement of benefits before or after a job offer--that should include any formal maternity leave policy. In the US, they couldn't discriminate against you for being pregnant. I don't know what the laws are for a Canadian company, but I doubt they are less protective than US law. 

I've done a little bit of research and I do know for sure that I won't receive Canadian benefits because theirs is paid out due to some tax that they pay into, which I don't and probably won't be paying into as a US employee. I think I'm leaning toward asking for benefits information after receiving an offer but before accepting (assuming I even receive a job offer!). That sucks that FMLA doesn't apply if you've been somewhere for under a year. I know my current company offers leave under FMLA if you've been employed here for 6 months though, so I think companies can adjust their policies however they wish.

Oh, absolutely. A company can set any policy it wants. But you have no federal protection if they don't have such a policy. 

cait5413

I should also mention the Pregnancy Discrimination Act--if they have a short-term medical leave policy that applies to new employees, that applies for pregnancy, too. 

tmk0325

I'm in a similar situation. I lost my job last year and am currently interviewing. I went to Phoenix last week for a 5th interview with a company. Its down to me and one other person.  Before I accepted the in person interview, I asked to speak to who would be my boss and told her about the pregnancy. They were really flexible and were great when we spoke about it.  When I got there, I met with the HR director and asked her to tell me about the benefits.  

With that said, I do think it is personal preference. In my other interviews, I have not mentioned I am pregnant nor do I plan on it unless I am offered the position.  I only told this company about it due to the fact that I was so far along in the process and the job involves travel.  

I think if you were to come down to one of the top candidates, it is totally acceptable to ask about the benefits because it is something you will take into consideration if offered the job.  I don't think I would ask before then.  

ThisisNumber3

Umm I would be pretty thankful for 5 weeks paid!! That's pretty unheard of!  We get nothing just job protection and the right to use any PTO we are able to save up. 

ginger819

I'm not sure about the rules for working for a company in Canada, but it might be useful to check state laws too. Sometimes they make it better than FMLA. For instance in our state you are still guaranteed 6 weeks maternity leave even if you have worked at the company less than a year. 

bananers

 MSUgrad12 said:

I would wait until they offer you the position so that the pregnancy doesn't away their decision. When they call just say "Before I accept the offer I do want you to know that I am pregnant. Can you tell me about what I could be expect with Maternity leave, etc?"

This. But I also agree with @ThisisNumber3 that 5 weeks paid is pretty damn good. It doesn't hurt to look around, but don't burn any bridges with your current job in the process of looking because you may find that even if another company has a better policy, it's highly likely you won't even be eligible. 

BethP321

Legally they aren't allowed to base their decision to hire you because you are pregnant (they aren't even allowed to ask personal questions) so just don't even mention it until you get your foot in the door.  They can't fire you just because you are pregnant either.  I wouldn't wait too long before telling your manager, but maybe give it a week or two. 

bananers

BethP321 said:

Legally they aren't allowed to base their decision to hire you because you are pregnant (they aren't even allowed to ask personal questions) so just don't even mention it until you get your foot in the door.  They can't fire you just because you are pregnant either.  I wouldn't wait too long before telling your manager, but maybe give it a week or two. 

Well... they can't fire you, but they could not let you have much time off after the baby. Better to get this info upfront (and in writing) before you accept the job, so you can fall back on the job you have if you need to. 

charmedlifex3

I do know for my company, we get the same leave as after a year, just at a reduced rate, so worth checking. For us we would get 8 weeks at 60% before a year.

I will say, I would go into the interview / acceptance with a game plan on when and how you plan on returning to work, when, and have childcare plans in place. The more you are able to show you are committed to working before and after the birth, the more likely the company is to take it in stride.

@Bethp321 Actually, they can. If you are unable to do your job without unreasonable accommodation the company is within their rights to terminate you / not hire you in most states. Reasonable accommodation is required, but not anything that could threaten business operations. Something to keep in mind for all of us if the doctor offers to write restrictions. Of course when medically needed, go for it, but we should try to ask for these type of things to be specific.

https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/07/08/doctors-notes-for-pregnant-employees-often-backfire-experts-warn/?_r=0

lmtrmama

I got hired into a job when I was around 16 weeks with my first. I waited until the offer and then told her. Most companies I have experience with
give you a copy of their policies with your offer, so I was able to review that as well. That would be awesome if the maternity leave was better since it is in Canada!

SkiChic626

It's sad that we think 5 paid weeks is good...we're so far behind.

bananers

SkiChic626 said:

It's sad that we think 5 paid weeks is good...we're so far behind.

Amen. 

ramoseecology

Why are they making you use PTO for partial day absences? At my work we specifically have it in writing that we are not to use PTO for absences shorter than 4 hours and only have to use it for full day absences. 

It's part of FLSA that you only need to use PTO for full day absences:
https://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime/fs17g_salary.htm 

5 weeks paid maternity is a nice benefit.

1faceinacrowd

ramoseecology said:

Why are they making you use PTO for partial day absences? At my work we specifically have it in writing that we are not to use PTO for absences shorter than 4 hours and only have to use it for full day absences. 

It's part of FLSA that you only need to use PTO for full day absences:
https://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime/fs17g_salary.htm 

5 weeks paid maternity is a nice benefit.

We are required to use PTO for partial day absences, according to company policy. I have brought this up with my boss in the past; I do not think it's fair (I'm not even entirely sure that it's legal) but it is the policy here, which is why I'm searching for other opportunities with different companies.

It's not 5 weeks full pay; it's 5 weeks at 70% pay which I personally don't think is that great. Sure, it's more than some companies offer, but I had 6 weeks paid at 100% at the company that I worked for when I had my daughter, and there are many companies in the US that offer much better maternity leave than that. Also, by basically any other first world country's standards, 5 weeks at 70% is terrible. I'm not ungrateful and I'll obviously have no choice but to accept it if I don't find a different company to work for in the next few months, but I do really want to take more than 7 weeks total (which requires me to use ALL of my vacation time to get paid for the additional 2 weeks) with my baby. Or at least to be able to take 7-8 weeks and still be able to take a few days off around Christmas this year, which I won't be able to do at this point. 

sammy520

I actually interviewed for my current position the day after I found out I was pregnant. I ended up with a job offer 2 days later. I didn't mention the pregnancy via email or on the phone when I accepted because I was concerned they would change their minds. On my first day of work, which was 6-weeks later, I told my boss at the end of the day. Fortunately, she was understanding, but I still feel shady for hiding it at first. It's difficult starting a new job being pregnant, because my symptoms vary day-to-day and it affects my performance at work, especially when I'm new and trying to prove myself as a good employee. So, I wouldn't advise starting a new job while pregnant. 

Second, I recently found out that I don't qualify for FMLA, even though I'm a salary employee. I guess you have to be employed at least 12-months before you are eligible (I live in Michigan). So, I'm only allowed to take 8-weeks maternity leave (short-term disability leave since I'm having a c-section). With my son, I took a full 12-weeks. I'm really bummed about this, but my only other option is to request a leave of absence, which is unpaid and technically unprotected. 

1faceinacrowd

@sammy520 I get what you mean about "feeling shady". I kind of feel like I'm being shady by not mentioning it until I get an offer (which is what I've decided to do) but I also don't want them to deselect me because of my pregnancy. I'm not concerned about not being able to perform my job functions while pregnant; this position is remote and is pretty similar to what I did at my last job. Plus, my pregnancy has been pretty easy (knocks on wood) and hasn't really interfered with my ability to work. 

I know I wouldn't qualify for FMLA at a new job, but I'm not taking 12 weeks at my current job (where I do qualify) anyway. I'm only taking the 5 weeks of short term disability (at 70% pay) that they offer, plus two weeks of PTO, because we can't afford for me to take any time completely unpaid (I'm the primary earner). I am concerned about whether I'll qualify for ANY type of leave at a new company, but I'm hopeful that the leave would be at least as good as what I'm receiving here, if not better.