My job luck may be changing, and a baby ?

melody921

A couple of weeks ago, I found out I did not get a job I was really hoping would come through. I was kind of depressed about it bc there haven't been a lot of opportunities to switch fields in the past few years.

But a few days after the rejection letter arrived, I found out I was pregnant and just told myself maybe the job wasn't meant to be right now.

Yesterday, the company contacted me, saying the first candidate fell through, and asking if I was still interested. I'm supposed to talk to the VP today, and I expect this will be a conversation to make an offer/discuss the details of the job. Unless it's a horrible offer, I will take it bc my current job is dead-end.

The question is, when do I tell them about the pregnancy? We're not even telling family until the end of the month, at DS's bday. But, if I take the job, I don't know if it's better to tell the boss before I even start, or lay that on him a couple of weeks in. I'm in PA, where you have to be at a job a year before they are required to give you FMLA. I wouldn't want to be in a situation where I have no job once I have the baby, but I also don't feel really good about telling him ASAP about the pregnancy.

What would you ladies do?

mandapie

I was kinda sorta in this situation when I found out I was pg w/DS. I had a job interview then the following week found out I was pg, then a week later started work.

I took the job for a few reasons:

1) It was more $$ and closer to home and more along the lines of what I wanted to do.

2) I knew my boss and had worked there before so it wasn't going to be a TON of training involved.

3) I knew that there were 5 other women there that were pg (in an office of 35 or 40 people) so they obviously were supportive of families. (I'm sure when I announced my pg there were a TON of everyolls behind my back though!!)

4) I knew that they would hold my job for me and could come back in any capacity when I was ready to (part or full time).

I also had JUST found out I was pg after having a m/c a couple months before and I know this might sound, I don't know... morbid maybe, but I didn't want to pass this oppurtuntiy by and lose the pg anyway. The flip side of that is I've heard of women that have disclosed a pg in an interview and not gotten the jobs they were interviewing for.

I would feel out the interview, but personally I would probably take the job. 

celiabwatson

As long as they've made an offer you're safe to tell them because if they rescind it then they're in trouble. Depending on how things feel you can wait until you get an offer in writing or you can bring it up in the interview after they say they want you. I'd tell them sooner rather than later. You can even frame it as, 'I will get leave at my current job so I want to make sure I get leave here before switching' or something. 

I had a somewhat similar situation and it did not end well for me. I told them after signing my contract and ended up feeling discriminated against later. I left my job at maternity leave and I'm not going back. 

melody921

05192007:

My situation was a little different than yours in that I switched careers and departments within a large University so FMLA didn't matter to me.  However, I interviewed and accepted my current position while pregnant with DD2.  It was a great career that I desperately needed since I was stuck in a dead end job. 

I started at 12 weeks pregnant and just bought shirts and cardigans that covered my stomach.  Chewed gum to avoid the nausea.  I waited until I couldn't containt the large belly anymore, around 17 weeks.  Which is kinda funny because I was huge but since no one knew me, they probably all just thought I was a girl that was thick around the middle.  I thought for sure my boss and co workers would hate me and they did not.  Turns out they are very family friendly here and they supported me 100%. 

You can wait as long as you are comfortable.  There are no rules that say you have to confirm a pregnancy with work at XX date.  Also, something I kept telling myself, I'll only be gone 12 weeks and plan on working here for 6-7 years.  So the maternity leave is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

This is the message I want to get across to them. If I take this job, I will be intending to stay there for some time. I'm not a job hopper, so unless it turned out to be really lousy, they'd have me as a long-term employee. They've been without a PR director since October, when the last person left, so obviously they can figure out a gap, even if it's not desirable. I just don't want to get into a situation where they find another reason to get rid of me or don't hold my job for the 12 weeks. But, since I'm part-time at my current job, I don't get paid maternity leave here either, so it's not as big a gamble, I guess, as it could be. I just don't want to be unemployed unless it's my choice.

hmp1

Once you get the offer letter, they cannot rescind. I would contact HR after you receive the letter and find out what the company maternity policy and vacation policy (you might have 2-4 weeks paid vacation you can use) is since you will not qualify for FMLA. If they will not pay for your leave, can you afford taking 6-12 weeks off?  Also, if they decide not to hold your job, are you guys ok with one income until you can find something else?  I would think most companies would hold a position for 6-8 weeks regardless of FMLA.

ETA: I just saw that you said you are PT at your current job and not getting paid maternity. I would take the new job.

melody921

hmp&mrj:

Once you get the offer letter, they cannot rescind. I would contact HR after you receive the letter and find out what the company maternity policy and vacation policy (you might have 2-4 weeks paid vacation you can use) is since you will not qualify for FMLA. If they will not pay for your leave, can you afford taking 6-12 weeks off?  Also, if they decide not to hold your job, are you guys ok with one income until you can find something else?  I would think most companies would hold a position for 6-8 weeks regardless of FMLA.

ETA: I just saw that you said you are PT at your current job and not getting paid maternity. I would take the new job.

Right, I won't get paid for maternity leave at this job, but they will hold my job. So the only thing that could go badly is if the new place refuses to hold the job (which really seems short-sighted in the long range of things) or discriminates against a pregnant woman. I'm just nervous about the whole thing. I'm probably other-thinking this.

Wonder_Wall

No personal experience here but it sounds like something you cannot decide overnight. Previous posters have good advice. Try not to stress too much and most of all congrats on baby #2!

RisaRie

I had a similar situation when I was pregnant with DS but the interview and hiring process was dragged out much longer. I consulted with my HR director at my original position about if I should tell them before I started and she said 'you're not obligated to tell them because it's covered under the disabilities act' I ended up sharing that I was pregnant a week after I started and by that point I was almost 5mos! Not ideal but they took it well.

What happened though was that I obviously didn't qualify for FMLA but since I wouldn't have been there for at least 6mos prior to DS being born I techinically didn't even qualify for a leave of absence. HR bascially told me that I was going to have to resign when DS was born because there wasn't anything they could do to keep my position open when I left.

Luckily my department was desperate and they recongnized that it would be insane to have to let me go only to start the hiring process all over again. So there were meetings about it and they finally decided about a month before DS was born that they would give me a 8-10wk unpaid leave of absence. In retrospect, had I known what was going to happen I probably wouldn't have done it but hing sight is 20/20.

I hope this works out for you! I'd say you're in a better spot since you're much earlier in your pregnancy and further along in the hiring process.