New job opportunity I can't pass up

Knottie83732320 · February 2016

I applied for a great job that has great pay and great benefits which is something we need with a new baby on the way. They offered me the position this morning which is great. Only problem is it requires 8 weeks of training M-F from 8:30-5:30 and I cannot miss it. My OB does not take appointments before 8am or after 4pm and does not take any weekend appointments. I have been calling OB offices all day trying to find someone who takes early or late appointments and have had no luck. I want to tell my new employer that I am expecting but I'm worried I will receive backlash for it or they will say they cannot accomodate my doctors appointments so the offer will be revoked. I'm at a loss for what to do. Should I have told them up front that I am expecting? I thought I was doing the right thing by not saying anything because really it's not their business and I didn't want to ruin my chances of getting hired.

Diesel615 · February 2016

I would just figure out the dates of your upcoming appointments and try to make them as early or late as possible and let your new employer know you have previous engagements that you made months ago. They don't have to know what they are and don't have to know you're pregnant if you don't want them to. As long as you're up front and let them know you have previous engagements they'll hopefully understand.

newbabymakes4 · February 2016

I don't think you needed to say anything during the interview, but I would suggest telling them when you accept the offer. If you're switching to a new company, you most likely will not qualify for FMLA (I believe you typically need to be employed somewhere for a year before you qualify) so they would need to know that in a few months you will be taking time off.

Knottie83732320 · February 2016

Well my position starts March 7th and my next appointment is March 4th and then after that I need to see my OB every 2 weeks and those appointments are not scheduled yet. I guess I will have to tell them when I sign the offer. I already verbally accepted. I do realize I do not qualify for FMLA but I wouldn't qualify for it at my current position anyway.

newbabymakes4 · February 2016

Sorry I didn't put it in my first post, congrats on the new job

mrsb8244 · February 2016

Yeah I would definitely tell them you're expecting as soon as possible. I agree you don't need to tell them during the interview process but I think it's polite to tell them when you accept the offer

alohasoprano · February 2016

Congrats on the new job! Do you know when your lunch breaks will be? If your doc office is close maybe you can try to schedule your appointments during lunch? Or I would talk to your doc office and see what they can do. Just explain the situation and ask them what they think you should do? They might be able to suggest a doctor with a more flexible schedule that you can go to in the interim. It would surprise me if they haven't had patients with similar conflicts before.

SoEnamored · February 2016

Tell them now. They'll feel mislead if you tell them after you are hired and it can be a good negotiating tactic on your part. Plus, if they are not supportive of your being pregnant, is that who you want to work for? I got hired at 22 weeks pregnant with DS2. They knew I was pregnant when they hired me. I negotiated a higher hiring bonus because their paid maternity leave wasn't as long as my previous employer.

GinnyJ2012 · February 2016

I would tell them that you are pregnant and see if they can work with your schedule. I'm not sure they could deny you the position now that it's been offered without breaking the law. As a PP suggested I'd try to take your appointments on lunch breaks.

Knottie83732320 · February 2016

I have asked my doctors office and they weren't helpful. I called so many practices today to see if anyone of them take after hour appointments and none of them do or know of anyone who does. I would see my doc during lunch but I only get 30 minutes. When I get the job offer emailed to me for me to sign I will let them know at that time. Hopefully I can figure something out with the doctor!

CourtJack · February 2016

Agree that you should tell them when you sign their offer. I would also assume they could grant you time off for OB appointments. I'd book them at the beginning or end of day. Congrats!

pkwest04 · February 2016

Congrats! I agree that you need to go ahead and tell them to see how they take it. No FMLA isn't only no pay during leave, it also means no obligation to hold your position while you are off from what I understand. I also switched jobs at the beginning of this pregancy. Luckily my company is very supportive so I don't think my position is in jeopardy.

PBear93 · February 2016

I would check your insurance for OBs that they cover. Look up (Google a lot of offices have websites nowadays and that saves the need of having to call) the practices that look bigger (search by proximity to you) and you should be able to find one with weekend/evening hours. I go to an office with 2 OBs and 2 midwives and they have ocassional evening and Saturday appointments for women who are pregnant.

Knottie83732320 · February 2016

PBear93 said:

I would check your insurance for OBs that they cover. Look up (Google a lot of offices have websites nowadays and that saves the need of having to call) the practices that look bigger (search by proximity to you) and you should be able to find one with weekend/evening hours. I go to an office with 2 OBs and 2 midwives and they have ocassional evening and Saturday appointments for women who are pregnant.

I've been googling all day! It's hard because I'm in a more rural area.

PBear93 · February 2016

Knottie83732320 said:

PBear93 said:

I would check your insurance for OBs that they cover. Look up (Google a lot of offices have websites nowadays and that saves the need of having to call) the practices that look bigger (search by proximity to you) and you should be able to find one with weekend/evening hours. I go to an office with 2 OBs and 2 midwives and they have ocassional evening and Saturday appointments for women who are pregnant.

I've been googling all day! It's hard because I'm in a more rural area.

That is hard. I hope you have luck finding someplace.

zanaerob1 · February 2016

It shouldn't be too much of a problem surely, if it's 8 weeks and your next appointment is just before you start. Your OB appts don't have to be EXACTLY 4 weekly, you can be a bit out with one. Why not try to schedule an appointment around the middle of the training, and the next appointment just after training ends? Then you only have to miss enough to go to a single appointment, and if you schedule it first thing in the morning at 8am I'm sure they could handle that? You'd prob only miss about an hour.

You our should definitely tell them you're pregnant though when you get the offer.

RMLandy · February 2016

I would be more concerned about their maternity leave policy being a brand new employee, as I don't believe they're required by law to give you any (paid or otherwise). Good luck!! Let us know how it goes!

VikingGirl12 · February 2016

I agree, tell them when you accept. I wouldn't think it would be a huge problem for you to leave an hour early two or three times over the next eight weeks. Imagine if you got the flu, you would have to take a few days off for that. Sometimes random days off are unexpected and cannot be helped. DH has a new job and we literally found out we were pregnant the day after he accepted. They are soooo super strict about time off in the first 6 months and he gets zero PTO. He has had to take 2 days off to go with me to specialist appts and they have been much more accepting than he though. He did have to make the hours up but.. He couldn't help it. Life happens.

MynaBird · February 2016

Speaking as an employer, I'd be much more willing to be flexible with an employee who was up-front with me about the need for her special accommodations.

Knottie83732320 · February 2016

zanaerob1 said:

It shouldn't be too much of a problem surely, if it's 8 weeks and your next appointment is just before you start. Your OB appts don't have to be EXACTLY 4 weekly, you can be a bit out with one. Why not try to schedule an appointment around the middle of the training, and the next appointment just after training ends? Then you only have to miss enough to go to a single appointment, and if you schedule it first thing in the morning at 8am I'm sure they could handle that? You'd prob only miss about an hour.

You our should definitely tell them you're pregnant though when you get the offer.

I was thinking of doing just that!

mebaby333 · February 2016

Wouldn't it have been easier to just have said it? Then it wouldn't be a concern now... I just don't get why it needs to be hidden....

Knottie83732320 · February 2016

mebaby333 said:

Wouldn't it have been easier to just have said it? Then it wouldn't be a concern now... I just don't get why it needs to be hidden....

Because then they wouldn't hire me. They won't say it's because I'm pregnant, because that is illegal, but they would have hired someone else. It's just how it goes. I need the job and I'm willing to work hard before and after having the baby.

andiie5 · February 2016

As someone that works in recruitment, I think withholding a vital piece of information like this may damage your reputation and/or relationship with the company.
Maternity leave (whether paid or unpaid) impacts the business and they will now have to make arrangements that they had not planned at all.
Not a great way to start of, honestly. But I do understand your situation and wish you the best of luck. I do hope they (and you) make it work.
Keep us posted please!

Knottie83732320 · February 2016

andiie5 said:

As someone that works in recruitment, I think withholding a vital piece of information like this may damage your reputation and/or relationship with the company.
Maternity leave (whether paid or unpaid) impacts the business and they will now have to make arrangements that they had not planned at all.
Not a great way to start of, honestly. But I do understand your situation and wish you the best of luck. I do hope they (and you) make it work.
Keep us posted please!

I plan to tell them after I accept the offer. They are waiting for the background check to come back to email me the offer I need to sign and return. At that time I will tell them. They did not need to know during the interview because it's none of their business at that time and we all know it's likely they would have passed me up due to it because the majority of businesses would. They are also a very large company with 3,000 employees alone at the office I will be in so it's my guess that 4-6 weeks off will not impact them like it would a small company of 50 or less employees.

Want a personalized experience?

New job opportunity I can't pass up

Re: New job opportunity I can't pass up

Choose Another Board

Search Boards