Free Career and Job Search Advice

[Kate123]

I`ve recently been made redundant, while pregnant
now, as I have to find another job, i ask myself should I tell my potential employer about my condition, or leave it until last moment? (the law requires me to tell at least 16 weeks before baby is due)

I`m worried that during my interwiev I will be rejected if i will be honest.

Of course, it`s illegal to reject pregnant woman because of pregnancy, but I`m still afraid- they might find almost any other excuse...

as the old saying goes: if you really want to hit someone, you will always find a stick

shall I tell my interwiever about my condition?

[Kate123]

I`ve heard from my friend that if I am pregnant, I will be excluded from probation period
instead, i will work as a normal employee from the very beginning.
is that true?

[Pauloz]

Kate123

Seriously do not advise withholding any information from an employer, particularly at the application and interview stages. That's asking for trouble of the "any excuse will do" kind. In theory, if an employer is given misleading or false information, they can terminate the employee on that basis. Pregnancy is a bit more complex, but it's not worth it.

On face value, after checking some legislation, (it's not easy to find on the net, either) I have my doubts about starting as a normal employee, pregnant or otherwise, without probation. I didn't see anything about that in the legislation I found. I don't see why that would be the case, because if pregnancy is normal enough, your status as an employee has to include that condition as part of your employment situation.

Check this page: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1996/ukpga_19960018_en_11#pt10-ch1-pb3-l1g99

(OPSI has all the actual legislation, and you can search for things like pregancy+probation, which I tried, but didn't get much that looked relevant. You could also try ringing the Dept of Labor, or equivalent.)


There's no real reason why you'd be excluded from probation, per se. After all, probation is about work, not pregnancy. Australian and British law are pretty similar, and I don't think pregnancy gets any more concessions than simply noting that you're pregnant, so the applicable laws kick in where required.

You definitely can't have your pregnancy used against you by the employer. That's another good reason for not withholding that information. The sort of employer who uses it as an excuse is best avoided anyway.

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[Mairead]

Hi Kate

I would suggest not saying anything and cross that bridge when you come to it. If they are a big, reputable company then I think it will be surrmountable. A smaller business that really needs you, may have an issue. I would say if it came to verbal offer stage, I would say something. If you are going through a recruiter, ask them to say it.

Ive come across this when I was a recruiter, and whilst it's not the easiest conversation to have, it is much better to say something in advance of signing contracts. I think it would speak volumes about an employer and the state of their business if they retract an offer on this basis

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