In this post…
Why Should you Disclose your Pregnancy to Employer?
When Should you Disclose your Pregnancy to Employer?
How to Disclose Your Pregnancy News to your Employer
Top 3 Reasons Why Should you Disclose your Pregnancy to Employer (Benefits of Telling Employer about your Pregnancy)
Do the employers expect us to disclose pregnancy news? Should you announce your pregnancy to your employer? Employers do expect the employee to disclose their pregnancy status.
There are many reasons why it is important to disclose your pregnancy to your employer, both for your sake and for your employer as well. You are able to gain legal protection against discrimination, enjoy work privileges, and allow for role transition.
1.Disclosing Pregnancy to Employer offers Legal Protection against Discrimination
First announcing your pregnancy news to your employer, in writing will protect your legally in case of any pregnancy-related discrimination later on. Many pregnant women have faced all manners of discrimination at the workplace because they were pregnant.
Some pregnant moms are fire, demoted, and lose their jobs after maternity leave. But having disclosed your pregnancy to your employer, you are protected from all such discrimination. It is one of the benefits and advantages of telling your employer about being expectant.
Most women are unable to legally prove their case of pregnancy discrimination as there is no evidence of its communication. While your pregnancy may be clear, your employer can easily deny being in the knowledge of your pregnancy hence your discrimination grounds on this basis are tested.
As such it is important to communicate and in writing your pregnancy status to your employer. This will come in handy should you face a case of discrimination.
Read: How to Handle Pregnancy Discrimination at the Workplace
2.Disclosing Pregnancy Allows you to Enjoy Benefits offered by Employer
Secondly disclosing your pregnancy status allows you to enjoy key advantages in the workplace. Several companies are mom friendly and have family friendly policies in place. It means that pregnant and nursing moms can enjoy quite several privileges that allow them to work as well as take care of their families.
For this reason, it is important that you tell your employer that you are expectant as soon as you can. When you disclose your pregnancy status to your employer you can start enjoying these privileges.
It includes flexible work hours, working from home, frequent breaks, bed rest, and sick off days among others. These privileges are meant to ensure that you are comfortable in your space as a mom-to-be so that you can deliver at the workplace.
You can only however have these arrangements done officially when you have communicated your status in good time. Employers have a duty to accommodate pregnancies provided they have knowledge of it. It is one of the benefits and the advantages you enjoy once you communicate about your pregnancy to the employer.
Read: How to Address Sexual Harassment at Work
3.Disclosing Pregnancy Allow your Employer to Arrange for your Maternity Leave
Lastly communicating your pregnancy status in good time allows your employer to make arrangements for your maternity leave and other job adjustments. This is especially so in ensuring there is a capable person to relieve you of your duties when your delivery date is due and you are on your maternity leave.
As such it is a very important reason to ensure your employer is aware you are expecting and will need some time off work once you are due. This requires adequate time and training hence the reason why you need to communicate well in advance that you are pregnant.
Such easy and smooth transition is important for continuity at your workplace without affecting or disturbing operations too much in your absence. You can only enjoy this after telling your employer that you are expectant.
Different positions have different difficulties in finding a suitable replacement. Top positions are especially sensitive and need adequate time for training. By communicating early you will have adequate time to train and make the transition easier with the employee who will take up your duties.
It also helps so your employer avoids including you in upcoming projects as you shall be away on maternity leave.
Read: Staying Motivated at Work while Pregnant
When to Disclose your Pregnancy to Employer (Best Time to Tell Boss you are Pregnant)
While the importance of disclosing the news of your pregnancy is clear, it has not been standard when this should happen. When to disclose your pregnancy may depend on your company policy, your medical condition, or personal preference.
1. Follow the Company Policy on the Right Time to Make Pregnancy News
Some companies and employers have a policy guiding when you should let the office know that you are expectant. Your company policy is one of the important guides you can use to decide when to reveal the news of your pregnancy to your employer.
Some companies will require you to disclose as soon as possible such as the military. Others have a timeline for this communication. You should therefore consult your HR office and follow this policy if it exists to know when is the best time to let you employer know about your pregnancy.
2. Make the Pregnancy News to Employer As Soon As Possible
It technically means communicating to your employer as soon as you find out that you are pregnant. This is especially so if you work in a field that may expose you to hazards or threats that can harm your baby.
Such includes nursing field whereby you are exposed to many vulnerabilities and infections hence the need to communicate your status and get the necessary precautions in place. Also in other fields e.g. a mechanic, lab assistant, etc. you might be exposed to hazardous materials.
Communicating as soon as possible is important so that you get the right protection and precautions for protecting both you and the baby. Also, it will explain your morning sickness and the reasons you may need extra understanding at the workplace.
For some moms, morning sickness during the first trimester can also affect their productivity and performance at work. Hence it is important that your employer/supervisor is aware of your condition as soon as possible.
3. Consider Your Medical Condition in Choosing Timing to Disclose Pregnancy News to Employer
Your medical condition may guide you on the best time to communicate your pregnancy condition to the employer. For instance, if you are carrying a high-risk pregnancy, it is important to communicate as directed by your doctor. This is because you may need to take bed rest or sick off days or adjustment of work duties when needed. Communication of your pregnancy news as well as your doctor’s instructions will be helpful to you to go through a safe pregnancy.
Read: Reasons to Take an Early Maternity Leave
4. Wait till the Pregnancy Shows
Some moms take the stand of letting the pregnancy show for itself instead of telling the employer about it. This means that they wait until the pregnancy shows and hopefully this is meant to communicate this news to the supervisor or the employer.
Unfortunately, this approach may not helpful to you in several cases. This is especially so when there are cases of pregnancy discrimination and you cannot prove that you disclosed your pregnancy status. Therefore your employer can easily get away with it.
Also, it is not helpful if you need any job or work environment adjustments to support your pregnancy.
5. Consider your Personal Preference on Best Time to Tell Pregnancy News
Here it all depends on personal preference and when you would personally prefer to communicate about pregnancy news to the employer. Some wait until their second semester when it will start to be obvious. This is when the risk for miscarriage goes down significantly and hence reduces any chances of having to deal with an announced pregnancy that is later terminated.
If you have had to try to get pregnant for a long time, you may want to wait it out longer for personal reasons and that is also okay. You may also have had a previous miscarriage and wants to wait.Others have waited until it is the third semester for this reason.
Others take the time to communicate the news till when the opportunity comes up. For instance, your employer may include you in a project exposing you to danger or one happening past your due date. This is an opportunity to let your employer know why they need to re-plan/reschedule.
Also, some prefer not to report at all, especially those under casual engagement rather than contractual terms. Whichever time you choose to communicate, it is better coming from you rather than from anybody else.
How to Disclose Your Pregnancy News to your Employer (4 Simples Ways of Disclosing Pregnancy at Work )
There are different ways of disclosing news of your pregnancy news to your employer. The key point is making the communication official rather than casual. Further, there should be a documentable record or evidence of the same.
1. Write a Letter Communicating Pregnancy
You can write a letter and address it to your HR /Employer. Keep a copy of the same. It is one of the ways you can use to disclose your pregnancy status to your employer.
2. Email Employer to Disclose Pregnancy
You can email your supervisor/HR /Employer about the news of your employer. It is a very simple and straight forward way of letting your employer know that you are expectant.
3. Write a Message Communicating Pregnancy to Employer
You can message your supervisor/HR /Employer about the news of your pregnancy. Also, keep the message for future reference. If you have no access to email or paper, you can write your employer a simple phone message communicating about your pregnancy.
4. Have a Talk with Employer about your Pregnancy
You can decide to just tell your employer about your pregnancy on a one-to-one talk. This is the most common way women use but it is not protected if no write-up exists. It is hence proper to follow it up in writing either through email or letter after this meeting.
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