Catch 22

RE: Catch 22

enigmaticat-uk — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 18:32:35 GMT

I think starting a new job can be a very stressful time which isn't ideal for preganancy so in your shoes I would take the new job but take a few months to settle in & find my feet then start trying to start a family once I felt comfortable. Irrespective of your right to start a family whenever you want, there is likely to be bad feeling from colleagues if you announce a pregnancy quickly after starting which would also be stressful for you and might harm relations with them, I would want to feel like I had got to know & trust my new team before dropping that on them. Also as noted by others - make sure you know your maternity pay/leave entitlements for how long you have been in a job. However if you are older or have any reason to doubt your fertility then ignore everything I said and just get pregnant!

RE: Catch 22

Tania Ford — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 09:44:11 GMT

No its not discrimination, its just my personal interpretation of what does actually happen in practice. Employers are not allowed to ask if someone is thinking of getting pregnant in the near future when they interview - Now that would be 'discrimination' if they did! Sal the 1st has hit the nail on the head by saying it would be disingenuous of someone to take a job knowing that they would possibly be leaving within 9 months of starting. Yes pregnancy can happen any time, but if its a family you want then you should be thinking of the future and not the short term! Its not only the fact that a nurse will be leaving pretty soon after starting, but the pregnancy period itself has a knock on effect to the entire practice. Most pregnant nurses refuse to monitor anaesthetics, cannot do their fair share of OOH duties (as they are legally not allowed to be in sole charge at any time) and change the way they work - im not saying all pregnant nurses behave like this, but Health and Safety generally rule how we work these days :(

Ive probably put myself in a huge firing line by saying this, but I am just sharing my experiences and hopefully getting people to see things from both perspectives.

RE: Catch 22

Sal the 1st — Sat, 16 Apr 2016 23:10:03 GMT

[quote user="becky1809"]

I dont think u have to be upfront with your potential new employer about ur plans because it's none of their business and there's no obligation to do this.

[/quote]

you are right there is no obligation - maybe I am just old fashioned and prefer people to be upfront and honest, least ways then it is easier to forward plan. It isn't just the maternity leave side it is the potential to have somebody who will not be able to do certain aspects of their job in the lead up to the birth, it puts a lot of strain on the rest of the team and if you are a relatively new member finding you feet it can cause a lot of resentment, especially when staff inevitably end up with more duties as result - Not everybody will be as thrilled as the future mum at the news of a pregnancy, but if people know in advance it is a possibility then it can be factored in without causing too much upset -which in the event the new mum would like to go back to the practice in the future makes for better working relations.

RE: Catch 22

Selena Carnell — Sat, 16 Apr 2016 19:02:11 GMT

be aware that you may not be eligible for maternity pay, if you have only been with a place a shirt time, other wise you will get maternity allowance which is quite low. look at the link which describes them. Personally i wouldn't be moving to another place if you are actively trying for a baby, it could really start you off on the wrong foot in a new place.

RE: Catch 22

becky1809 — Sat, 16 Apr 2016 09:58:14 GMT

This is a real difficult one because neither situation is ideal. I do feel though if you are unhappy in your job you shouldn't stay there just because u are trying for a baby. its not fair on u and why should u put ur life on hold because u possibly might get pregnant. Yes it's not ideal to start a new job and then announce a pregnancy straight away but on the other hand it may take u a year to get pregnant which is perfectly normal and therefore there's nothing to worry about With starting a new job.

I dont think u have to be upfront with your potential new employer about ur plans because it's none of their business and there's no obligation to do this. Like I said u could take a year to get pregnant and therefore theres no need to tell them. On the other side they could employ someone else who wasn't planning a pregnancy who gets pregnant unexpectantly and there in the same boat. Unfortunately as its a woman dominated industry this happens all the time and it's just part of it. U could also look at it as what happens to people who struggle to get pregnant and have to have fertility treatment... They could take years to get pregnant.... Does that mean they can't change their job in that time or inform all potential employment their struggling to conceive but could fall pregnant any month?!! I wouldn't do this and wouldn't expect anyone to do this when interviewing then for a job.

I would advise carrying on with your life as you want to and deal with whatever happens when it happens. Fingers crossed for you on the job front and ur future pregnancy (which hopefully won't take a year by the way, I was just saying)

RE: Catch 22

Sal the 1st — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 23:10:04 GMT

[quote user="violet"]

I wasn't actively looking for a job, I got contacted due to an old cv. I have already turned down one job on the basis

That the practice and nurse team was small and I knew my pregnancy may impact badly on them. However, I'm still unhappy in my current job, I would still need to work a further 8-9mths there even if I fell pregnant tmrw and potentially

Have no choice but to go back after. My thinking is if I can find a job I like then I have something to go back to and hopefully return to full time in the long run rather than turn down an opportunity again and end up stuck in the same job and unhappy. I have worked for long periods of time in previous practices - 8yrs in my first and 5yrs in my second, it's quite unsettling to hear words like disingenuous and unfair based on the fact I have dedicated so much of my time to nursing and my career that now I am on a time limit to fit a family in. Is that enough of a reason to continue with a job you don't like rather than one you could enjoy long term with a maternity blip at the start?

[/quote]

sorry but my comment was more in response to PHA86 than your original post - I don't see you playing the discrimination card in your post, but I do believe in everybody being honest so fair enough if you have been approached by an employer but let them know what your plans are - I am a great believer in that if your are fair with other people they are mostly fair with you.

RE: Catch 22

violet — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 22:48:51 GMT

I wasn't actively looking for a job, I got contacted due to an old cv. I have already turned down one job on the basis

RE: Catch 22

Sal the 1st — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 21:21:55 GMT

why is this discrimination when somebody is taking a job and possibly planning even before they take the job to be going on maternity leave pretty soon after? Of course this is going to cause bad feeling both with an employer and other members of staff when they have to start looking again for maternity cover or cover extra shifts between themselves, the D word I would be using would be disingenuous.

RE: Catch 22

PHA86 — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 20:57:37 GMT

[quote user="katseyez"]

im pretty sure wont go down well!

doesn't bode well for future relationships, should you decide to go back after having a baby.

[/quote]

worryingly sounds like discrimination, which is illegal.

RE: Catch 22

Tania Ford — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 15:26:37 GMT

I would say that it is quite unfair to take another job when thinking of starting a family. Nurses are so thin on the ground and practices are struggling to find enough staff, that announcing a pregnancy shortly after taking the job, im pretty sure wont go down well! Yes it is your right to start a family whenever you like, but expecting an already, possibly short staffed employer to then cope with loosing you on up to 1 years maternity, is unfair. Its not only your employer, but your work colleagues that would suffer. Having been in this situation as a colleague on many occasions, it doesn't bode well for future relationships, should you decide to go back after having a baby. Sorry if this isn't what you want to hear, but my suggestion would be to stay at your practice until you start a family and then decide after your maternity period if you wish to stay or find another job. There are plenty of nurse positions out there and I don't see that changing for the foreseeable future.

RE: Catch 22

Ems — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 15:02:55 GMT

I don't see why you should wait, if having children is what you want in life.

All I would say however, is that if your new employer offers certain maternity benefits, you may not be entitled to them unless you have worked there for 6 months.

Do what makes you happy and what's best for you.

RE: Catch 22

madelinepikevn@aol.com — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 12:24:27 GMT

Be careful about your maternity packagae if you change job and then quickly fall pregnant

Check out www.gov.uk

Heres what it says about sat. Maternity Pay

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP)

To qualify for SMP you must:

earn on average at least £112 a week
give the correct notice
give proof you’re pregnant
have worked for your employer continuously for at least 26 weeks up to the ‘qualifying week’ - the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth

RE: Catch 22

violet — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 12:05:23 GMT

Very true - I've already been trying 3mths, that's why I'm so loathe to delay things any longer!

RE: Catch 22

PJ Zurawel — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 11:57:16 GMT

If it makes you feel better we had a new nurse start and within only weeks she announced that she was pregnant with twins.

RE: Catch 22

PHA86 — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 11:50:13 GMT

It's your right to start a family, so I wouldn't even worry about it. You might not conceive immediately either!