Does anyone have experience switching jobs while pregnant? Was there any bad reaction from new coworkers and manager? I haven’t told the new company yet. Any advice on things I should be aware of when switching jobs during this time?
I did while 3 months pregnant. Everyone were super nice about it. I told my manager before accepting an offer though just to be honest with him
I found out I was pregnant partly through the interview process. It's illegal to discriminate so you have no obligation to disclose. In my case, I told my new managers before I accepted the offer but only because I was joining a small team and I wanted to know they would be able to backfill my role. Management was super supportive and connected me with other new moms within the org. Naturally, I accepted because of how positive everyone was. I didn't tell the rest of the team I was pregnant until I was about 3-4 months in. No one seemed to mind and they even threw me a baby shower before I left for maternity. I put in 6 solid months of work before leave and ramped back up pretty quickly when I got back. My leave was about 4 months. The company will appreciate whatever work you put in before you leave and will be happy to know they will be getting you back shortly. I know a few other women who were in very similar situations and they are all currently thriving in their roles.
Thanks for your detailed response. Problem is I will only have 4 months to prove myself before maternity leave. I’m afraid they will not like that. That’s why I didn’t tell them yet. Is it a bad practice to not tell them before accepting the offer? Would you suggest letting them know now rather than later? (I’m starting in 2 weeks)
It's not bad practice. It's your completely your choice when you want to tell them but I think it's helpful to give them a couple months heads up so they can plan for your leave. Whatever the case, they can't legally rescind your offer. Sometimes companies ask you to prepare a document that summarizes your work and what needs to be done when you leave. There's also HR stuff you may need time to get processed. In my case, I was the only one in a particular role and my manager needed time to find a temporary worker/contractor to backfill and he started maybe 2-3 months before I left. Also, I didn't really mean that you need to prove yourself in the time you're there. I meant it more as they are still getting a solid x months of work out of you rather than leaving the position unfilled and they know they will have someone coming back after the leave.
You’ll should check that you’ll be covered under their maternity leave policy. Often you need to be with the company for a year to be eligible
Thanks for reminding! I did check and at the new company, I am eligible.
I waited until after I had my baby to switch jobs. However, it was clear when I was interviewing (at other companies) and brought up my <4 month old that people were concerned about my performance and my decision to change roles shortly after maternity leave ending. I’d recommend weighing how long your maternity leave is, at some companies it’s as long as 6 months. (in my case it was 12 weeks of paid and unpaid leave: 2 weeks paid, 6 weeks of disability and the remainder either vacation or unpaid time off). If it’s less than 3 months and you’ll already be there for 4 months, I think it will be in how you handle it with the coworkers and manager. Things to consider: you will not qualify for FMLA in that 4 month period, so I would approach HR as soon as you can. If your leave is unpaid, but covered by a short term disability plan you may need to check that there are not minimum limits on how long you must be employed before claiming those benefits. I would also ask HR for their feedback on approaching your manager/coworkers, that way they are in the loop and if you do receive negative or discriminatory responses you’ve covered yourself. Professionally, I would let your manager know that as soon as you are up to speed you will develop a coverage plan for your work while you are on leave, and work with your coworkers to divide the work. Since you aren’t eligible for FMLA, they aren’t required to hold your position so I’d take any steps necessary to alleviate hiring someone to cover your work while on leave. I hope this isn’t overwhelming! Becoming a mom is the best, and I wish you all the best!
Thank you so much for your advice! They are all pretty helpful!
We had a woman on our team do this and it was not an issue at all. She had like 3 weeks on the job before she took maternity leave and has since been back for two months. She's doing great now, ramped up and is a quality engineer. I don't think family should come up unless it's casual conversation. I don't think anyone had negative reactions to her joining and going, but that's just me (male FYI).
Thanks so much for sharing this. It makes me feel a lot better.
The job would change but the kid inside would be the same, unfortunately.
OP asked about the job. Kid inside is none of anybody’s business
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