Almost 7 months pregnant (contractor) and laid off
Hi, as the title suggests, I am 27 weeks’ pregnant and laid off. I was laid off because reorg in the group and not because I am pregnant. I knew the reorg was happening but was told by my manager that I should be safe till my maternity leave. Also naively, I didn’t think LinkedIn, where they make such a big fuss about ‘we care for our employees’ would lay off a 7 month pregnant contractor. Anyways I am a contractor so the company has all the right to terminate my contract as they see fit. But I just want to know what is the best way to get a short time gig and what other options can I explore?
Hope they paid extra severance cause of your maternity leave ? If yes then are you in need of money beyond that ? If not , I will suggest take this time off . Do yoga, eat health home cooked food , meditate , follow your hobbies , read pregnancy and parenting books ... you have the time to make your body strong cause delivering a baby isn’t a joke .... destress ... Hope you have a supportive partner too ....
They paid a week of severance package. My partner is very supportive and I was able to get on his insurance so that has been really great. We might have to change our doctor but it is what it is. I am just worried about post pregnancy employment seeking. How did other people do it? How do you stay motivated? will it be easy to explain my situation?
Yes it is easy to explain, you got laid off in your last trimester and so you decided to take the time off instead of stressing about job hunt ... and if they don’t buy it it’s better not to work with such Assholes .... I wish you all the best with you delivery ... please take care !
Your manager is a piece of shit. I hope you can find something before your delivery due.
Managers are taught to say that to their team is safe even though he/she knows who will be affected.
My previous manager did the same thing to me at a different company. He played dumb when rumors came and when the big day came, he hid. I don't blame him though, he had to drink the koolaid to keep his job. Hang in there, OP. I wish you the best!
You’re a contractor not an employee.
Stfu. A Human before all else.
Facebook, you're 100% right, but sadly, contractors are treated differently from employees. And this is similar for other companies.
From California? Look into paid family leave. I think you are eligible. If so, just relax and wait for the baby to be born.
Yeah I have been researching unemployment/disability insurance. Never thought I would be 7 months pregnant on unemployment...glad that I have been voting for social benefits :)
My wife used this same benefit even while she was employed. It's not just for unemployed. Even Amazon makes you apply for it. It usually covers half your paycheck, then Amazon pays the other half.
I don't have an answer but as an ex-linkedin employee and husband of a 7-month pregnant who was also looking for a job recently, I completely understand and feel your angst. My wife was lucky to find a work-from-home job at IBM which is super friendly to women. I don't know what your field is but maybe try them.
Thanks I will check out ibm jobs page
Check amazon, they also have virtual jobs. Good luck! I was in a sort of similar situation.
Is that even legal ?
Yeah they can terminate a contract whenever. And reorg is a valid reason to lay off even fte pregnant women
Let me get this straight. Are you a freelance contractor or employed by some other company whose client is LinkedIn? If it’s the latter then go back to your employer and ask them about other contracts or clients and don’t see any fault from LinkedIn’s side.
I was hired by LinkedIn as a contractor for a position that was long term but because of reorg that they didn’t anticipate they have laid me off. I have barely any contact with the company that I am hired through but I did reach out to them for leads.
Understood. Your actual employer needs to step up and provide you leads as a contract can be terminated by the client. Hope you get another one soon. Goodluck.
Who is your employer i.e. the company that pays your paycheck ? Reach out to them and ask to be reassigned to a different client job. If they have other clients and you match their job requirements, this should be the fastest option for you to get another job.
Yeah I have reached out to them to see if they can find me another gig for time being. Also started looking into other options (upwork and Craigslist).
DM me . We are friendly at Oscar if you are from NY/LA.
What's your expertise?
Data analysis, bi tools, project management
I would say you should create profiles on fiverr and upwork. Data analysts and bi tools should be something sellable. I would also use time and write high quality blogs. This will help you get gigs. It migh not be an immediate success, but eventually it should be possible to build an income stream with flexible hours. One of the options is actually do blog ghost writing. In any case, I wish you the best.