Getting a Job When You’re Pregnant
Pregnancy can be challenging, and so can job hunting. Combining the two presents a unique challenge. A pregnant woman looking for a job may wonder whether she should share the news with interviewers – and when. Simple tasks like choosing appropriate interview attire may take hours instead of minutes, and she may need to coordinate meeting times around pregnancy symptoms.
Your Rights as a Pregnant Job Applicant
Can companies avoid hiring pregnant women? Simply put: no. They’re not supposed to.
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act legally prevents employers from discriminating based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. However, what is legally correct and what happens in practice don’t always align. For instance, it’s likely that you’ve been asked at least one illegal question during an interview. So it’s hard not to suspect that some employers may avoid hiring a pregnant candidate due to conscious or unconscious bias. This may be particularly true when your pregnancy is noticeable.
Family Leave Coverage
If you are hired, it’s important to know that as a newly hired employee, you do not have the right to coverage under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Among other things, this law ensures that qualified employees can retain their job after taking maternity leave.
The key word here is qualified: to be covered under the FMLA, the company must be of a certain size, and the employee must have worked there for at least 12 months. If you are pregnant during the interview, you are not covered under the FMLA.
However, depending on the state you live in, you may be eligible for coverage under state-level family leave policies.
Employee Benefits
If you are pregnant (even if you are obtaining health insurance through your spouse), it is especially important to ask questions about the benefits package, including the company’s maternity leave policy, short-term disability coverage, health insurance options, and so on. This way, you will be informed about what to expect in terms of coverage during and after your pregnancy.
Accommodating Your Pregnancy During Interviews
You may be experiencing morning sickness that hits you daily at 11 a.m. Or perhaps you feel fatigued in the afternoon. You might need to use the restroom more frequently than ever before. You should keep all of these factors – as well as changes to your body – in mind while scheduling and preparing for interviews.
Make sure your interview attire fits properly (and get new clothes if necessary). Also, try to schedule interviews at the time of day when you feel most energetic and least impacted by pregnancy symptoms.
You Can Choose Whether to Inform Potential Employers of Your Pregnancy
Should you tell potential employers that you are expecting a child? The answer to this question is… it depends. Although there is no legal requirement to inform potential employers that you are pregnant, other factors may persuade you to disclose the information regardless.
In addition to whether you should disclose, consider when to share the news.
You don’t want to explain yourself out of a job offer if the employer hesitates to extend one once they know you’re pregnant.
Here are a few things to keep in mind if you’re unsure whether to disclose your pregnancy and when:
What is your stage of pregnancy? If you’re interviewing in your third trimester, it makes sense to proactively mention your pregnancy before (or during) any in-person interviews, as it won’t be possible to hide your belly. (This should be possible during phone and video interviews, as long as you position the camera strategically.)
In
The first trimester of pregnancy, and yet, you can often wear clothes that hide your pregnancy. And if you are in very early stages, you may not even be sharing the news with close friends and family, so you definitely don’t want to disclose it to a job interviewer you just met.
Will this affect the hiring decision? If you need a job and suspect that disclosing your pregnancy will impact the hiring manager, avoid mentioning it during interviews. However, consider what this means for the company and the hiring manager. This leads us to the next question…
Will not disclosing the pregnancy cause a trust issue with the future employer? The company that would not hire you while you are pregnant may not be a family-friendly place to work. Keep that in mind. If the job is unfeasible during pregnancy (for example, if flying is a weekly requirement), it’s best to mention your pregnancy during the interview. This way you can see if the company is able to provide accommodations. Otherwise, when you share the news after accepting the job, your manager may feel betrayed and the relationship could end up being strained.
How to Share the News
If you decide to disclose your pregnancy during the interview (or if it really isn’t possible to keep it a secret), be prepared:
Discuss your plans for maternity leave and returning to work, and how to prepare colleagues for your absence. Consider the employer’s perspective – they are likely to be concerned about two things. First, that your leave will be disruptive to the work. Second, that you won’t return to work after maternity leave. You can provide reassurances regarding these two concerns.
Try to state clearly that you are pregnant, without using vague terms (like “I am expecting”). This is a situation where you do not want miscommunication to occur. The most important information to share is that you are pregnant and the expected due date. In interviews in the later stages, it may be appropriate to inquire about the company’s family leave policy.
But don’t let your pregnancy dominate the conversation! Be professional and keep the interview focused on your skills and experiences and how you would be a valuable addition to the company.
If your plan is to stay with the company for years and years, your leave time will just be a small blip compared to your overall work duration and the value of your contributions.
If you didn’t disclose your pregnancy during the interview, it’s good to share the news after the company makes an offer. (Note: If you are in the early stages of pregnancy, feel free to delay.)
Having a job offer opens the door for negotiations – now is the time to ask about leave and any other accommodations you might want. And remember, the company made you an offer because they are excited for you to join them. Informing the employer at this stage allows them to plan ahead so that any leave you take is not disruptive to operations.
Source: https://www.thebalancemoney.com/how-to-job-search-while-pregnant-4154387
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