TRACEY’S PRACTICAL EMPLOYMENT TIP
OF THE MONTH*

DECEMBER 2008: WHEN TO TELL YOUR BOSS YOUR PREGNANT*

For the majority of women, finding out they are pregnant will be one of them most exhilarating and fulfilling moments of their lives. If, however, you are employed or just started a new job your excitement may be tempered by your concern about how your pregnancy will impact your job security. This opens the door to the question: When is the best time to tell your employer.

As I do in almost all cases of employee/employer disclosures, I recommend being as forthright as possible. In my view the best time to inform your employer of the good news is as soon as possible after your physician gives you the okay to tell people. If you truly have concerns about your employer’s reaction to the news then the only sure way to protect your position is to put your employer on notice of your pregnancy so that all decisions about your future will be made with that knowledge in mind. This will make your employer think twice before taking action.

While there is nothing wrong with giving your employer a verbal notification, it should be followed up with an email or other writing to HR and your manager so that there can be no question you put them on notice. It is also imprudent to tell co-workers, no matter how close a friend you may feel they are, or to wait until you are truly showing before you formally notify the company. If the company gets wind through the grapevine that you are pregnant it may take action leaving you to have to claim, with great difficulty, that they must have known about your pregnancy when it made its employment decision. This is not a position you want to be in if you can avoid it.

Happy Holidays!!!

Next Month’s Tip: AN IDEA FOR HOLDING ONTO YOUR JOB IN THIS ECONOMY

Monthly Tip Archive

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* Disclaimer: The contents of this page are for informational purposes only and nothing herein is intended to constitute legal advice nor should anything contained herein be taken or relied on as such. Each individual executive and employee has a unique set of facts and circumstances that the general discussion set forth above may be wholly inapplicable to. Only through consultation with a lawyer from our firm in which all of the facts and circumstances of an individual’s unique situation are explored and considered can a true legal assessment of your rights and remedies be ascertained. Any use of this information is taken solely at your own risk.