https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 07 Apr 2026 05:34:39 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-841009 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:59:08 +0000 MrsH 841009@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jump Rope: that just made me lol. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-840262 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:36:37 +0000 Mrs. Jump Rope 840262@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I worked for my dad's company, so technically, my dad was my boss.</p> <p>We told my parents the night we found out we were pregnant, and I was pretty nervous. I didn't want my dad to know I was having sex. &lt;----YUP.</p> <p>It was weeks later that we discussed the maternity plan. I was the only person in that position/department, so it was imperative that the position be filled. He had a solid 8 months of knowing I wouldn't be returning to work and plenty of time to find a new hire. It also gave me an entire month to prepare my office and train a new employee before I left the company. </p> <p>I didn't share news with other co-workers, other than my only other female employee who overheard my beta test results, that I was pregnant until I was in the second trimester. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-840193 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:15:59 +0000 Pirouette 840193@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>wow, so many of you told at 12 weeks! i'm feeling guilty now, haha! (we haven't even told close friends yet so i'm not ready yet). my timing isn't great, because my vacation starts over December 1, and we can't carry over days, and my due date is 12/21. I haven't taken any of my days this year and have no vacation planned, so i really want to try to negotiate carrying over some of my days to December. not sure that'll go anywhere though. </p> <p>@pregnantbee: 16 weeks was my goal for breaking the news, but now i'm worried my bump may tell my secret before then ;) Your reasoning is exactly my fear - i don't want to have to chit chat with coworkers all day long about everything pregnancy related! they were bad enough when i got engaged (funny since they are all men!).</p> <p>@Bluebonnet: I actually have done this, to the extent possible without speaking to someone (it's a small office and the one person i'd need to talk to is a direct line to the big boss, so there's no hope of secrecy!) i do know we're covered by FMLA but i think my leave will be 100% unpaid aside from a small payment from STD. i'll be pleasantly surprised if i'm wrong, but that's what i'm expecting, so i'm planning on taking 6-8 weeks instead of 12.</p> <p>@blackbird: that's a really good point! my boss's kids (and now grandkids) are the most important thing in the world to him. i think deep down he'll be happy for me, just also selfishly panicked! </p> <p>all of your stories are so helpful! it's making me feel much more relaxed about this. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-840156 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:03:48 +0000 brownie 840156@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I told my boss when we did ivf. He was the first call after the clinic said I was positive because I had to take the next Monday off and he was an a bad person. So it sucked. But I moved projects and I told them at 7 months. I was able to hide it very well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-840134 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:58:24 +0000 Mrsbells 840134@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I told my manager at 18 weeks and it was good timing for me </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-840119 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:53:41 +0000 GrapeCrush 840119@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1) each time I told my supervisor(At the time) at about 8 or 9 weeks because they were trying to dump more work on me. I told the rest of my co-workers at 13 weeks each time</p> <p>2) you should find out what your leave entails, how long you get, what you get paid for, and how and when your paperwork needs to be in by.</p> <p>3) When did you put your maternity leave plan in place? I had my paper work in about 1 1/2 months before my due date. my HR person likes to have it in early, incase you go early. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-840010 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:26:47 +0000 Foodnerd81 840010@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I told my boss at 14 weeks, after I had gotten the results back from the NT scan and bloodwork. It felt right to me. I told my immediate team shortly after, then the bigger teams that I work with. I did get a bit of pressure to start telling the bigger teams right away, but it was fine. I didn't say much, just that I was pregnant and my due date. I actually didn't mention coming back either way (in part because I know I'm probably not coming back but obviously don't want to tell them now). We talked about what months I'd probably be out. </p> <p>My company is very young female dominated, so we have tons of people going on and off maternity leave, so it was easy in that sense. I just talked to our HR person who laid out exactly what I could take, what was paid, what was unpaid, etc. Our policy is to go out 2 weeks before the due date, which is awesome and what I'll be doing. </p> <p>The plan for my mat leave is still being worked out and I leave in a little over a month, but we have talked a lot about what kinds of things will need to be covered while I'm out. We started talking about it in generals early on, but I'm getting the details in now. </p> <p>The only advice I have is don't apologize-- a lot of people feel really bad about inconveniencing the company, but you shouldn't! Just tell it like it is :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-839977 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:19:32 +0000 blackbird 839977@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I told at 15 weeks. I brought leftover pink cupcakes into work and everybody was wondering why, so I told them. Everybody was really supportive, and I, too, work with all older males. My boss was super psyched. After all, they all have kids, too, ya know? </p> <p>I set up my maternity leave at about month 5. My boss and I talked about keeping other senior engineers cc'd on my emails for issues that I felt would still be around in a few months. I also kept him in the loop more and when i had about 6 weeks to go, I sent out a mass email to everyone I work with, dictating who should work what issues in my absence. I also set that list up in my auto reply once I went on maternity leave. </p> <p>My boss just wanted to know approximately when I thought I'd be coming back. I was very up front about all information. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-839934 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:05:57 +0000 KT326 839934@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I told my boss around 6 weeks. He already knew about our fertility treatments since I was late to the office so much. I'm glad I told him early, I had pretty bad morning sickness and it made it a bit easier when I would be MIA for awhile. I didn't tell the rest of my coworkers until 14 weeks.</p> <p>I went to HR around 32 weeks to talk about my Mat leave plan. We have a 3rd party company that handles STD so I had to get all that information so when my son was born we could get the ball rolling right away. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-839924 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:03:28 +0000 avivoca 839924@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1) I told my boss at six weeks and the rest of the staff at 10 weeks after my first appointment.<br /> 2) I was nervous. I'm the third person in as many years to be pregnant/need leave, so it wasn't too terribly difficult to negotiate leave. We aren't covered by FMLA, but I am able to take 12 weeks per company policy. I told them I will return after my leave, but now I am working on approaching a 3 days in office/2 days remote work schedule once my girl is here.<br /> 3) I plan on working until my due date or labor, whichever happens first. I have two weeks of vacation that I can use before my unpaid time kicks in. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-839890 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:53:48 +0000 Smurfette 839890@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1) 15 weeks. I waited till I had told my extended family, and I waited a couple weeks to tell them in person.<br /> 2) I was really nervous cause it was a new boss, male, who doesn't have children, nor wanted children. But it went great, he was really supportive. Make it clear that you are coming back to work if that is your plan. Then I would talk to HR about what you need to fill out for leave and the policy, if you have to use vacation time, etc.<br /> 3) I planned on working up till I went into labor. So I just used my due date for the STD forms. I ended up having my water break on a Sunday night. So Monday while I was in labor DH called work and told me to consider it my first day of leave. The STD company happened to call to check on the date, so he let them know too. Then they got all the official paperwork rolling. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-839869 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:49:19 +0000 regberadaisy 839869@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think it was around 12 weeks for me as well. I told my boss first, then HR, then both close co-workers and supervisor on same day.</p> <p>You def want to start the conversation with "HR" asap as what their policy is, what paperwork you need to file for STD if available, etc.</p> <p>I work in a male dominant field as well and was lucky another co-worker had a baby the year before me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-839858 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:45:44 +0000 Bluebonnet 839858@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1) I told my boss at 12 weeks and the rest of my team at 13 weeks (after we got the results of the first trimester.</p> <p>2) I told my boss I'd be taking the full leave and probably some unpaid leave, and I'd have a better idea of my plans once we figured out childcare. </p> <p>3) My company has a leave department that sets up your maternity leave when you're in your third trimester. I called them, sent over paperwork, and they "officially communicated" my leave to HR and my boss. Obviously I kept my boss in the loop. I worked with my boss on a coverage plan while I was on leave. I started training my back ups mid to late in my second tri so there would be no confusion or questions.</p> <p>You mentioned there aren't a lot of women going on maternity leave in your office. Could you covertly research maternity leave at your company before speaking with your boss? That way you can educate your boss about maternity leave at your company (if he/she isn't aware of your company's policy). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-839849 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:44:08 +0000 Anagram 839849@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was *terrified* of telling my boss, because I'd just been hired a moth before I got KU'd (so about 4 months before I was 12 weeks and ready to tell him).</p> <p>But as it happened, he called me into his office one day to ask if I'd do an extra summer program (I work in a middle school and have summers off) and I had to just tell him then that I would be having a baby over the summer. It turned out really well, actually. He was SUPER nice about it and even gave me a hug (we do not have a hugging relationship). I was worried he would be upset about my Mat leave, since I'd just been hired--I'll be missing the first 12 weeks of school this next year-- but he was great about it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-839834 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:40:44 +0000 pregnantbee 839834@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I told my boss first at 16 weeks and felt the timing was right for me. I couldn't hide it well any longer, and I was nervous about how she would react. It went really well, and I reassured that I was planning to return to work after maternity leave. I'm glad I told her first so she wasn't blind-sided at a larger staff meeting. Then I told my immediate coworkers all together at a staff meeting a couple days later. Finally, I started telling everyone else at work as I saw them until everyone finally knew. I was grateful to have waited until 4 months because from that moment on, my pregnancy was the only thing people felt like they could talk about with me. It gets old.</p> <p>I started talking to HR right after that because most people I work with either don't have kids, have kids who are my age, or aren't ready for kids yet. I had no idea what the policy/procedure was. All the HR stuff was really difficult for me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-839810 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:33:54 +0000 mamabolt 839810@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I actually told my boss at 7 weeks, but she works in a different office than me so it was a rare occasion where I could actually tell her face-to-face to gauge her reaction. I told the rest of my team at 13 weeks. I just said I wanted to tell her so she could be aware and start thinking of coverage during the time I would be on leave. In terms of plans for leave, I think I put the ball in her court after telling her I planned on taking the full 12 weeks off, and when I was around 32 weeks she let me know what her thoughts were on coverage so I could start training my backups. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-839785 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:28:36 +0000 Alivoo01 839785@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I told my boss around 12 weeks after we had our NT scan. I also work in a male dominant field. We haven't discussed my leave in details other than the fact that I will be taking the 12 weeks of FMLA leave. My boss is older, but has kids of his own so he was understanding and excited for my pregnancy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-839780 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:26:46 +0000 DillonLion 839780@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1) I told them right at 12 weeks. It was a good time for me. </p> <p>2) I did the same as you. Said I was pregnant, when I was due, and that I would be coming back (even though I hadn't decided 100%). </p> <p>3) We didn't discuss my actual maternity leave until my yearly review a few months later. There is no rush on that part. Give your boss and yourself some time to think about it if there is no policy in place (I was the first person to have a baby at my office) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/telling-your-bosswork#post-839771 Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:24:53 +0000 Pirouette 839771@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So i am 12 weeks pregnant, and getting close to sharing the news with friends and extended family. I think I'm going to start showing soon (in the next few weeks), especially since i am petite. But i wanted to hold out on telling work as long as possible, as my boss is going to have a panic attack, and i am just a very private person by nature so i don't need all my coworkers to know. I also work in a male, grey hair dominated office, so it's not as if there are women going on mat leave all the time. I realize to some extent my growing belly will dictate timing, but i was wondering if anyone had any advice on the following:</p> <p>1) When did you tell work? Do you wish you had said something earlier/later?</p> <p>2) Do you have any tips for telling? anything you should do/should not do? Obviously i will make it clear that I am returning after mat leave, but aside from that?</p> <p>3) When did you put your maternity leave plan in place? I assume this doesn't need to be done until the 3rd tri, but just want to make sure I'm not missing something. </p> <p>Any tips would be appreciated! :) </p>