I am 22 weeks pregnant and 99% sure I am being laid off from my position tomorrow. This is a pretty terrifying position to be in and I don't know how I am going to get through the next day of work until the meeting.
Anyone ever been in this position and have any advice?
Thank you!
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
I am so so sorry. I got laid off when LO was just 6 months and it was a terrifying position to be in.
I would look into ASAP what this means for you on STD, unemployment insurance. Start working on your resume and start looking for a job! And actually I am shock they are laying you off being pregnant. I would think they will fear maternity discrimination?
Who else is getting laid off?
GOLD / squash / 13464 posts
I'm so sorry! I have no real advice other than to start looking into your options for a new job ASAP and find out about continued insurance coverage through COBRA. I agree with @regberadaisy: that I would be really shocked to see a pregnant woman be laid off because I would think the company would be afraid of a lawsuit as well.
pomegranate / 3759 posts
That sucks 
while on maternity leave my job got given to someone else so I kind of know how it feels. I am constantly telling myself that this is just opening another door for you at a place much better.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@MamaMoose: yea...when there was talks of a laid off while i was on leave at my old firm my co-worker's wife starting spewing off all these laws & regulations to me that would give me grounds to sue them. IF it happened. Of course they waited till 6 months after.
squash / 13199 posts
@Protectlove: I am sorry about this, I haven been in your exact position but did get laid off earlier this year LO was only 10 months at the time. It is scary thing to go through but hopefully you are able to find a replacement position soon
eggplant / 11824 posts
As pp have said, laying off pregnant women can be tricky for companies because it can give the appearance of sex/gender discrimination, even if none actually exists. If you suspect or feel that you are being laid off in any way because you are pregnant, I would suggest speaking with an employment attorney ASAP following any talk you have with your HR department.
Otherwise; your company will most likely offer you a severance package in exchange for your signing a separation agreement which will often limit any future legal recourse you might have against your employer.
You will also be eligible for unemployment, so I would suggest investigating that, too!
If you are laid off, you will be eligible for a COBRA health plan, or you can be added to your partner's plan as a lay off is a qualifying life event (so you wouldn't have to wait until the next open enrollment period).
I really hope they don't lay you off. It's such a crappy thing to do to someone who is pregnant. You don't need that stress!
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@yoursilverlining: I was not offered severance. I was in so much shock I did not even think to ask about it.
eggplant / 11824 posts
@regberadaisy: really?!? The company I just left laid off a lot of people over the past 5 years and we offered everyone severance; I thought it was pretty standard! jeez, that stinks to not even get a few weeks extra pay 
persimmon / 1427 posts
I was laid off several years ago (I wasn't pregnant at the time), but I knew it was coming. I prepared a little bit by:
- researching severance packages by years of service (benefits information was posted online)
- researching unemployment benefits
- transferring all personal files from my work computer to a thumb drive and deleted them from my computer.
- printing a copy of my department's phone list (including email addresses and cell phone numbers) so I can get in touch with coworkers
Hang in there.
cherry / 124 posts
@regberadaisy: Thank you! My resume is pretty much set to go, I was preparing to look for another job when I found out I was pregnant again. I decided to wait until after the baby was born so that I didn't catch a new employer off guard. Although I worry that if I do get fired I am not exactly in the best position to be in the job market. As of right now we are all pretty fearful, the memo that went out calls it "restructuring" but the individual meetings that are scheduled with my director are following "lay-off" protocol for me and one other employee. The meeting is with my director and two board members (I work for a small non-profit.)
I just hope there isn't some way that can sway this into me being un-eligible for unemployment.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@Protectlove: If you are laid off you are ABSOLUTELY eligible for unemployment. Being laid off is not the same as getting fired so I think that does not look badly on you for job searching.
ETA: as sneaky as it might be to protect your own a$$ I would look into maternity discrimination laws in your state. This meeting sounds pretty "on the books" so I wouldn't be afraid to spew some laws back at them to at least protect your job till after baby comes.
cherry / 124 posts
@Lindsay05: Can they do that? I always thought that your position had to be maintained during maternity leave.
And I had a form of maternity leave punishment with my first so I honestly expected some form of attack after announcing my second pregnancy but I didn't expect it to be this extreme.
cherry / 124 posts
@yoursilverlining: This is great advice. I just wish I worked for an employer that had an HR department. My agency is really small and pretty flat, my director is above me and then we have a board of directors, severance is not even a possibility. My biggest hope is that I can avoid being emotional about it in the moment. Having been here for almost 6 years makes it all feel so personal.
watermelon / 14467 posts
@Protectlove: I work for a non-profit, and we have 12 full-time employees. Technically, they don't have to hold my job during my maternity leave in October, and they didn't have to offer it to me per FMLA because we don't qualify.
This is for my state (Kentucky), but here's what it says about FMLA: "Be aware that taking some time off after our pregnancy under this act doesn’t guarantee that your job will be held. In fact, a provision under the FLMA, designed to ease economic hardships for companies who are missing key employees, states that it is completely legal for key employees to be terminated during leave. You are considered a key employee if you are in the top 10 percent of highest paid employees."
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@Protectlove: aww this was me. I was there for almost four years. I poured my heart and soul into that company. They portrayed a "family" environment. At the end my computer was locked by the time I came back to my desk to collect my bag. I was asked to leave immediately and My first thought was to save my work so my co-workers don't lose anything. When I saw that the computer was locked it was so insulting and that's when I started crying. I had to come back at a later date to clear my desk. It was SO hurtful and such a betrayal to the dedication I gave them on a personal level. It definitely opened my eyes to a job is just a job.
watermelon / 14467 posts
@Protectlove: Also, I'm really sorry this is happening to you! That stinks, but I hope that if it does happen, your next job is much better and that this ends up being a good thing for you.
pomegranate / 3759 posts
@Protectlove: Well, my position was on a year-to-year contract so when my contract ended, they made my position from a part time temporary to a full time permanent. Since they changed the job to a full time, they guy who was covering my mat leave decided he needed a "change" so screwed me over and took the job and left me with basically nothing. There are laws that say i'm supposed to be guaranteed my job or a similar job to it when I return but since this could have happened even when I was working, I don't think i'll have a case to fight it. The company is keeping me on casual but with zero guaranteed hours. I feel like telling them to shove it. lol
cherry / 124 posts
@regberadaisy: That story breaks my heart! It is so similar here, we actually serve children and families so it is even harder to understand how my director could feel comfortable with the choice to fire me now. I am so terrified that I am going to be in that same position tomorrow. Between now and my meeting tomorrow, I am going to do the best I can to clean out my desk and be physically prepared for that, even though mentally I know it will be unbearable.
Cheers to a strong work ethic! It sounds like you are a loyal and dedicated employee that I would grateful to have on my team!
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@Protectlove: Good luck today! IF you do get laid off don't forget to ask about severance, unemployment, COBRA etc!!
watermelon / 14467 posts
@Protectlove: Good luck today! Hold your head high, no matter what. And I second what @regberadaisy said!
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
@Protectlove: So sorry you are in this position. I just went through a reduction in force at my job and its super scary. Wishing you the best today!
honeydew / 7968 posts
So sorry u have to deal with this. I hope your meeting today is better than u are expecting.
cherry / 124 posts
Thank you for all the well-wishes! I will definitely be checking back in this afternoon with an update. Until then I will be trying not to think about it by cleaning my office with the music turned up.
apricot / 370 posts
shucks sorry to hear, i know it's such a stressful thing to have to go through. i was let go 2 months prior to delivery, and i was so shocked and sad...for a week... and then i realized i could just not work, cut expenses where i could, and just relax. i qualified for 12 weeks of disability (despite the lame HR lady at work telling me that I don't qualify). and then 5 months after the baby was born, i started looking for a job, and applied for unemployment. it was all a blessing in disguise when i look back at it, but i know it was a trying time at first. good luck ok?
cherry / 124 posts
Update!
I was not fired but my position has been dissolved (effective 2 weeks from now) and I am being encouraged to apply for one of the new positions- all of which come with a significant pay cut.
Although it is not the worst case scenario I am still so concerned about what this means for us financially. It was unclear what happens if we apply for a position and do not receive it and I am unsure if this is a way for the agency to get higher paying employees to voluntarily quit. If there are any HR people to offer insight into that side of things I would love to pick your brain.
Thank you for all the support and well wishes!
Cheers!
watermelon / 14467 posts
@Protectlove: thanks for updating! I was thinking about you today. Fingers crossed that they hire you at the new position if that's what you want!
GOLD / wonderful grape / 20289 posts
Glad to hear your update. Personally I'd try for the new position because any job is better then no job. Then I'd start looking for a higher paying job.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@Protectlove: I was thinking about you last night!
If I were you I would apply for the new position but in tandem look for a new job elsewhere.
On the bright side, 2 more weeks of pay is 2 more weeks of pay!
cherry / 124 posts
@artbee: Thank you! I will be applying for the position opening that has the most similar payscale as my current position (as will 2 other people).
The trouble comes in what happens if I do not get it. The alternative position that will be offered comes with an almost $15,000 paycut annually which would not be enough for me to justify paying for childcare to continue working. I am just so concerned that this is somehow a tactic to make sure we are ineligible for unemployment.
And the timing stinks to look for a new job! Being 22 weeks pregnant, regardless of my experience, makes me a little less than desirable as an applicant.
Lets see where it goes from here... fingers crossed!
eggplant / 11408 posts
@Protectlove: thinking of you! I hope that you get the job. Good luck!!
nectarine / 2797 posts
Ugh, so sorry to hear your news! Just wanted to say that you don't *have* to disclose you are pregnant while you are interviewing and they legally can't ask you. Don't know how much you are showing at 22 weeks but something to think about! I know it is kind of underhanded in some people's opinion, but I'd put having a job and being able to provide for my family ahead of any concerns I have about coming off as dishonest.
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
@Protectlove: When my company did this they provided info regarding our unemployment benefits. A few things came up: if a position at lesser pay was offered, but declined you were eligible; if you opted out of reapplying but still worked until position eliminated you were eligible. The reason people were eligible is because they didn't quit. Talk to your HR rep about your options.
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