Announcing a pregnancy to your employer is often difficult for many pregnant people. It’s an important but delicate conversation that demands thoughtful navigation. Brenda Jamnik is a Sunshine Coast-based author and psychosocial safety specialist. She urges the point that people will have to engage in these negotiations with their employers earlier than they imagined due to these complicating factors. Society has an implicit norm of informing when bad news first arrives. Many women choose to announce their good news only after they have made it through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
When picking the timing of this announcement look beyond the obvious and consider these key factors. Consider regulatory requirements as well as any reasonable workplace modifications to protect health and welfare of the pregnant worker.
Understanding Legal Obligations
Under the Fair Work Act, employers have a legal duty to give their employees at least some paid parental leave. Often, this leave begins six weeks prior to the due date. It can start sooner if your employer is on board. Production Dr. Melissa Innes Production Productivity to Drug War The very first thing Tiffany McKenzie has to do is make a plan. This advance notice is important first step toward that holistic transition.
“But legally you do actually need to provide that written notice.” – Anonymous Source
This 3-month notice period gives employers plenty of time to advertise for a replacement if needed. Dr. Innes explains that this requirement helps develop a strong working relationship, contributing to more productive dialog between the employee and employer.
“The idea is that you try and give them as much notice as you can because that’s a healthy working relationship.” – Dr. Melissa Innes
Pregnant employees should be upfront about how long they intend to be away from work. It is equally important to make sure that if they have left, continuous unpaid leave is clearly indicated by their absence.
The Role of Workplace Adjustments
When an employee notifies her employer of her pregnancy, employers should act immediately. They are legally obligated to provide reasonable accommodations in the workplace to protect the health and comfort of the pregnant worker. Jamnik says these accommodations could range from providing ergonomic workstations to allowing flexible work schedules.
“If [the employee is] in a retail sector, they might ask if they can have a chair,” said Jamnik. “They can ask for ergonomic stations, changes to their start and finish times, those sorts of things.”
These changes would go a long way to demonstrating that employers value the health of their employees. They further fulfil the duty of care owed to pregnant employees.
“But really it is about the mum’s fitness for work because the employer has a duty of care.” – Brenda Jamnik
If an employer finds that they cannot make the job safe for a pregnant employee, they should loudly and clearly let them know. Jamnik stresses the need for clear, honest messaging in these scenarios.
“If the employer says, ‘look, we’ve got no safe job,’” – Brenda Jamnik
Staying one step ahead of these conversations will help establish a positive working relationship with the prospective employee and your institution.
The Personal Nature of the Announcement
Ultimately, there is no right or wrong time to announce a pregnancy — it’s a deeply personal decision. Dr. Penny Sheehan in this Weaving Voices video on how women tend to wait until after 12 weeks in pregnancy to disclose their pregnancy. While this timing can prematurely increase their hopes that the pregnancy will continue, there are no clinical recommendations on when to disclose.
“At 12 weeks, most people can ‘believe with some confidence’ that their pregnancy will be ongoing.” – Dr. Penny Sheehan
Dr. Jamnik reinforces that it is up to each individual or couple to determine when they feel comfortable sharing this significant life change.
Dr Innes advises expectant parents to make an appointment for an in-person conversation with their employer about their pregnancy their first time.
“I personally would prefer initially a face-to-face discussion about something as personal as this that’s going to affect your life in a big way,” – Dr. Melissa Innes
She recommends going public with the news to close family and friends to get extra support while you adapt to this change.
“I’ve never told [anyone] to not tell anyone. In fact, I would usually say to share it with a support person and some close family and friends, so that you do have some support,” – Dr. Melissa Innes
