I am in my 4th month of pregnancy which will end by the end of this month. After that I am planning a one month holiday and will join back office from starting of my 6th month. Till now is everything sorted with my employer (regarding my maternity leaves, holidays and salary). However since last few days I am not feeling really good. I have total 9 hours of job (including 30min lunch break) and 2.5 hours of travelling (total 11.5 hours/day). This makes my day very long and tiring. Since last 3 weeks I have reduced 30min of my working time on my own which according to my employment agreement either I will have to work out (on weekends or by staying longer on weekdays) or I must pay for them. As of now I have almost -20 hours.
Few of my friends told me that I can get a medical certificate or something like that from my doctor which will state that I can not work 100% any longer and it should be reduced by 60% or 80%. It will definitely help me a lot and will decrease my stress. But my question is can I ask my doctor for this in the beginning of my 6th month (right after my vacation). Or am I supposed to wait till 7th or 8th month? Is there also any physical evidence that's need to be there in order to get this certificate from doctor (like weight loss or something) or just telling her that I am not able to cope up with my workin hours will work?
I am really stressed out and most of the times feel very sick by evening (becuase of long working hours and journey). I haven't gain even a single kg and I do not have time at all to take care of my diet. And because of all this I feel all the time nauseated and tired.
I have a friend in the same situation and she goes to the Dr. every few weeks..not sure how many though and she gets a new paper each visit from her Dr. She has pain in her belly. It was terrible for her in the first 3 months. Now she is in the 5th month and something but she has pain so she tells her Dr. this. She is out of work 100%.
I am 3 weeks away from my due date and have experienced every pregnancy symptom one can imagine! I too was working long hours considering the traveling to and from work and the long work days were exhausting and stressful! After I explained this to my Dr he booked me off from 6 months starting at 50% and gradually increased it to 100% just 2 weeks ago. If you are open and honest with your Dr and he feels your that your work load is not beneficial to you or your child; he will reduce your hours accordingly.
But do be aware that getting a medical certificate reducing your work hours commitment to (say) 60% doesn't automatically mean you're entitled to a shorter working day.
Your employer has the right to dictate how that 60% is spread over the working week UNLESS the medical certificate specifies that the reduction is to be done on a percentage rate per day. So you could be forced to work three full days out of five, rather than simply a few hours less each day.
Ask him to be clear (in writing) which way he wants your work hours to be reduced.
Sadly no certificate in the world is going to reduce your travel time!
A reminder though; depending on how much sick leave you take during your pregnancy - it will affect your salary. Whilst initially you may be booked off and still receive a full salary; when you reach the threshold you will only be entitled to 80% of your salary, so clarify this with your HR.
Thanks Samaire, I am relieved to know that. I do not think that working 3 days/week or reducing time will make any difference to me. I am happy with both. The most important thing is that I need time and in both of the cases burden will definitely be reduced. It can't go like this further. So I am planning to talk to my doctor once I am back from my vacation.
Thank you for pointing that out. I will talk to my HR about that.
I am sorry to hear that about you friend. These things are certainly not in our hand and that makes them worse. I was in a very bad state in the first month of my pregnancy and I took a lot of holidays because it was next to impossible for me to get out of my bed. That time my employer did not know about the pregnancy so it was tough to manage. However knowing that now I can avail this facility makes me feel a bit relieved. I was already under weigth from the starting of my pregnancy and this nausea and stress is only making it worse. I hope to hear something positive from my doctor
Just one more clarification, so that my statements do not sound contradicting. The holidays I am talking about is actually a visit to my family. So for the next one moth i'll be just relaxing at my parents home rather than wandering in some new city or country.
How far away is that? Does it include a long drive or flight? Some might argue that if you are not well enough to work- such a journey may not be advisable.
It's a 8 hours flight. I am working right now almost 12 hours a day and I personally feel that if these 8 hours can give me 1 month of rest then they are probably worth it. My doctor has given me certain precautionary medicines for the journey and I think with them I can manage those 8 hours. Please not it's not a high risk pregnancy it's just about stress and lack of time for proper diet (resulting in nausea and no weight gain).
My wife's OB gave her a similar sort of clearance to reduce her work schedule to 50% and she too was at 100% on 12 hr shifts (Now reduced to 8 hr shifts)...She's also at 5 months
Congratulations to you and your wife. I am happy that she got her work time reduced. Otherwise I see no point when one is in so much of stress and still working. I would rather leave my job then suffering every day. 12 hours are too much, specially during pregnancy. I have reduced my work on my own till now because I wanted to manage it by myself. But now I feel that even 30min-1hour/day is not helping me much.
Is it any wonder that some employers don't like employing us women?? They already have to pay out for and cover maternity leave, maybe several times per woman ..... but then people go and get themselves signed off for many months more because they are "too tired to work". My sister-in-law has just done this, she's 5 months pregnant, she is not ill, she just claims that she is too tired to work at 5 months pregnant.... she worked the same job through her first pregnancy
If you are too sick to work whilst pregnant, no problem. But to go off sick because work is too tiring.... that makes me mad! If you don't want to work, then quit your job!
It is not the employers fault if your commute is long, though.
Why is pregnancy increasingly treated as an illness? Reduce hours, yes if there are medical reasons to do so- but pregnancy in itself is not a reason in itself unless the work is very physical- in which case a reduction may well be required, or more suitably, a change duties to something less strenuous. No need to quit your job- but discuss how it can be adjusted and adapted to help you cope- and give you time to eat properly, which is, I'm afraid, your own reponsibiltiy towards the child you carry.
But if well enough to undertake a 12 hr flight...I'd person question this, sorry. As a mother and grand-mother who is totally in favour of equal rights, I do not think women are serving the cause of equality in this way. I worked full-time to a few weeks of pregnancy, and so did daughter numero uno, with a long commute into London- and yes, it is tiring.
First of all, employer does not pay during pregnancy sick leaves and 14 weeks afterwards (it's done by insurance). And if the rules are there then there is a reason for that. Giving birth is not a piece of cake. In my current job I have worked for longer hours than expected and have got many appreciation for the quality of my work (including a few from the Chief executive officer of my company). I would suggest you to read a little bit about pregnancy and how your body changes. Tiredness and decreased efficiency happen for a reason. I guess bulding a complete human inside you is not a easy job and for me justifiable enough to take a day off from my work. I am really glad that my employer does not have thinking like you. Really disappointed to hear this from a woman!
No need to quit your job- but discuss how it can be adjusted and adapted to help you cope .
: I said I will quit my job if the stress could not be reduced. I am trying my best to cope up with the situation but if things will keep on getting worse than definitely I would like to avail my rights. I see nothing wrong in it.
But if well enough to undertake a 12 hr flight ..
: it's 8 hours not 12. My day includes 3 hours travelling and 9 hours sitting at one place. So honestly sitting in a plane for 8 hours is not that difficult for me to get peace for 1 month. This vacation is NOT paid by my employer, I am getting it deducted from my salary so that I do not need to ask my doctor at this point of time and I am hoping to get my health back on track after this.
I have female friends who have worked up to 8 months pregnant as Ski Instructors... I have heard of athletes who continue with sport and training until their due date... I have a friend who worked as a cleaner until her due date, girls who worked as airport/airline customer service staff.... all very demanding jobs physically, but they were fine. Pregnancy is not an illness.
If you look back in history it were probably only the rich women who could stay at home and do nothing during pregnancy, others were forced to work or face starvation.
There is no cover for maternity leave before the child is born. Some employers and employees have an insurance, but many small employers do not, and have to cover the whole cost of finding and paying a replacement out of their own pocket, I'm afraid. Which is why, sadly, tragically even- some small employers will not employ young women- even more so now that the high franc value is putting such pressure on the tourism and other industries.
As a woman, a mother and grand-mother, I find this tragic- hence my reasons for expecting women to show great responsibility in their own behaviour- lest we become our own worst enemies. Employers maybe aboe to reduce hours (but as said, the long commute is a personal choice and hardly their responsibility) and also discuss changes in the day duties to avoid strenuous physical work, lifting, etc, to as large an extent as possible, of course.
Many of us have been mothers, have given birth, and have friends and daughters who have done so- and totally understand the issues, I can assure you. Sounds like your job is not physically demanding- make sure you get up from your desk to move around, do some stretches, etc- and take time to eat properly.