FORUMS
Telling your boss you're pregnant
1. Do
your research and know your rights.
As soon as you can, either before you get pregnant
or soon after, research your employer's health plan
and parental leave policy. You can do this by
reading your contract or talking to someone in
human resources, your company's personnel
department or your union. Find out specifically
what paid and unpaid leave you are eligible for.
You might have some leave without pay that still
includes benefits. Talk to other
people who have taken family leave as well. They can give you information about your employer's policy -- both what it looks like in theory and in practice. If there are two employed parents, remember that dads are often eligible for family leave as well as moms.
2. Talk
to your doctor.
It is useful to check with your doctor about when
to make the announcement. Many people like to wait
through the first trimester before they start
telling family and friends. Your doctor may also
have an opinion about how much time you should take
off from work before and after giving birth,
depending on your health.
3. Think
about the kind of maternity or paternity leave you
might like to take.
It is very difficult to imagine what life with a
new baby will be like. Many people imagine that
they will feel much the same as they do now about
working, child care and spending time with baby.
However, lots of people find their feelings change
considerably once they become parents. As you
prepare to talk with your boss about your pregnancy
and its effect on your work, it is important that
you try to imagine several different scenarios.
This enables you to ask for what you want as
clearly as possible, and it gives you and your boss
a framework for creating as flexible a plan as you
can. For instance, you could come up with a plan
for returning in three months, six months, 12
months or 18 months. You might also want to
consider coming back part-time after you leave, or
working part-time at home (depending on your job).
4.
Analyze your finances.
In order to give yourself as many options as
possible, it is useful to think about your income,
budget and expenditures. Imagine whether it would
be possible to alter your lifestyle so that you
could go without your income for several months --
or several years. Consider ways you might be able
to reduce your income and increase your time at
home by working part-time.
5.
Arrange a comfortable time to talk with your boss.
Once you are informed about your company's policy
and have thought about how much time you might want
to take off, make an appointment to talk to your
boss. Depending on your relationship with your boss
and your company's policy, you may choose to write
your boss a letter rather than talk to her in
person. As well as telling your boss about your
request for leave, it is also useful to discuss
your long-term interest in working in the company.
Some employers may be willing to give a generous
maternity leave if they value you and feel like you
are committed to your job.
