Telling your boss, you’re pregnant is a conversation that causes too much anxiety. Even some women feel it’s easier to quit than to break this news.
But with the right methods, you can effectively tell your boss about this news. There’s no perfect time to talk to the employer about your pregnancy.
How To Tell Your Boss You’re Pregnant – Working In The Office
It’s your personal decision based on your condition, how your pregnancy looks, and what requirements your job has.
Whatever your decision is, ensure to tell your boss before you tell any coworker to avoid any confusion.
Here is the method to break this news while you work at an office.
1. Pick Up The Right Time
Choosing the right time to inform the boss that you’re pregnant is the first necessary step.
You should tell this news to the boss in an undisturbed environment. Avoid telling this news to your boss when you are in a taxi and going somewhere.
Also, don’t tell your boss when he’s about to attend a meeting. These are rushed hours, and she won’t be able to listen to you properly.
You can schedule a meeting with your boss, so none of you is in a rush to go or gets distracted.
2. How To Tell Your Boss You’re Pregnant – Point Towards The Positive
Never ever tell your boss that you’re pregnant in an apologetic tone. If you begin with apologies, it’d sound like you aren’t happy about it.
So focus on the positive aspects of this news rather than being sorry for it.
You should tell your boss that you’re pregnant and you’re happy about it. Let them know that you’re excited and will do your best to keep the work-life balance.
3. Show Flexibility To A Limit
Before you go to your boss and tell her about the news, make sure to have a plan before you.
But remember to be flexible in your plan and stay positive towards discussion.
Also, stay realistic when you present your plan. Don’t commit to something more than you can do.
Tell them clearly about your plans for work and how you’d execute these plans. In short, make an approach that is realistic and stay focused on it.
4. Get Everything Written To Tell Your Boss
Once your homework on the pregnancy is complete, make sure to get everything in writing.
If you get everything written, it will save you from any confusion later on.
So prepare your maternity leave request and send it to HR; keep one copy with yourself.
5. Don’t Underestimate The Parental Power
After this process, if the company doesn’t seem supportive to you, join hands with other coworkers.
For this, find coworkers who have the same problem and sign a petition together to get parental perks.
Also, make sure that these allowances and perks are also for those who have to take care of their sick spouses.
How To Tell Your Boss You’re Pregnant (During COVID 19)
With the arrival of the deadliest pandemic, COVID 19, a lot of people started to work remotely.
Although offices have started to reopen now, but more people still prefer to work from home.
If you’re working from home and want to break the news you’re pregnant; the method is almost the same.
Either you’re telling your boss in a private meeting or through an email, you’ll be following the same process.
You just have to frame your news positively. Tell your boss about the due date so that he can plan your leave for delivery process.
When To Tell Your Boss You’re Pregnant – 6 Factors
There are things to consider before deciding the time for announcing your pregnancy.
1. What Time Of Your Pregnancy Is It?
Studies show that many women prefer to wait until first trimester ends so they can break the news.
That’s because the risk of miscarriage risk reduces in this period, and they can be better at the workplace.
It’d also be fine if you wait until your second trimester begins. At that time, you’d be sure that your pregnancy is going fine.
Many women also wait for the fourth month to end to get the amniocentesis results.
2. How You’re Feeling And What Are The Visible Symptoms
You won’t be able to keep it a secret for too long if you suffer from nausea, vomiting, or other symptoms.
Some women experience severe nausea in the beginning. They even find it impossible to lift their heads up from the pillow.
So in such cases, keeping the pregnancy a secret is not possible. It’ll be better to tell your boss before she or your coworkers finds it out through guessing.
There’s a benefit for those working from home; they can wait a bit longer to break their news.
Also, it will be easier to hide changes happening in the body when you aren’t going to the office daily.
3. The Type Of Job You’re Doing
If you’re doing a job that has a potentially higher risk of workplace hazards, then don’t wait for too long.
The kinds of jobs where there’s a close exposure to chemicals are dangerous for pregnant women.
While working in such a kind of environment, it’s better to talk to your boss as soon as possible to make a change in your duties.
4. How’s Your Work Going
A considerable rise in concerns for your coworkers and boss would be seen once you announce the news.
They’d be wondering whether you’ll continue the work during pregnancy or return after your leave is over.
You can clear these concerns by showing that you’re committed to the job. For that purpose, break your news right after you proposed a great idea of finished a project.
5. Are There Reviews Coming Up
If you’re expecting any upcoming salary or performance reviews, then wait for a bit.
Your pregnancy announcement can affect the reviews so wait until such events are over.
People might assume that you are about to get a promotion just because you’re pregnant.
To avoid such kind of confusions, it will better to break the news after your achievements.
6. How Family-Friendly Your Company Is?
You can guess your boss’s attitude towards the family by generally asking the coworkers how their experiences went.
If it shows that your boss won’t be welcoming towards this news, wait until the 20th week.
Hiding your pregnancy (if you can) will save you from lots of troubles in such situations.
Meanwhile, you’ll also get the time to prove your skills to do the job while pregnancy.
If you think that the employer will positively take your news, then share it soon to benefit.
5 Steps To Prepare Your Pregnancy Announcement
Your pregnancy announcement should be news that’s well-received and brings congratulations.
Before you decide to share your news, take some steps to make sure it gets received properly.
See the following steps to have an effective conversation with the boss.
1. Explore Your Company’s Family Leave
You should do some research about the company’s policies about maternity leave.
Some companies offer paid family leaves, while others give unpaid leaves.
Often companies allow vacations and sick days to be used as family leave when necessary.
Get the employee book and read the policies related to maternity leave and benefits.
It’s also good to confidentially arrange a meeting with an HR professional and spill the beans.
2. Learn More About Your Rights
It’s unfortunate to live in some countries when it’s about family leaves. However, countries like the U.S. offers a 12-week non-paid leave according to the FMLA.
Depending upon the laws of the country you’re living in, you’ll be receiving some benefits. So educate yourself with the policies to see what you’re entitled to.
3. Get Prepared To Make Your Responsibilities Adjusted
If your job includes stressful physical tasks, get your responsibilities adjusted until the due date.
Working in an environment with a high exposure to harmful chemicals can be dangerous for you.
So talk to your boss about swapping your responsibilities with a coworker who’s ready to join hands.
4. Make A Plan To Cover Up The Work When You’re Out
You should sit and perceive how your responsibilities will be fulfilled when you will not be there.
Make a plan and arm yourself with some great ideas to cover up your work behind you.
That’s necessary because your boss’s first thought will be about handling the work instead of congratulating you.
5. Have A Realistic Approach About Your Returning
Keep in eye all the factors related to your time off. Ask yourself if you and your spouse can survive on one salary in case if you have to extend the leave.
If you don’t think it will be easier and your income is necessary, then think about it as well.
Other emotional factors like taking care of your baby or leaving him at a day-care, also matters.
Look at all these factors and then develop a plan that includes how and when you’ll return to the office.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Should I Tell My Boss I Am Pregnant?
You should wait until you get done with your first-trimester screen. However, it depends on the pregnancy; each woman has a different experience. If you have morning sickness, it’s better to tell your boss because you can’t get the nausea symptoms.
Should I Tell My Boss I’m Pregnant Right Away?
It isn’t a legal requirement to tell your boss as soon as you get to know about it. Most of the women prefer to keep it a secret until their first trimester ends. You can also wait until your first screening gets done.
How Do You Announce Pregnancy At Work?
You should tell your boss first. If you and your boss work in the same office, you can tell him in person. When you tell your boss, keep it brief. Share your happy news and the due date, so your boss prepares for the maternity leave.
Conclusion
Being pregnant is not news that is impossible to be shared, nor can you keep it a secret for too long.
You just have to deal with it the right way. If your boss responds positively to this news, that’s well and good.
If he doesn’t, you can seek help from coworkers to sign a petition for your rights.
Also, the working parents around you will help you learn from their experiences.
Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Last Updated on 2 years by Shahzaib Arshad
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