Maternity Matters: How to approach redundancy while pregnant
Being made redundant at 32, whilst always a possibility at work, was something I had never expected. I especially did not expect it to happen whilst I was seven months pregnant with my first child.
The reason for the redundancy was a team restructure; only effecting a small percentage of the team. I was called into a room with the Chief People Officer and their second in command. A wave of panic hit me as they explained the future of the department and how that would affect my role and future.
I had a naïve sense of security when sharing the news of my pregnancy with my boss and team; a sense of security that, in hindsight, should be present when in permanent employment in the UK. After all, many women have a “traditional” maternity leave and are supported by their companies during this time.
Whilst the news of my redundancy was a shock in that moment, on the way home I thought back over how the behaviour of my colleagues had changed over the last few months – was I the last to know this was in the pipeline? Then I started reflecting more on what this meant for me, my career, my family, our home, and our future baby. It was frightening.
Then I was angry, especially when sharing the news with loved ones; it would fuel my anger.
The more I shared my experience though, the more I realised that this scenario is more common than I expected. More and more women shared their experiences with me.
I was lucky though, and moved through the change curve pretty quickly considering how vulnerable I felt, instead seeing this as an opportunity for the next step in my career.
When sharing the news with my wider professional network, I understood what opportunities were in front of me, and as a result secured some freelance work for when my baby was three months old.
However, although grateful for the freelance work that enabled me to top up my savings, I found it so hard to juggle so much; sleep training my baby, running a household, job searching and finally, interviews. Again, a situation that many people have had to find themselves in.
When it came to accepting a settlement, I know now that it wasn’t enough. At the time I thought it would be, again, perhaps naïvely. Either way, I knew I wasn’t willing to start a court case in such a vulnerable position, and I potentially could have walked away with less.
I started a new permanent position 9 months later, but that lack of security was there to haunt me, regularly feeling that I could never do enough, and my work was not enough; especially with the financial commitments of a growing family, one that is still growing now.
Despite this being a really challenging time in my life, and one I would have never expected, I did learn a lot from it. I am more reflective in general, and in this example, I know I should have been more in the present before agreeing to a settlement, realising that this situation shouldn’t be common and easy for an organisation to put in place. I should have fought for a better settlement and felt stronger in the situation. However, the vulnerability I felt going through this while pregnant is one that I had never felt before, and I felt it again during my second pregnancy as a result.
I wish I had understood my rights, aimed higher in terms of the support and leaving package, and to have enjoyed every moment with my little one – making the most of the time off, instead of worrying.
I hope no other parents have to go through this scenario but, sadly, I expect that this will not be the end of it.
To help those worried about such an event, I’ve shared some of the resources and tips I have found helpful in reflection:
Know your maternity rights; you can find some helpful and up to date information for within the UK on Maternity Action
Keep your network strong for support and future opportunities; this could be the opportunity you’ve needed for change
Maintain personal credibility; no matter how hard the battle, keep the details private in professional scenarios
Stay current; whether that’s reading an article on LinkedIn during nap time, receiving a monthly industry magazine, or negotiating a professional qualification as part of your leaving package, staying in touch with your industry can really help
Talk; to friends and family to digest and come to terms with the situation and to help you move quickly through the change curve
The author of this article chose to remain anonymous if you have any questions please contact us directly and we can pass these onto them.