Stories

I had no choice but to leave my job

I feel that I was discriminated against when I was pregnant. I decided to tell my employer around the 12 week mark as I thought my job was fairly physical and dangerous and I did not want to risk harming my baby. I worked as a chef in a gourmet food shop. I was working in a hot kitchen mainly by myself, standing on my feet for 8 hours a day barely getting a break (10-15 minutes if I was lucky), 5 days a week. When I told my employer about my pregnancy I was promised extra help and I asked if it was possible to reduce my working hours. This unfortunately fell on deaf ears, I was expected to carry on as normal, I was still working in a hot kitchen on my own, lifting heavy pans, carrying hot food and dealing with orders. My employer did not even do a risk assessment which really shocked me. At the best of times, working as a chef in a kitchen holds a lot of potential hazards, I was so worried about the risk in continuing in my role as a chef in this current position. One day I felt so ill, I could barely get out of bed, I was shattered and I was struggling with pregnancy sickness so I decided to phone in sick. My husband phoned my employer to say I was sick and unable to attend work. I rarely took a sick day, I always forced myself into work even when I wasn’t feeling 100% I thought they would understand that I was genuinely feeling ill. When my husband came off the phone he was disappointed by my employer’s reaction, I was told by my employer to take a couple of hours rest and to come into work later. This comment really upset me, I had no choice but to leave my job. I felt like I wasn’t supported at all, I was working in a dangerous environment and I did not feel safe at work and I had to take holiday days for antenatal appointments. I felt like I was being an inconvenience to my workplace and I was really struggling to continuing working for someone with that attitude. That day I was off work feeling ill I decided to write my notice and I handed it in the following week. Although I did not want to finish work right then I feel that it was the best decision for the safety and health of myself and baby.

Stories

Never Miss Out {{ responseTitle }}

Sign up to the Pregnant Then Screwed mailing list so you can stay in the loop on our latest campaigns and achievements as well as tips on how you can help end The Motherhood Penalty {{ responseMessage }}
Whoops. The form is invalid.
  • {{ value }}.