Ask by Company to leave Cos of Pregnancy Complications

nana_tan

nana_tan

Member
I am 14 weeks pregnant now. During the first tri, I took HL and MC because of cramps and spotting. I was admitted to hospital due to dehydration from constant vomiting too. I just recently went back to work 2 weeks again. But took an MC on mon cos of cramps and spotting again. During the scan, Gynae told me I have low placenta which most likely cause of my spottings. Despite having cramps, I still went back to work the next day. Today, HR spoke to me and told me that my head of department has spoken to them. They feel that I am disruptive to the department and given my condition, I can't run roadshows and carry heavy things which is part of my job scope. So they ask me to consider leaving. They added that I am not performing due to my pregnancy complications and is constantly not around. They even talk about terminating my contract. What is worse is that my company belongs to a government body! I didn't choose to have complications. Who doesn't want to have a smooth pregnancy. I am quite a lost at what to do now.
 


Hi, sorry to heard abt ur case...

Actually in Singapore, I think most of the company are like that. When I went for my maternity leave, my bosses was also talking abt my performance n everything. I was just like the target board. I was still on my maternity leave, not even gone back to work n I heard all this news, seriously I was very demoralizing. They dont take into consideration that i was away for 2 mths n i m behind my other col. No choice but just have to bear with it. Company here are not very 'kind' when it comes to MC n maternity leave. That y woman alway lose out during year end appraisal. I even heard my col told me her ex co will ask those woman coming for interview, do they have any family planning n they have how many kids... The co want to employ those with either no kids or don't intend to have kids anymore...
 
And the govt ask us to have more kids...And they themselves don't support us! Who dare to have more kids now. Pregnancy complication is not something we can predict.
 
Joanna..I tink u should seek MOM to intervene in this issue...

If Govt organisation themselves dun support pregnant employee..Then it defeat the purpose to say Govt is trying to boost the birth rates..It's ridiculous...

Alot of companies discriminate employee who r pregnant with or without complications..They never consider the part when we were there working hard for them even before we are pregnant...

Seek MOM help...Do not tender ur resignation even if u r being force as it may be hard for MOM to fight for u if u have tendered.

Wish u all the best...Take care..Dun stress too much..Take good care of urself...;-)
 
yes, contact MOM! u dont deserve that kind of treatment by your company. u have your rights as an employee. my bro-in-law's pregnant sister was asked to leave. we are pushing for her to contact MOM
 
Joanna,

Before you do anything , are u aware of wat condition u are in now ? Will you require a lot of bed rest ? Will you be in the condition to work for the rest of the 5-6 months even if they were to give u a lighter load ?

I know nobody wants pregnancy complication , and it's not something we can control .. Some ladies with low placenta might need a lot of bed rest and not allowed to move around ... Maybe u should discuss with ur gynea abt what he/she might foresee in this pregnancy, then u will be able to talk to your company regarding what they will be expecting from you ..
 
I have already spoke to My gynae on Monday. I am able work as per normal but no running and lifting heavy items. I am also on hormone killed to help with cramps. But she warn me to see hee If I have bleeding. My company didn't even bother to find out more from me before asking me to leave or make other work arrangements.
 
Maybe ask ur gynea to write a letter ? And re-assure ur company abt ur temporary change of job scope?

I am not saying its wrong to go mom , but what can u get out of it ? If u go to mom before they terminate u , and they give u the job , do u tink they will treat u well , will u be happy in the company ? I tink it's only wise to go to such places only when u decided not to stay in the company ... Anyway they can also say its due to ur work performance rather than the pregnancy complication , cos as u mention , they said u are unable to do ur job scope ..

Some companies are pregnancy friendly while others are not ... Some companies don't even like their ladies to get married cos it will somehow affect their personal sales ( spend too much time dating ) .. My group was not happy that I got married and affect my personal sales, though I don't fetch fixed pay, I am full commission based ..
 
Sigh... such is the sad part of being a woman. I have heard from my ex-colleagues about this too, and was really upset. It is true that many companies do consider all these as factors affecting performance... and to be very frank with you, the successful female managers in the companies I've worked for are all in their 40s at least, and unmarried...
and the companies I've worked for all have at least 1000 employees and a global presence...
...when I went for interviews, many of the bigger / more well-known companies asked if I was dating / attached / planning for marriage / etc...
A couple of them even asked me what kind (race/occupation/qualities) of a man I want to be with!! -.-
I was only applying for ENTRY LEVEL jobs, with a Dip cert! D:
No wonder so many women in Singapore do not wish to get married/have children/etc...
One of my coll even left my curr co cos the boss said she shld nt plan to hv kids until she finished her proj fr the co...
sigh.
Singapore really need to do something to compensate us women for suffering all this mental/emotion stress on top of the physical/mental/emotional ones we already have from pregnancy!
And I also noticed from my friends that the smaller, local family owned companies do not consider pregnancy n family planning to affect performance..
how can gov expect higher birth rate if women have to suffer all this.
buying a house and all already cost so much. all the stress + lack of income / opportunities.. sigh
 
I thought govt body will be more sympathetic to pregnant woman but doesn't seem to be the case. If I could, I also want to stay at home and rest. But standard of living in Singapore is so high. Hard for one partner to be working only. Gynae fees and hospital bills aren't cheap.
 
Joanne C ,

Not really .. A lot of SME can't accept if the employee is always away , cos they need the extra Pairs of hands .. I tink it's more to what kind of boss u are working for .. Many times also depend on what kind of work scope we suppose to be in ..
 
Me too... Manager indirectly said few more new projects coming in & so must prepare ( I oredi told her I plan to conceive) I m so stress.... At that time i also on hormone pill cos work stress until hormone haywire ....
One of my college also always take urgent leave cos her son cos ashma ... Always midnite rush to hospital .. Manager also tell her to think & do something ... But my col insist not to leave cos she is entitle to take leave , no reason she needs to resign ...
However I m leaving cos I don't like her way treat me liao after she knows I will get pregnant soon .. She don't like employee affect her work performance ... She always 为难 & talk sarcastic word..
sad.gif

Now I think to look for job, but some co know I hav family planning, they reject directly ... Cos they need new staff to help co to 'chiong' for work , not for kids!!!
sad.gif
. That's why I stil jobless now ...
sad.gif
 
Private industry is already making life hard for pregnant women. All the more govt agencies should be more sympathetic since govt direction is for us to have more kids. MOM just replied me. Civil servant is not covered under employment act. ~T_T~
 
Sigh....its so difficult for women to survive in work place and have family. Years back, when I told my boss I am getting married, straightaway she ask "you are NOT having kids so soon right?" Last year, when I preggy but in the end I had miscarriage, I think the happiest person is her. Instead of consoling me, she ask if I still want kids? I said YES. She was shocked. What is in these people's mind?
 
what? civil servant not covered under employment act? then who do they cover sia??
did u ask what can u do about ur predicament?
 
MOM ask me to approach public service department. Went to their website but can't find another department that I can contact.
Bubbli: it states except employed under state board and govt office ~>_<~... working under govt is worse...no right at all.
 
"MOM just replied me. Civil servant is not covered under employment act."
How can that be right?!
Ever thought about going to MP?
This is so ironic when our govt publicly declares support for child birthing? "We need more" but then we as citizens no job = no food, baby eat what?!
 
The director ask me to leave. Tomorrow last day. Giving me only one month compensation. This time she use excuse that My department closing down and there is no position for me anywhere.
 
do u mind to share where u working at &amp; what position u hold? cant pm u. i feel indignant for u &amp; would like to ask around. u can pm me. but if ure uncomfortable abt it then its ok
 
Joanna, sad to say most companies r like that. I was in HR for yrs before becoming a sahm recently. After the interviews we will discuss with the hiring mgrs which candidates they suspect that will get married or start a family n we will rank them at the back of the selection.

This is life, when I had my #1 after I came back from 12weeks of ML (coz not allowed to take full 16weeks), the company had a retrenchment exercise n I. was the target coz they felt that I did not contribute in the last 3mths when I was absence from work.
 
is your boss a female? i feel female bosses have the least sympathy to other females. but that is beside the point.

i think you should stick with the job becuase if you terminate, you end up not having maternity leave and that is probably what hte company wants. speak to the manager again and make sure everything is also set out in writing. this is to ensure that when you complain to MOM, they have more than sufficient evidence that you had tried, and you were not malingering and you had genuine reasons and the companyw as really asking you to just becasue of your pregnancy.

as for what tomomi said, she is right, going to MOM will result in you falling out wiht your immediate supervisor most likely, but if you at the stage where you cannot take it anymore, then i say you might as well complain. fight for your rights (and other women as well), adn let the company and your supervisor know that people will not take this kind of unfair attitute lying down.

obviously pregnant people would not expect the same kind of bonus or career progression, but to be ask to leave is just terrible, especially since you had informed them of your plans to conceive.
 
oh sorry, i just read ur update - so really cannot complain to MOM? are you sure? check around wiht a different officer, otherwise, tell the MOM officer that you are ready to take this with the media, a step that youw ish to avoid unless absolutely necessary.
 
Yapz. I have checked the MOM website. Civil servants are not protected by Employment Act. They ask me to go to Public Service Department. But there is no information on the website on who I can feedback to and what kind of protection I am given.
Both my boss and director are females. And anyway, I have already got terminated by them, i am going to demand a termination letter from HR. I will be drafting a letter to PM Lee office and I am going to seek help from my MP. If worse come to worse, i will have to call whatever media I can find. I feel this problem needs to be addressed as I am not the only person affected. I believe there is a lot of pregnant ladies out there getting unfair treatment cos of their pregnancy. Government is addressing the ferilty issue in a wrong way. People not willing to have kids not because of insufficientmaternity benefits but the unfair treatment they will receive and also the fear of losing their jobs. Even my so called stable govt job is not stable. Just asked to leave in one day.
 
yes, really hope u can fight for this as far as possible. for urself &amp; for other women who were/are/will be in e same position as u. this should be a wake up call to e govt. wth mans, asking us to have kids blah blah but employers not e least supportive. pls update us along ur every step of actions!
 
Maybe try to post on pm lee page on fb??? I tried to post use hp but keep fail.., really hope pm lee knw this issue... He keep ask us to have more babies. But such problem sometimes oso one of the problem that hinder in ttc.. Unless we are sahm.
 
Thanks Pink. I have already written to Pm Lee. Waiting to see If he will reply. If not I will go to My MP. I will contact media If I have to and blow it up. Everyone knows the sad reality that pregnant women who lose their jobs will not be able to find any job. Who will wan to hire us!
 
I am thinking of looking for part-time job like telemarketing which is on short term basis. Nothing much I can do. Life is unfair but still have to go on. Just make the best of the situation.
 
Joanna, sorry to hear about your plight. Hope you'll hear a reply from PMO soon. Yes, this must be made known. How to push through national agenda with this kind of mindset rite? It's like the govt encouraging elderly to extend their retirement age. But the real fact is that alot of companies also don't want to employ senior citizens.

More awareness should be raise, it is very unfair that mothers to be face discrimination.

Having said that, do take care of yourself yah. Have a positive mind, don't fret too much :D I'm sure alot of mummies are behind you!
 
I see. Maybe you can look at other threads hiring part time, I see they sometimes have those cold-calls jobs. Take care of yourself!!
 
omg, i can't believe that both your bosses are female and they have soooo little sympathy. seriously.

please fight for this, take it up with social media whatever. if you need help to craft your letter please pm me. it is important to sound reasonable, give all the facts as accurately as possible so that it is clear that even though you are a competent, rational worker who wants to have kids and a job, the company is the one that is hindering you from this.

i feel so angry for you!!!!!!!!!!!
 
its good if you have a proper letter to the PM / your MP, which you don't mind sharing, that way, i am sure we can all help by reposting it and sharing it on our FB.

the policies are all in place, but if the companies are going to be so discriminatory, then such policies are just useless.
 
Joanne ,

I am not trying to side ur company , but before u make any major moves to the media , make sure u are well prepared .. Cause I can somehow expect what they are gonna say ..

On ur side u can only say they terminate u due to pregnancy .. But for them they gonna put a lot of different reason to proof they are not in the wrong .. Reasons might be :
1- ur department is closing down and they do not require so many stuff .
2- u only been in the company a few months ( since may right ?)
3- the other job assignment available are all not suitable for ur current situation , so they might say its for ur own good..
4- you are not performing to what is required ... So if u gonna say u are having pregnancy complication , they might rebut by saying that they given u mc and hl .. But too much work is piling up .. Etc
So u need to tink through all these possibility and know how to talk back to the media if ur company is using such reason ... Blowing things up is easy , but handling it need preparation as well ..
 
I have already thought about what they are going to say already. My letter to PM have addressed these issues also. Whatever it is, I feel that this issue is real and there are many pregnant ladies out there facing this and nothing is being done.
 
i think tomomi has pointed out good points, and that is why you should have evidence of what has happened, and make sure that you present your case as unemotionally as possible, tackle the issue not hte problem. present it from the perspective of a social issue, not your personal issue. with the current pro-family policies, i would expect the mainstream media to be more pro your case. also, the online media would easily take up your case because they are usually anti-PAP, so don't worry too much. Just prep yourself and make sure that you don't sound too emotional. this is seriously a case for talking point.
 
I also make sure My letter to pm Lee is not emotional and just stating facts. I will be waiting for his reply before deciding to go to the media. If he can address this issue of unfair treatment ofpegnant ladies at his end. Then I will just let him handle. Most importantly is that the Parliament knows and address the issue seriously.
 
Hi Joanna

Sorry to hear about it. From what I know, as long as you work 3 months at the company, you are entitled to the maternity benefits even if you are retrenched. In your case, if you can prove that you have work for them for 3 mths, then you should be given the maternity benefits no matter what are the reasons for your termination.

This covers for all female Singaporean which meets the below:

Under the Child Development Co-Savings Act, an employee is entitled to maternity leave benefits if:

The child is a Singapore Citizen;
The child's parents are lawfully married; and
The employee has served her employer for at least 90 days before the child's birth.
 
Just some thoughts. If MOM mentioned that civil servants aren't covered under the Act is true, doesn't it sound weird if the terms for civil/public servants are worse-off? Cos if that's the case, I guess private companies will make some noise.

Did you check the policy under your company before you left?
 


Joanna, good to approach straight to PM Lee or post on his fb, he or the government dun know all this problems from employers to us women, they just know how to ask us to give birth n raise the birth rate, whats the use? give us so many leaves for what? problem is not in how many maternity leaves or how much benefits we are given but the mindset of all these bosses n employers!
 
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