got a phone call this morning from my wife saying that she is getting paid off on the 22 january. 5 weeks before she goes onto maternity leave. About a month ago they said they were putting the office on performance review and have come back and said that her and 2 other girls are underperforming so are being paid off leaving only one girl in the office. No mention of what they have been doing wrong or that. Needless to say im not amused. All they have done since she told them she was pregnant was complain about needing time off for scans and doctors appointments. Anyway rant over lol

Cheers for all the replys guys iv spoke with my manager at work regarding it and also my dad as he dealt with all this when he was working both say they must be mad to try it. Basically she went in this morning they took her into the office they still don't feel the office is performing to the required standard here is your letter of termination. The letter wasn't on company paper or even signed by anyone just a White piece of paper typed out on the pc. She has not been told where she needs to improve or even what she is doing wrong has had no written warning. The letterr she got regarding going on performance review a few weeks back didn't say when she was getting reviewed or how long for. The thing that's gets me is that when any1 starts in the company alana is the one that has to train them to do the job. The girl they are keeping on refuses to do any paperwork as she still doesn't know how to do it says it's not her job to answer the phone it's alanas as alana knows what's she is doing. I spoke to acas today and alana is going to give them a call when she gets in

as everyone else has said the law os heavily in her favor, for example my company tryed to sack one of the engineers for not picking up his phone or returning calls anyway it went to court and my company lost and had to pay out something like 20k in costs!!! because they had failed to show him how to use the phone! lol, stupid i know but it just proves the point, i reckon your in for an open and shut case tbh.

Hey everyone dels wife here thanks for all your comments very helpful and I will fight it all the way I have nothing to loose but my only worry is my boss he has a trick up his sleeve for everything u need to know him to know wot I'm talking about however I'm writing my letter appeal and handing it in on Monday. ACAS has told me to put the letter in but I'd much prefer to take him further but have to wait and see how this goes going to see someone else who deals with these kinda things on Sunday so will know better where I stand I'm sure del will keep u all posted but it has to be sorted as I feel he is playing with my head and manipulating me and really can't take much more of his attitude towards me and the other girls. Again thanks everyone much appreciated

Hey everyone dels wife here thanks for all your comments very helpful and I will fight it all the way I have nothing to loose but my only worry is my boss he has a trick up his sleeve for everything u need to know him to know wot I'm talking about however I'm writing my letter appeal and handing it in on Monday. ACAS has told me to put the letter in but I'd much prefer to take him further but have to wait and see how this goes going to see someone else who deals with these kinda things on Sunday so will know better where I stand I'm sure del will keep u all posted but it has to be sorted as I feel he is playing with my head and manipulating me and really can't take much more of his attitude towards me and the other girls. Again thanks everyone much appreciated

 

Good luck, and let us know how you get on xx

Will do x

my work laid someone off before i started about 7 years ago she was pregnant she ended up with 9k in her pocket out of it!

a little update on this met with an employment lawyer and he says that her boss has done everything wrong. she had to hand in a letter of appeal as her first step which she done this morning. her boss came to her at 9.50 and told her her appeal was at 10 giving her no chance to arrange someone to go with her or even have everything prepared for it. she went into the appeal her boss tried to put her down constatly attempting to make her think that she has no case against him and he is a company and they dont have to follow all the rules. he bullied her that much the meeting had to be stopped half way through as she was crying so much and feeling sick. when she went back in he never changed not willing to listen to alanas side or help make any improvements and told her he will make a decision about her appeal when he can be bothered and that she will have to fight for maternity pay as he isnt paying it. she is now home being sick everywhere and iv told her to go to the doctors and get signed off work the stress of all this while pregnant is to much for her

a little update on this met with an employment lawyer and he says that her boss has done everything wrong. she had to hand in a letter of appeal as her first step which she done this morning. her boss came to her at 9.50 and told her her appeal was at 10 giving her no chance to arrange someone to go with her or even have everything prepared for it. she went into the appeal her boss tried to put her down constatly attempting to make her think that she has no case against him and he is a company and they dont have to follow all the rules. he bullied her that much the meeting had to be stopped half way through as she was crying so much and feeling sick. when she went back in he never changed not willing to listen to alanas side or help make any improvements and told her he will make a decision about her appeal when he can be bothered and that she will have to fight for maternity pay as he isnt paying it. she is now home being sick everywhere and iv told her to go to the doctors and get signed off work the stress of all this while pregnant is to much for her

 

Absolutely appalling treatment of any member of staff, let alone a pregnant one. Its not much consolation at the moment but he just played completely into her hands, she could now sue him for harassment and bullying. Shame she didn't think to record the whole thing on her phone as evidence

I am going to go from a different angle here, why appeal? The stress will be mental as already discovered, the time and effort can be put to better use like job hunting and getting ready for new arrival and taking previous employers to court does not help your job prospects if word gets out! Yes it's a crap tome to fond a job but I feel that the best thing to do Is pick yourself up, dust yourself down and move on!

Publish the address and well get 100 Zed owners to sit in his car park and then see who feels bullied..! What a ****3r...

 

You are right, get the doctor to sign Alana due to stress which they will with her being pregnant and then take the maximum time allowed before salary gets reduced...

 

Anyone who thinks they can treat people like deserve whats coming to them...

Publish the address and well get 100 Zed owners to sit in his car park and then see who feels bullied..! What a ****3r...

 

You are right, get the doctor to sign Alana due to stress which they will with her being pregnant and then take the maximum time allowed before salary gets reduced...

 

Anyone who thinks they can treat people like deserve whats coming to them...

 

invite the media as well, keep it peaceful, just be careful though that if your on there property you can get done for trespassing. though if you block the entrance on the public road, only think you can get done for, is obstruction.

Absolutely appalling treatment of any member of staff, let alone a pregnant one. Its not much consolation at the moment but he just played completely into her hands, she could now sue him for harassment and bullying. Shame she didn't think to record the whole thing on her phone as evidence

 

Yup - as Jane says, her boss has played completely into her/your hands.

 

He was always on shaky ground making someone redundant who is pregnant (not illegal by any means; but if you do, you'd better have followed every procedure correctly). But with his attitude, he is clearly using bullying tactics - believe me; an employment tribunal will walk all over him behaving like that.

 

I'm so sorry your wife had to go through that, but urge you both not to accept defeat and walk away. It's what her boss wants!

 

As with any type of meeting which could result in an employee losing their job, the employee must be allowed the presence of a representative (either a colleague, union rep or the like). If she was not offered the chance of being accompanied then that is yet another breach of your wife's rights.

 

He has also not followed procedure regarding her appeal hearing - 48 hours notice is customary; not legally binding, but reasonable in the circumstances. In all cases, once your wife lodged her appeal the meeting should be scheduled at a mutually convenient time and with sufficient notice for your wife to seek councel and/or arrange a representative as necessary.

 

Do note these issues down - what was written and said; and by whom. It all adds to the evidence that procedure was not properly followed and gives credence to your wife's case.

 

I wish you the best of luck mate - and I hope that your wife pulls through with the minimum of stress to you both and your unborn child.

 

Richard

I am going to go from a different angle here, why appeal? The stress will be mental as already discovered, the time and effort can be put to better use like job hunting and getting ready for new arrival and taking previous employers to court does not help your job prospects if word gets out! Yes it's a crap tome to fond a job but I feel that the best thing to do Is pick yourself up, dust yourself down and move on!

 

Bit hard to job hunt when you're pregnant!! Employers don't want to know

Bit hard to job hunt when you're pregnant!! Employers don't want to know

 

Even if your not - I have to say that as an employer myself, I am always apprehensive about employing any women aged 25-45 just for the possibility they might be!

 

Yes, I am ashamed that I think like that. But if I do employ someone I expect them to work for a reasonable time before wanting maternity leave. But sadly there are so many examples of women accepting a new job and then going on maternity leave within a few months, leaving the employer not only having to seek a replacement but saddled with maternity pay costs as well. Not to mention having to keep the first lady's job open for her to return as well.

 

Fine for BT, Barclays Bank and all other big national conglomerates; but for a small company it is potentially crippling. There should be a "two tier" system IMO.....:sad:

 

Richard:whistling:

Even if your not - I have to say that as an employer myself, I am always apprehensive about employing any women aged 25-45 just for the possibility they might be!

 

Yes, I am ashamed that I think like that. But if I do employ someone I expect them to work for a reasonable time before wanting maternity leave. But sadly there are so many examples of women accepting a new job and then going on maternity leave within a few months, leaving the employer not only having to seek a replacement but saddled with maternity pay costs as well. Not to mention having to keep the first lady's job open for her to return as well.

 

Fine for BT, Barclays Bank and all other big national conglomerates; but for a small company it is potentially crippling. There should be a "two tier" system IMO.....:sad:

 

Richard:whistling:

 

Natasha Kaplinsky, the newsreader did just that, went from the beeb to Channel 5 with a multi-million pound contract and then announced she was pregnant!

Its a double edged sword - I was offered a permanent contract the same week I found out I was pregnant, I like to think I did the decent thing and stayed working as agency staff rather than accept the job (totally shot myself in the foot career wise doing it tho!)

In my defence I got pregnant after a fully paid for Christmas party (whoops!) held by the company who offered me the contract, so vicariously its their fault lol :innocent:

Natasha Kaplinsky, the newsreader did just that, went from the beeb to Channel 5 with a multi-million pound contract and then announced she was pregnant!

Its a double edged sword - I was offered a permanent contract the same week I found out I was pregnant, I like to think I did the decent thing and stayed working as agency staff rather than accept the job (totally shot myself in the foot career wise doing it tho!)

In my defence I got pregnant after a fully paid for Christmas party (whoops!) held by the company who offered me the contract, so vicariously its their fault lol :innocent:

 

I remember that - Natasha Kaplinsky that is, not you Jane; LOL....

 

.....and I know there are so many reasonable people (like you, possibly:whistling:) who would do the right thing. The girls at my company for instance have been there a long time and always play fair - so I'd treat them more than fairly as they so deserve.....

 

....but I have also had a bad experience with a new employee who was blatantly trying to take the piss. Sadly for her, when she announced her pregnancy she had not been employed quite long enough to qualify for paid maternity leave.

 

She behaved like a complete diva once she announced her pregnancy thinking she was untouchable - but she wasn't untouchable and I (fortunately) offloaded her without any problems at all....:2guns:

 

Richard:cool3:

Get her to hang in there mate (or get her signed off by the doc). Don't give up - he's screwed himself.

Absolutely sucks that people still behave this way. I have no idea the size of the company and as Richard has shed light on, some small companies are hurt quite heavily by pregnant women taking maternity. Essentially the company loses a skilled employee, that they still have to pay for nearly a year is it? They have to temporarily replace that employee, and are not legally allowed to permanently replace them, etc. If it's a small company I could understand a boss being concerned, especially during the recession, but it should be handled MUCH better than this.

 

As someone who has previously owned his own small company (Although never had any problems with maternity pay etc.) I can see the point of view that I've stated above, but I also like to think most of us would handle things like this appropriately, rather than bullying the poor woman into submission. I personally think that if a woman leaves to give birth and intends to take nearly a year out, she should probably be looking for a new job when she's ready and the government should pay her maternity for the period of time the employer is required to, then if she chooses not to return to work, the maternity pay from the government stops. Although the employer is currently bound to pay her by law throughout the maternity, she is not bound by law to return to the job at the end of her maternity, it's a very one sided thing, created for those women who do want to return to work after maternity, but abused by hundreds of thousands of women who just wait and hand their notice in during the last few weeks of maternity. As Richard said, fine for BIG companies, very very bad for the little guy.

 

Rose is positive she has been denied jobs because of her sex and age, she has even gone to the extent of explaining, that under no circumstances will we be having another child and that she is now entirely focussed on her career, in an interview! Another thing Richard has shed light on, employers are very much aware that women these days are not all filled with good intent, they will not all return to work, some of them are not THAT good at their jobs in the first place (A LOT of this applies to men too of course, but aside from work related illness, there is no period of nearly a year, where a man can get paid for not doing his job, without fear of being sacked or made redundant), lots of women will take a job, ride out the minimum time, then announce that they're pregnant, only to never return after maternity.

 

I understand this post may be very confusing, as I'm looking at both sides, so I'll end with something straight forward and simple, I think this guy has been an arse and therefore deserves everything he gets, get Alana signed off sick by the doctor, report him to the authorities who need to hear about it and if he still sacks her, appeal as appropriate, as Richard has said, he's going to get trounced if she takes him to court over it, because he's a complete prick and has done just about EVERYTHING wrong.

Absolutely sucks that people still behave this way. I have no idea the size of the company and as Richard has shed light on, some small companies are hurt quite heavily by pregnant women taking maternity. Essentially the company loses a skilled employee, that they still have to pay for nearly a year is it? They have to temporarily replace that employee, and are not legally allowed to permanently replace them, etc. If it's a small company I could understand a boss being concerned, especially during the recession, but it should be handled MUCH better than this.

 

As someone who has previously owned his own small company (Although never had any problems with maternity pay etc.) I can see the point of view that I've stated above, but I also like to think most of us would handle things like this appropriately, rather than bullying the poor woman into submission. I personally think that if a woman leaves to give birth and intends to take nearly a year out, she should probably be looking for a new job when she's ready and the government should pay her maternity for the period of time the employer is required to, then if she chooses not to return to work, the maternity pay from the government stops. Although the employer is currently bound to pay her by law throughout the maternity, she is not bound by law to return to the job at the end of her maternity, it's a very one sided thing, created for those women who do want to return to work after maternity, but abused by hundreds of thousands of women who just wait and hand their notice in during the last few weeks of maternity. As Richard said, fine for BIG companies, very very bad for the little guy.

 

Rose is positive she has been denied jobs because of her sex and age, she has even gone to the extent of explaining, that under no circumstances will we be having another child and that she is now entirely focussed on her career, in an interview! Another thing Richard has shed light on, employers are very much aware that women these days are not all filled with good intent, they will not all return to work, some of them are not THAT good at their jobs in the first place (A LOT of this applies to men too of course, but aside from work related illness, there is no period of nearly a year, where a man can get paid for not doing his job, without fear of being sacked or made redundant), lots of women will take a job, ride out the minimum time, then announce that they're pregnant, only to never return after maternity.

 

I understand this post may be very confusing, as I'm looking at both sides, so I'll end with something straight forward and simple, I think this guy has been an arse and therefore deserves everything he gets, get Alana signed off sick by the doctor, report him to the authorities who need to hear about it and if he still sacks her, appeal as appropriate, as Richard has said, he's going to get trounced if she takes him to court over it, because he's a complete prick and has done just about EVERYTHING wrong.

 

Alex i think thats a great post and like you say its the way that this Guy has acted that has upset Alana. If he had acted differently people may have been showing him sympathy also.

just back from the doctors and he is raging with her boss she could hardly speak to the doc for crying incase he didnt sign her off and she had to go back. he has signed her off work for 4 weeks for stress within the workplace and pregnancy related issues and says that will show him so she is feeling a bit better about things even the now iv told her not to call the girls at work but she is telling them about the jobs she had on her desk that need to be processed id have just left them

See that just makes it even worse, she obviously cares about her job and the customers she deals with.

I concurr absolutely, they can't just get rid without giving appropriate warning first. Unless it was gross misconduct, but I doubt that 'under performing' counts as gross misconduct. The very fact that they are being paid off made me raise an eyebrow. If someone is no good, then you sack them fair and square. Why say 'Ok, we're gonna have to let you go, but here's some extra money first'? Reeks of piss if you ask me.

 

Then again, when you're wetting the babies head with the payout after you've successfully pulled their pants down in court (if it even got that far) and landed a fat compo cheque, then I guess you'll look back on this day as a good day.

 

Give 'em hell, fella

 

Have to agree with this but remember court cases are messy, stressful and expensive so avoid one if you can.

 

They sound like a bunch of knobs does she really want to work there after the maternity leave? If you can get a decent payout and still get the maternity pay then go for an option like that. Remember they don't want it to go to court either as it gets expensive for them as well, cheaper to pay you off better.

 

Make sure she doesn't get bullied into signing anything at work.

 

Good luck!