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When Do You Tell The Boss?
Article By Ann Douglas
You kicked your coffee
habit weeks ago, but your boss still
hasn't clued into the fact that you're
pregnant. You're wondering how-and
when-you should share your big news at
work. While there's no "right
time" to announce your pregnancy,
you can increase your chances of meeting
with a positive reaction if you plan your
announcement carefully. Here are a few
tips:
 Don't neglect the power of
the office grapevine. Share your news
with your boss before she hears it from
someone else. This doesn't mean that you
can't tell anyone else first: you just
have to be discreet. If you do decide to
confide in a co-worker, make sure she
realizes that she's the only one who
knows about your pregnancy. That way,
she'll be less likely to spill the beans
before you're ready to go public with
your news.
If you think your boss will
react negatively to your announcement,
you might want to wait until you have
passed the highest-risk period for
miscarriage before announcing your
pregnancy. That way, you won't end up
causing waves at the office only to
discover that you aren't going to need a
maternity leave after all. Of course, if
you are suffering from severe morning
sickness or other pregnancy-related
complications, you may have to share your
news a little sooner that you had planned
in order to explain why you are late
coming in each morning or why you have
been taking so much time off for medical
appointments.
If you are expecting a
performance or salary review in the near
future, keep your news to yourself until
after it has been completed. That way, if
the results of your review are less than
what you'd hoped for, you won't have to
wonder whether you're the victim of
pregnancy discrimination.
Time your announcement to
co-incide with a major achievement at
work (i.e. the completion of a major
project). That way, you can show your
boss through actions rather than words
that you are as productive and committed
to your job as ever-thereby addressing a
perennial fear of many employers.
Don't be afraid to postpone
your announcement if your boss is having
a bad day. If she is in a particularly
foul mood or is scrambling to meet an
important deadline, hold off on sharing
your news until she's in a more receptive
frame of mind.
Be prepared for a lukewarm
reaction. While your boss may be
genuinely happy for you, she may be
concerned about what your pregnancy may
mean to the company. If yours is the
first pregnancy she has had to deal with
on the job, she's likely to be
particularly apprehensive.
Be ready to talk about what
work modifications, if any, may be
required during your pregnancy. If you
work in a hazardous environment-i.e. an
x-ray laboratory or a chemical
manufacturing plant-you may need to ask
to be reassigned to a different type of
work for the duration of your pregnancy.
Don't make promises you can't
keep-like when you plan to take your
maternity leave and how quickly you will
return to work. Instead, simply agree to
discuss these plans when your pregnancy
is a little further along.
About the Author:
 Ann Douglas is one of North
America's leading pregnancy writers. Her
books include The Unofficial
Guide to Having a Baby ,Trying Again : A
Guide to Pregnancy After Miscarriage
Stillbirth and Infant Loss, and The Mother of All
Pregnancy Books: An All-Canadian Guide to
Conception, Birth and Everything
In-Between. Ann is frequently quoted
in the media on a range of
parenting-related topics, and has
appeared as a guest on a number of
television and radio shows.
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Copyright
© 2001 Ann Douglas, All Rights Reserved
Reprinted with Permission
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