You might also have other reasons you want to wait - for example, if you’re expecting a raise or a promotion, you might prefer to wait for that to go through before you make your announcement. Most women wait to announce their pregnancies at work until they’re through the first trimester, simply because of the risk of miscarriage during that time. Wait until your second trimester, unless you can’t. Some basics: wait until your second trimester (unless you can’t - more on that in a minute), tell your boss first and then your team, and don’t feel like you need to have your maternity-leave plans set in stone when you do. To make things a little more awkward, my boss and I have joked and bonded in the past about the joys of being child-free (she is in her early 40s and doesn’t have kids either), so there is a small part of me that thinks it might feel like a betrayal that I’m breaking up our little club (that’s surely in my own head – she’s a kind and reasonable person).Īny other thoughts on the timing or etiquette of making these disclosures when the appropriate time comes will be appreciated!

Yay?Īssuming that all goes well (I am aware that my age makes this somewhat high-risk), when and how do I tell people? Do I call a meeting to tell all of my direct reports at once (that seems self-centered and weird), or make a point of telling people individually, or just tell the office busybody and let it leak out from there? And do I tell my own boss before or after I tell my reports? I think that most of my colleagues have reasonably assumed by now that it’s just not on my to-do list! My husband and I haven’t really been trying, but we’ve been cautiously open to the idea and not trying not to so…I was recently surprised to have a positive pregnancy test, and I’m starting to feel a little green around the gills. By pushing through the first trimester without telling your employer, you forfeit those very rights that would protect your job, Delvaux explains.I’m a 39-year-old middle manager, and I’ve always been openly ambivalent about the idea of having kids. If you’re late to meetings, or missing work, a manager could fire you if they didn’t know you were pregnant. As an example: In the first trimester, things like nausea and exhaustion can make it hard to keep up. But if you don’t inform your company you are pregnant you may miss out on the protections afforded by the PDA, says Lauren Smith Brody, a workplace consultant and the founder of The Fifth Trimester.ĭaphne Delvaux, an employment lawyer, founder of The Mamattorney, and a co-founder of The Chamber of Mothers, agrees that not announcing can be counterproductive.

After all, you don’t have to disclose your pregnancy at work unless you’re seeking an accommodation. In light of this, keeping a pregnancy quiet longer (if you work remotely and are able to) might seem like a good idea. And many moms suspect a job loss due to something like a reorganization is actually related to having a baby, which is also illegal, but harder to prove. While American mothers are legally required to have their job or an equivalent one waiting for them upon return from leave, Damaske’s research finds many women lose their jobs as a direct result of announcing a pregnancy, which is illegal.

When should you announce your pregnancy