-
Urgent Media Request - response required tonight 7/21/08
22nd July 2008 | 389 views | 0 comments
Michele Dortch
From Arizona, United States
Joined 8th June 2008
My Day Snapshot
Michele Dortch hasn't written a snapshot yet.
My Life To-Do List
Michele Dortch hasn't written a life to-do list yet.
Recent Activity
Questions answered
-
I am currently 21 weeks pregnant, and not really showing at this point; I just look a little puffy. I currently have several job interviews lined up in the field that I LOVE! My question is this: Is it my responsibility to inform my potential employe
Answered on 24th July 2008:
You are not legally obligated to disclose information about your pregnancy, or family status and it's illegal for an employer to ask. Beyond the legal issue is an ethical issue because like any relationship, employer/employee relationships are based on trust. If you hide your pregnancy and end up getting the job, your employer may not be happy with your "lie by omission" and it could damage your work relationship. The ramifications of this could stay with you for a long time while you attempt to rebuild the trust between you and your employer. Plus, disclosing your pregnancy (after you receive the offer and are in the negotiation process), is actually a really good opportunity to see how well your employer supports working mothers and the whole work/life balance issue. You may discover that the employer isn't really a good fit for your life after seeing their reaction. On the positive side, I know it's absolutely possible to land a terrific job while pregnant. I've done it before and have a friend who is pregnant and recently landed an awesome job with a new employer that not only gave her an amazing compensation and relocation package, but also supports her impending maternity leave.
-
I'm returning to work from maternity leave next week and I feel absolutely horrible about dropping my two-month old off at the sitters. I'm starting work on Wednesday, but I'm dropping him off starting Monday so I can get used to it. Any advice for
Answered on 18th July 2008:
I had to go back to my full-time job when two of my children were just 8 weeks old too...and I was breast-feeding, which is a whole other experience to manage. By the time I had my third child, I had quit my full-time job and started a business. One of the things that helped me in my transition back to full-time work, was negotiating a flexible work arrangement with my employer. Initially, I asked for a part-time schedule (and ended up getting it, with my full-time pay!) and then I asked for a partial-telecommute schedule (which I was also granted). Many new moms tell me that their employer would never consider such options and I thought the same thing too, before I asked. Even though no one in my company had ever been approved for the kind of requests I made and I was initially rejected, I went back, did some research and presented a strong business case for granting my request. I did have help. Check out: http://www.integratedmother.com/blog/five-ways-to-work-four-days-a-week/. Pat at WorkOptions.com offers terrific templates you can use to develop a strong proposal to pitch to your employer.
Michele Dortch's Friends
1 comment so far...
http://www.workitmom.com/group_entrepreneurmoms
Flag as inappropriate Posted by mamajama on 10th June 2008