Pregnant Woman Considers Reporting Her Boss After He Forced Her To Attend A Meeting While She Was In 'Active Labor'
Her boss was incredibly unsympathetic and unprofessional about her being in labor and needing to leave for the hospital immediately.
Juri Pozzi | Shutterstock A pregnant woman was "stunned" by the attitude that her boss had when she tried to tell him that she was going into labor and needed to get to the hospital immediately.
Posting to the subreddit r/AITA, the 28-year-old was encouraged to take serious action based on the behavior of her boss and other executives at the company she worked for.
She reported her boss after he forced her to attend a meeting while she was in 'active labor.'
In her Reddit post, she explained that she'd been working at her job for the last 5 years, and until this most recent incident, she'd always loved it and had zero issues with anyone, including her boss.
Everything changed when she was eight months pregnant and began having contractions at work. Since she wasn't due yet, she assumed they were just Braxton Hicks since they weren't too intense.
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"Just a week before that, I had experienced Braxton Hicks and went to the hospital, but it was a false alarm. This time, I was still working when the contractions started in the morning, and I again thought it was Braxton Hicks. I didn’t want to cause a scene, so I tried to keep working," she recalled.
The last time she went to the hospital for her pregnancy, her boss, John, made a 'sarcastic joke' about how she was being overly dramatic and that they should schedule all of their meetings around her labor.
Because she suffers from social anxiety and doesn't like confrontation, she never spoke to her boss about how these comments and digs made her feel.
To make a "joke" like that in the first place, which definitely came off more passive-aggressive than anything, is completely inappropriate and misogynistic.
It seems her boss is purposely discriminating against her because she's pregnant, disguising it as "banter." If she were to call him out, he'd most likely double down and claim that it's not something she should get worked up about when that isn't the case.
As the day went on, she noticed that her contractions were getting a bit stronger and closer together, making her realize that she might actually be in labor and she needed to get to the hospital immediately. She informed her boss what was going on and that she needed to leave.
Instead of allowing her to go without complaining, he rolled his eyes and told her that she should stay for a meeting that would start in an hour, insisting that it was "crucial" that she attend.
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It's become more common for women to work while heavily pregnant and close to being in labor.
According to the Pew Research Center, about eight in ten pregnant workers (82%) continued in the workplace until within one month of their first birth, compared with just 18% who stopped working before then.
If there's one thing that this country struggles with is giving pregnant woman the option of not having to work throughout their entire pregnancy and allowing them to stay home longer for maternity leave.
In a study conducted by Breeze, an insurance provider, 1,001 employed women between 18 and 44 were surveyed. It was found that 74% wouldn’t have any cash savings left after eight weeks of unpaid maternity leave.
After giving birth, most women feel forced to go back to work because they are afraid of losing their jobs or it's an unpaid leave that they just can't afford to take more time.
She was shocked that her boss had zero empathy about her being in labor.
"I reiterated that I was in active labor and needed to go to the hospital immediately. John snapped back, 'It's just a meeting. Sit through it, and then you can go. It’s not like the baby is going to pop out right now.' Feeling pressured and scared for my job, I reluctantly stayed," she continued.
Not only was that an incredibly disrespectful thing to say, but her being in labor should automatically excuse her from having to stay for a meeting that isn't as important as getting to the hospital for the birth of her child. By refusing her access to medical treatment, this woman's boss was putting her and her baby's life in danger.
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By the end of the meeting, she was in excruciating pain and couldn't even walk. She drove herself to the hospital, where her husband met her, and luckily, her daughter was born several hours later, completely healthy, and there were no complications.
"When I told my husband what had happened, he was furious and insisted we report John to HR. I was hesitant because I didn’t want to jeopardize my job, but I agreed it was the right thing to do. HR was appalled and assured me they would handle the situation," she said. Her boss was suspended, and an investigation began.
However, now she's receiving flack from her co-workers that she'd 'overreacted.'
Instead of receiving support from her co-workers about the attitude that her boss gave her when she was in labor, she's been receiving emails from them saying that she's "ruined" John's career and that she should've just sat down in the meeting instead of complaining to HR about it. Even though her boss was 100% in the wrong, it seems she's the one getting blamed.
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She can't even enjoy these first few days with her newborn because she's stressed about work and that she may have done the wrong thing by reporting her boss. To make matters worse, the interim manager who took over for John has made it his mission to blame her for everything that's happened.
"Now that my maternity leave is over, I find myself isolated at work. People give me side-eyes and whisper about me. During lunch, I’m alone because no one wants to sit with the 'troublemaker,'' she admitted. "It feels like high school all over again. I never imagined that doing what was right for my health and my baby’s well-being would turn my colleagues against me like this."
Based on the treatment that she's been getting from her temporary boss, her old boss, and her co-workers, many people encouraged her to try and seek out legal action, especially since the HR department at her job doesn't seem to be sticking up or defending her.
She did absolutely nothing wrong, and the abhorrent behavior of the men that she works with proves that she shouldn't have to put up with a toxic workplace environment like that.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.