Pregnancy and work

In the modern world, women often have to make a difficult choice between work, career growth and personal life. Therefore, the news of pregnancy sometimes puts the expectant mother in a dead end: what to do with work, salary, when to go on maternity leave, what if I have to go to the hospital, what if they fire me... Pregnancy and work - how to combine them without harming health and the family budget?

A woman may be concerned with many similar questions, which we will try to answer in this article.

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Working during pregnancy

Work during the entire pregnancy, take an early vacation or quit? Don't rush into a decision. First, consult your gynecologist: if there is a risk of complications, you may have to forget about work for a while.

If there are no health problems, and you have decided to work, as they say, until the very end, then you should prepare for certain difficulties:

• Firstly, now you will have to, at all costs, avoid physical exertion, nervous stress, prolonged sitting or standing in one place;
• secondly, now you are contraindicated to work associated with strong vibration, as well as conveyor mode;
• thirdly, the working day should be no more than eight hours, with a mandatory rest break;
• Fourthly, now you are strongly advised not to work with chemical, toxic, or detergent substances.

Be prepared for the fact that your boss may not meet you halfway when he learns about your situation: some employers, despite the law, try in every way to get rid of the "burden". If this happens, do not give up - understand your rights and boldly defend them.

You should not agree to even the most tempting offers in exchange for your dismissal. If an employer, pursuing the goal of saving his money, risks dismissing a pregnant woman, he will be punished by law.

Pregnancy certificate for work

For women who work, maternity and pregnancy benefits will be paid at their main place of work. Other expectant mothers should contact the social security department at their place of registration.

As soon as you have reliably learned about pregnancy, you need to register with a gynecologist at a women's consultation. There you will be given a certificate of pregnancy, which you will bring to the HR department, or directly to your superiors at your place of work.

It is necessary to submit documents for work during pregnancy, since such a certificate will be able to guarantee you that you will not be fired or laid off under any circumstances. Moreover, according to this document, you will be required to receive maternity benefits. The amount of this benefit depends on how much money you have received on average over the past six months.

When calculating maternity benefits, in addition to the official salary, bonuses, additional payments, accruals, travel expenses, and vacation pay are taken into account.

If you, having received a certificate of incapacity for work, do not go on maternity leave, but decide to continue to go to work, then you will not be paid maternity benefits. The current law does not provide for joint payment of wages and benefits.

Individual entrepreneurs receive maternity benefits from the social insurance fund, while unemployed women and students receive them from the labor and social security department at their place of registration.

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Pregnant woman's rights at work

Most expectant mothers are fully confident that, despite pregnancy, they will be able to cope with their work duties without any problems. However, everything may be different. If you feel that you cannot cope, do not be modest. Talk to your boss about reducing the amount of work, refuse difficult duties for you. Now the interests of your health should be above all, and overworking yourself during this period is, to put it mildly, not recommended.

If you can’t cope at work without outside help, you can safely ask for it, and management is obliged to meet you halfway.

If your job does not fall into occupationally hazardous activities, you can work almost the entire term of pregnancy. However, remember that if you feel even slightly worse, if you feel tired or have suspicious symptoms, try to forget about work for a while.

Do not forget that a working pregnant woman has the right to:

• take sick leave as many times as necessary;
• demand a reduction in production standards, a shortening of the working day, or a transfer to another position with a lighter workload (while the salary for the previous position must be maintained);
• refuse night shifts, overtime work, working weekends, and business trips;
• retain your job until you return to work after the end of maternity leave.

The reduction or dismissal of a pregnant woman without her consent is prohibited by law. An exception may be bankruptcy or complete liquidation of the organization: in this case, the dismissal must be accompanied by the woman's subsequent mandatory employment.

The expectant mother has every right to an individual work schedule during pregnancy. A flexible schedule may allow for both a part-time work day and a part-time work week. Any specific work conditions are determined separately by an order for the institution, which will specify the length of the work day, rest, and weekend schedule. However, it is necessary to ensure that the legal rights of the pregnant woman are not limited: the due leave must be provided in the same amount and with the same vacation pay, the length of service during pregnancy must be preserved (including preferential and length of service), and all previously due bonuses must be paid.

Pregnancy and part-time work

In our unstable times, many women, in order to somehow ease their financial situation, manage to work several jobs at the same time. Any job, in addition to the main one, is called "part-time work" by legislative bodies.

An interesting fact is that a woman going on maternity leave has all the rights to receive financial assistance not only at her main place of work, but also at an additional one. Naturally, if the expectant mother is an insured person, since cash payments are made at the expense of insurance premiums paid by the employer.

Since payments at work during pregnancy are based on the so-called sick leave certificate (pregnancy certificate), then when working part-time, a woman presents a copy of it, certified by the seal and signature of the management at the main place of work. Material benefits for pregnancy are assigned, as a rule, if there is a copy of the sick leave certificate, certified at the main place of work and a certificate of the average salary also at the main place of work. The total accrued amount of such assistance should not be more than the maximum amount of the monthly salary from which insurance contributions were deducted.

Sedentary work during pregnancy

If you have a sedentary job and you are pregnant, then you need to know a few rules:

• the chair should be comfortable, with a back and armrests;
• the height of the chair should be such that the legs are bent at a right angle and the feet are firmly on the floor;
• objects that you have to pick up while working should be at hand or eye level so that you don't have to bend over to pick them up;
• you can’t sit in one place for a long period of time, every 40-45 minutes take a break for 10-15 minutes, during which you can walk around, get distracted, and rest;
• If you work on a computer, pay attention to the position of the monitor. Its upper edge should be at eye level so that your head is held as straight as possible;
• It is not recommended to cross your legs. In addition to the fact that this increases the risk of developing varicose veins, this position can also compress the vessels of the pelvic organs, and this is undesirable during pregnancy.

During pregnancy, the load on the spine increases significantly due to the growing uterus. Incorrect sitting position can aggravate this load, which will manifest itself as pain and congestion in the pelvis.

Sitting for long periods of time without breaks can contribute to the development of hemorrhoids, so it is recommended to get up from your work place sometimes, or even better, do light preventive exercises.

Pregnancy and working on a computer

Many expectant mothers who have to work on a computer due to their professional activities are concerned about whether this will harm the development of the fetus. After all, a woman can sit at the computer all day, being in close proximity to it.

Experts have been trying to find out for decades whether computers are safe for pregnant women. Numerous studies have been conducted, statistics have been kept on the number of women working at computers and the percentage of fetal developmental disorders and spontaneous abortions. However, fortunately, the connection between computers and the possibility of miscarriage has not been confirmed. And modern computers are much safer than those that were, for example, 20 years ago, when it was necessary to use protective screens to protect yourself from electromagnetic radiation.

We receive this type of radiation to varying degrees from television, microwave ovens, and various medical devices.

Of course, it is impossible to talk about the guaranteed safety of spending a long time at the computer during pregnancy, but the good news is that scientific evidence of harmful effects has not yet been presented.

The only important thing when sitting at the computer is to maintain the correct position of your back and body, and also to periodically get up from the table, giving your eyes, shoulders and hands a rest.

Pregnancy records at work

If you are pregnant, you must register with the antenatal clinic before the 12th week, earlier if possible, but in no case later. It is important to understand that registration is not for medical workers, but for you and your child.

When registering, you will be asked to fill out a questionnaire for pregnant women so that the doctor can present a picture of your pregnancy, taking into account the state of your body.

Your leading gynecologist will fill out two more documents when you are registered. These are the "Individual card of a pregnant woman and a woman in labor" and the "Exchange card", which will be given to you personally. The exchange card will become your main document, which you will carry around with you constantly, right up until you are sent to the maternity hospital, where you will also need it.

You are unlikely to need a document about pregnancy registration at work. You will need a certificate of registration after the thirtieth week of pregnancy and up to six months after the birth of the baby. It is provided to the social security department to receive state assistance for the birth of a child.

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Pregnancy and contract work

Women who are hired under a civil contract, unfortunately, do not have the right to receive financial benefits from the Social Insurance Fund for temporary disability, since such pregnant women are not subject to mandatory social insurance for temporary disability and are not insured persons. Simply put, work under a contract does not provide that your employer will pay insurance premiums for you.

Therefore, when you register for pregnancy at the antenatal clinic, ask for a medical certificate of pregnancy, not a sick leave. According to such a certificate, you will be able to receive maternity benefits, but their amounts will be the same as for unemployed women, that is, minimal.

How to hide pregnancy at work?

Having learned about pregnancy, think about how to approach your boss with such news. Unfortunately, not all companies consider the appearance of a pregnant woman in the team to be a joy. The main thing is not to scandalize, do not provoke offense and threats, try to clarify the issue with a smile.

When planning to go on maternity leave, tell your boss in advance. You will have to do it anyway. Don't wait for management to find out the truth: in that case, your boss will feel deceived by you, and this negative attitude is unlikely to benefit you. Experience of observing such situations shows that it is better to dot all the i's in a timely manner than to escalate the situation and demonstrate your secrecy, mistrust of your superiors and lack of responsibility for your position.

By informing your boss about your pregnancy on time, you give him the opportunity to find a replacement for you while you are on sick leave or maternity leave. Don't forget that your boss should also foresee everything and be prepared for unforeseen situations on your part.

Regardless of what you decide – to quit your job or go on maternity leave – do it beautifully and with dignity.

Labor Code and Work During Pregnancy

If you clearly know your rights, you can easily correctly plan your behavior strategy at work. In addition, you will be able to use your rights, described in the Labor Code, and when applying for a job. After all, a pregnant woman has every right to get a job, since by law she is considered able-bodied until the seventh month of pregnancy. Of course, in such a case, there is a high probability of getting a refusal from the employer: after all, there will be little use from you as an employee, and there will be enough problems for the management regarding payments and maternity leave.

However, according to the Labor Code, no enterprise or institution has the right to refuse to hire you because of pregnancy. You are required to be employed, even without a probationary period.

The purpose of the Labor Code is to provide maximum protection for the rights and labor of a woman who is preparing to become a mother. Of course, not everyone likes such laws, but everyone is obliged to follow them. The only thing that is required of you is to actively and boldly defend your rights and position. Do not be afraid to protect yourself and your rights, because the law is on your side.

You can plan to leave work due to pregnancy as early as the thirtieth week. The gynecologist will issue you a certificate of incapacity for work at the consultation, this paper will indicate the period of your pregnancy and the expected date of labor. You will have to provide this document to the management at the same time as the certificate of registration.

The standard duration of leave before the onset of labor is 70 days, and in the case of multiple pregnancies - 84 days. The total duration of postpartum leave (provided that the birth is uncomplicated) is the same 70 days. Complicated births allow such leave to be extended to 86 days, and in the case of twins - 110 days.

As soon as your maternity leave is about to end, you can submit an application to your management to go on special parental leave, which you have the right to be on until the baby is 3 years old. Naturally, during this entire period, the company or organization is obliged to keep your job for you and count your continuous work experience. At any time while on parental leave, you can decide to return to work. By the way, if you interrupt your leave and return to work full-time, the child care allowance will be stopped. If you want to keep the payments, you need to go to work on a part-time basis. This situation is usually agreed upon with the management and is allowed as an exception.

How to combine work and pregnancy?

Many people call pregnancy and the first time after the birth of a baby "golden". Carrying a child, listening to its movements, watching the already born baby, giving it your warmth and care, you yourself become happier and make your child happy. Think about whether it is worth sacrificing personal happiness for the sake of work during pregnancy.

Many women worry – what to do with their career, work, what will colleagues and boss say? Your responsibility is a good character trait, but remember that the health of your future child is no less important, and perhaps your hard work will have a not entirely beneficial effect on the future baby.

The first years of a child's life are a very important and touching period, when it is so important for the baby that his mother is always nearby. Is it right to run to work, leaving the child with a grandmother, a nanny, a neighbor? Yes, in our time it is difficult to choose between work and family. Evaluate your priorities, because work is work, and a child's attachment to his mother is formed precisely in the first years of his life.

Pregnancy and work, to be or not to be…

No matter how difficult this choice is, it is yours alone. And let your work not interfere with the health and well-being of your baby, and pregnancy not affect your career: believe me, this is possible.