can you get sacked if you look after your child while working from home
Posted inCareers Coach Blog Mothers' rights at work Work and career tips and advice

Can You Be Sacked For Looking After Your Child While Working From Home In The UK?

Balancing work and family life can often feel like walking a tightrope, especially when things go sideways—like when your child wakes up with a raging fever or their nursery shuts its doors unexpectedly.

For many working parents, one pressing question often pops up in those moments of panic:

“Can I actually be sacked for taking time off to look after my child?”

The good news? No, you can’t legally be dismissed for taking time off to care for your child as long as you follow the rules. Let’s break it down step by step so you know exactly where you stand and can confidently handle any childcare crisis that comes your way.

Can I work During My Maternity Leave?
Posted inMothers' rights at work Pregnancy at work What's in the news?

Can I work During My Maternity Leave?

Maternity Leave is designed to allow you to rest and recover throughout the first months of your baby’s life, which means that there are some restrictions on working during your leave. These rules are in place to encourage you to relax and make the most of your leave, as well as to make sure that you do not get more payments than you are entitled to receive.

4 Ways to Make Returning to Work After Maternity Leave as Painless (and Stress-Free)as Possible
Posted inHow to cope with problems at work Maternity leave Mothers' rights at work Pregnancy at work Staying Sane Tips for working mums Work and career tips and advice

4 Ways to Make Returning to Work After Maternity Leave as Painless (and Stress-Free)as Possible

Returning to work after maternity leave can have mixed feelings. I know this for sure because my sentiments were quite different after each of my two maternity leaves.

For our first child, I remember crying all the way to the train station. It was nothing, in particular, just the thought of leaving him with anyone, compounded by the guilt at even thinking about heading back to work, leaving my first fruits with complete strangers.

redundancy (laid off)
Posted inCareers Coach Blog How to look for a job Mothers' rights at work Tips for working mums Work and career tips and advice Work, Business, Money

Redundancy – Part 1: What to Do When You Are Laid Off

Gender equality issues have come a long way since Emily Pankhurst and the Suffragettes put their lives at risk to fight for women’s right to vote. However, there are still a lot of kinks to iron out in employment law and the daily reality us working mums face.

Redundancy is just another area of concern. Pregnant working women are twice as likely to be made redundant than any other working woman. The Fawcett Society (the UK charity that campaigns for gender equality and women’s rights at work, home and in public life)  have been striving with Maternity Action to ban employers from making pregnant women redundant.

What happens when you take your employer to a tribunal?
Posted inHow to cope with problems at work Mothers' rights at work Pregnancy at work Work, Business, Money

What happens when you take your employer to a tribunal?

Yesterday, we gave you a rundown on what to expect at work during your pregancy from first to second, to third trimester. Today, we’ll be looking at what to do if your employer turns nasty during your pregnancy.

Making a decision to take your employer to a tribunal won’t have been easy. However, if you don’t do something about it, they get away with it and will likely do it again. Every wonan has the right to be treated fairly at work – pregnancy can be stressful enough if you have health issues; and there’s so much you may already have on your mind in prepapration for your bundle of joy anyway, so havig issues at work just compounds the issue.

The one thing working mothers don’t often think about when deciding to go back to work
Posted inMothers' rights at work Tips for working mums

The one thing working mothers don’t often think about when deciding to go back to work

Making a decision about if, when and how to return to work after having a baby is one fraught with complexity and is utterly personal. It is certainly a topic that lots of people feel strongly about, but each family has to make its own decision about what is right for them, and there is lots to consider. Suzanne Todd, head of family law at Withers Worldwide (and a working mum herself!), provides a comment piece on the stories behind recent stats on the number of working mums.

That time I was harassed at work
Posted inEditor's word How to cope with problems at work Mothers' rights at work Work, Business, Money

That time I was harassed at work

Every other news story this past month seems to be about the inappropriate behaviour of men in sectors from film (aka the alleged Harvey Weinstein) to politics. Industry big wigs seem to have, for years, got away with treating women any way they wish.

Some critics have blamed women for dressing inappropriately, not standing up for themselves and even for putting themselves in a vulnerable situation themselves.

new year,new approach to being a working mum
Posted inChildren & Relationships More than just a mum Mothers' rights at work Real mums Tips for working mums Work and money

New year: your new approach to being a working mum

Do you feel like you have to constantly prove yourself in the workplace because you’re a working mum? With most of us having a few days off because of the Christmas and bank holidays, this is your chance to go back to work renewed and ready to stand firm!

We don’t ask to be treated like martyrs, or for a medal, neither do we ask for special treatment, just because we have children. Most of us working mums just want to get on – by that I mean getting on with the work we’re being paid to do. Most of us want to get in with that work without feeling as though every step we take in the workplace is being scrutinised in case any semblance of life outside it is impacting on our work or how we do it.

Getting back into work as a mother of a child with special needs
Posted inCareers Coach Blog Children & Relationships Mothers' rights at work Work and career tips and advice

Getting back into work as a mother of a child with special needs

Balancing work and parenting can be hard for most people, but there can be a multitude of additional challenges if you are the parent of a child with special needs. Ensuring that you are supported throughout this process and beyond is incredibly important:

Should women get leave for period pains?
Posted inMothers' rights at work Staying healthy Staying Sane

Should women get leave for period pains?

On my drive this morning, listening to LBC Radio in the car, I heard an interesting feature asking listeners if they think that women should get a day off for period pains. My initial response was complete shock: isn’t it enough that maternity leave, emergency childcare and just plain old annual leave can raise eyebrows when you’re a working mum, but period pain leave? Really?

woman on maternity leave
Posted inMothers' rights at work Staying Sane Work and career tips and advice

Should you go back to work after maternity leave?

The working mum vs stay-at-home mum debate is so old, we grimace every time a piece of ‘research’ tries to pit mums against each other.

The real issue is staying relevant in an ever-changing world, where not staying on top of your game can cost you to sacrifice salary or even your beloved career.

Know your rights: Don’t get stuck in the maternity leave trap
Posted inMothers' rights at work

Know your rights: Don’t get stuck in the maternity leave trap

According to the Equal Opportunities Commission, around 30,000 UK mums-to-be lose their jobs every year because they are pregnant. For those who do return to work, many find that they are treated so badly that they have no option but to leave – or they’re demoted.

How to make extra money while on maternity leave
Posted inFamily life Money - how to keep it and how to make it Mothers' rights at work

How to make extra money while on maternity leave

The average cost of a new baby is £5,464 in the first year of their child’s life – increasing by four per cent to £5,666 for those living in London.

It’s obviously excludes the cost of living, and any childcare required to raise the child, so it’s easy to see how money can be tight for new mums in maternity leave.

Accidents at work: your employer has a duty to keep you safe
Posted inMothers' rights at work

Accidents at work: your employer has a duty to keep you safe

Whether you work in an office, a beauty salon or a building site your employer has a duty to make sure you work in a safe environment.

Sometimes, with all the best will in the world, accidents will happen. The latest statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) confirm that, tragically, 148 people were fatally injured at work in the UK during 2012 and 2013.

Kate Middleton’s pregnancy news spreads like wildfire. But do working mums have to tell their employer they are expecting?
Posted inCeleb mums Mothers' rights at work

Kate Middleton’s pregnancy news spreads like wildfire. But do working mums have to tell their employer they are expecting?

When royal wives like The Duchess of Cambridge and celebrities are pregnant they are so closely monitored by the press and paparazzi that they don’t always get to break the news themselves.

Kate Middleton, wife of Prince William is a case in point, and the news that she is pregnant hit the news headlines before even the Queen knew, apparently!