Return to Office 3 Weeks Before Due Date

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm honestly psyched that we're going back right before my due date - I'd like to get some face time with folks and get back into the groove before maternity leave. Partially, I think, because covid started in the middle of my last maternity leave, so I don't want to go right from maternity leave to maternity leave without seeing anyone face to face!

I wouldn't ask unless you have a specific reason - just "the last three weeks of pregnancy kinda suck" doesn't feel like enough. If your commute is long and you want to be close to home for labor, okay, ask. If you walk to work and it'll be too hot those last couple weeks, okay. But if you'll just be uncomfortable and contracting at your desk - wouldn't that be the same if you were home? It feels like by asking to telecommute, you're basically saying "I was going to phone it in those days anyway."

Yeah, this is my source of hesitation about asking. We've been partially back in the office for months now, so I get plenty of face time as is, but I'm not sure I have a compelling enough reason to ask not to come in full-time. I do think being at home gives me more flexibility for moving around, sitting on a ball, laying down and working, etc. to mitigate some of the discomfort. I also carpool to work (driving isn't an option), so my only true concern relates to getting out of there if I do in fact go into labor in the office. My home is a good bit closer to my hospital too. But overall I should be physically capable of working in the office and am not sure it's fair to ask for an exception.

[Anonymous]

Both my pre-covid pregnancies I had a doctor's note requiring 100% telework the last four weeks of pregnancy. It's a medical issue, OP, and you will be WAY more comfortable at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a medical reason not to telework while the rest of your collegues have to suck it up the commute, get dressed in the morning, juggle their own families/kid drop-offs, and otherwise be accountable?

As your coworker, I'd be annoyed that you get this special treatment for no good reason except that it's a personal convenience...and your due date could go 2 weeks beyond what the calendar says - so a total of 5 "extra" weeks of teleworking perks over the rest of us.

It may look bad OP - optics and all - especially with your work load, I presume, getting off-loaded onto your collegues while on maternity leave.

It's a temporary condition PP. RELAX. If 5 extra weeks of a colleague teleworking so her feet and ankles don't swell into sausages every day is gonna sink her colleague's morale, your office has other problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a medical reason not to telework while the rest of your collegues have to suck it up the commute, get dressed in the morning, juggle their own families/kid drop-offs, and otherwise be accountable?

As your coworker, I'd be annoyed that you get this special treatment for no good reason except that it's a personal convenience...and your due date could go 2 weeks beyond what the calendar says - so a total of 5 "extra" weeks of teleworking perks over the rest of us.

It may look bad OP - optics and all - especially with your work load, I presume, getting off-loaded onto your collegues while on maternity leave.

Um, yeah, she has a reason and it's called late pregnancy! WTF is wrong with you? And who cares about your annoyance? - oh, that's right, no one, so you can just stuff it. It's brainwashed, selfish creeps like you that insist on keeping workplace standards so crappy not just for women in the late stages of pregnancy, but for everyone. It's ok to acknowledge people have lives and human needs and for the workplace to have some common sense and compassion. I am glad I am in a senior management position now where I can make humane decisions on accommodation requests like this (OP, I would absolutely approve you to continue teleworking and agree with others that you should ask)...and also take appropriate action with the sort of bitter, bean-counting employees who need to be shoved out the door.

+1000

late pregnancy is not a reason for a normal textbook pregnancy.

^^ "not a reason for not returning to the office" ^^

Why not? Because you say so? If this year has proven ANYTHING it's that offices can actually accommodate this stuff so easily and not only have a job done, but a happy employee. There is no downside to saying yes, except that people like you will march into your manager's office to complain because you are a terrible person. That's not so easily fixed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm honestly psyched that we're going back right before my due date - I'd like to get some face time with folks and get back into the groove before maternity leave. Partially, I think, because covid started in the middle of my last maternity leave, so I don't want to go right from maternity leave to maternity leave without seeing anyone face to face!

I wouldn't ask unless you have a specific reason - just "the last three weeks of pregnancy kinda suck" doesn't feel like enough. If your commute is long and you want to be close to home for labor, okay, ask. If you walk to work and it'll be too hot those last couple weeks, okay. But if you'll just be uncomfortable and contracting at your desk - wouldn't that be the same if you were home? It feels like by asking to telecommute, you're basically saying "I was going to phone it in those days anyway."

Let me ask you this:

If men had to be uncomfortable and contracting at their desks, do you think they'd come into the office?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm honestly psyched that we're going back right before my due date - I'd like to get some face time with folks and get back into the groove before maternity leave. Partially, I think, because covid started in the middle of my last maternity leave, so I don't want to go right from maternity leave to maternity leave without seeing anyone face to face!

I wouldn't ask unless you have a specific reason - just "the last three weeks of pregnancy kinda suck" doesn't feel like enough. If your commute is long and you want to be close to home for labor, okay, ask. If you walk to work and it'll be too hot those last couple weeks, okay. But if you'll just be uncomfortable and contracting at your desk - wouldn't that be the same if you were home? It feels like by asking to telecommute, you're basically saying "I was going to phone it in those days anyway."

Let me ask you this:

If men had to be uncomfortable and contracting at their desks, do you think they'd come into the office?

PP here - absolutely freakin not. They'd also not work the bulk of pregnancy, and take a solid year of leave after the baby was born. But that's not the world we live in. We live in a world where, if you're lucky, you get 12 weeks off for maternity leave, and most people opt to work through pregnancy and maximize their time off to recover from birth and bond with the baby. If the OP doesn't feel up to working through the end of the pregnancy, then she can shift to use more of her leave before the baby comes. But that's not what she's talking about - she's talking about working at home vs. in the office. And I don't see how, with the parameters she's setting, that would effect her comfort or contractions - she's going to be sitting in a desk chair, working at a computer, uncomfortable and contracting, whether she's at home or in the office. So absent some other reason she should be home, I think it's a tough case to make, and so my advice to her (as another, currently pregnant woman) is not to ask, but just to come in, and save her political capital at work for other stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm honestly psyched that we're going back right before my due date - I'd like to get some face time with folks and get back into the groove before maternity leave. Partially, I think, because covid started in the middle of my last maternity leave, so I don't want to go right from maternity leave to maternity leave without seeing anyone face to face!

I wouldn't ask unless you have a specific reason - just "the last three weeks of pregnancy kinda suck" doesn't feel like enough. If your commute is long and you want to be close to home for labor, okay, ask. If you walk to work and it'll be too hot those last couple weeks, okay. But if you'll just be uncomfortable and contracting at your desk - wouldn't that be the same if you were home? It feels like by asking to telecommute, you're basically saying "I was going to phone it in those days anyway."

Yeah, this is my source of hesitation about asking. We've been partially back in the office for months now, so I get plenty of face time as is, but I'm not sure I have a compelling enough reason to ask not to come in full-time. I do think being at home gives me more flexibility for moving around, sitting on a ball, laying down and working, etc. to mitigate some of the discomfort. I also carpool to work (driving isn't an option), so my only true concern relates to getting out of there if I do in fact go into labor in the office. My home is a good bit closer to my hospital too. But overall I should be physically capable of working in the office and am not sure it's fair to ask for an exception.

PP here - the carpooling makes a difference to me. I would not want to be stuck in the office, reliant on others for transportation, when I went into labor.

Maybe do a week or two full time and request the final week to work remote specifically because of the carpooling? If I were a boss, I'd find that eminently reasonable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a medical reason not to telework while the rest of your collegues have to suck it up the commute, get dressed in the morning, juggle their own families/kid drop-offs, and otherwise be accountable?

As your coworker, I'd be annoyed that you get this special treatment for no good reason except that it's a personal convenience...and your due date could go 2 weeks beyond what the calendar says - so a total of 5 "extra" weeks of teleworking perks over the rest of us.

It may look bad OP - optics and all - especially with your work load, I presume, getting off-loaded onto your collegues while on maternity leave.

Um, yeah, she has a reason and it's called late pregnancy! WTF is wrong with you? And who cares about your annoyance? - oh, that's right, no one, so you can just stuff it. It's brainwashed, selfish creeps like you that insist on keeping workplace standards so crappy not just for women in the late stages of pregnancy, but for everyone. It's ok to acknowledge people have lives and human needs and for the workplace to have some common sense and compassion. I am glad I am in a senior management position now where I can make humane decisions on accommodation requests like this (OP, I would absolutely approve you to continue teleworking and agree with others that you should ask)...and also take appropriate action with the sort of bitter, bean-counting employees who need to be shoved out the door.

+1000

late pregnancy is not a reason for a normal textbook pregnancy.

You’re not OP’s boss so how does your opinion count?

[Anonymous]

I would definitely ask.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a medical reason not to telework while the rest of your collegues have to suck it up the commute, get dressed in the morning, juggle their own families/kid drop-offs, and otherwise be accountable?

As your coworker, I'd be annoyed that you get this special treatment for no good reason except that it's a personal convenience...and your due date could go 2 weeks beyond what the calendar says - so a total of 5 "extra" weeks of teleworking perks over the rest of us.

It may look bad OP - optics and all - especially with your work load, I presume, getting off-loaded onto your collegues while on maternity leave.

Uh...I went into labor at the office. Pretty sure no one wants to deal with that and the ensuing cleanup especially in a covid environment

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a medical reason not to telework while the rest of your collegues have to suck it up the commute, get dressed in the morning, juggle their own families/kid drop-offs, and otherwise be accountable?

As your coworker, I'd be annoyed that you get this special treatment for no good reason except that it's a personal convenience...and your due date could go 2 weeks beyond what the calendar says - so a total of 5 "extra" weeks of teleworking perks over the rest of us.

It may look bad OP - optics and all - especially with your work load, I presume, getting off-loaded onto your collegues while on maternity leave.

Haha what a troll

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've been partially working in the office for a while now, but we were recently told we'll be returning to the office full-time 3 weeks before my due date. I fully expected that telework would not continue but can't help but be annoyed at this timing for me personally. Would it be reasonable to ask about extending some telework through those last few weeks, or do I just need to suck it up and waddle through? I don't have a terrible commute or anything, but I remember being very uncomfortable with my first in those last few weeks and having on and off contractions for days.

If I were your boss, I would tell you to waddle back to the office. Tough if it is hot. Hired you to do a job and if it means coming into the office, then you do or find another job. You are not entitled to special treatment because you chose to get pregnant!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm honestly psyched that we're going back right before my due date - I'd like to get some face time with folks and get back into the groove before maternity leave. Partially, I think, because covid started in the middle of my last maternity leave, so I don't want to go right from maternity leave to maternity leave without seeing anyone face to face!

I wouldn't ask unless you have a specific reason - just "the last three weeks of pregnancy kinda suck" doesn't feel like enough. If your commute is long and you want to be close to home for labor, okay, ask. If you walk to work and it'll be too hot those last couple weeks, okay. But if you'll just be uncomfortable and contracting at your desk - wouldn't that be the same if you were home? It feels like by asking to telecommute, you're basically saying "I was going to phone it in those days anyway."

Yeah, this is my source of hesitation about asking. We've been partially back in the office for months now, so I get plenty of face time as is, but I'm not sure I have a compelling enough reason to ask not to come in full-time. I do think being at home gives me more flexibility for moving around, sitting on a ball, laying down and working, etc. to mitigate some of the discomfort. I also carpool to work (driving isn't an option), so my only true concern relates to getting out of there if I do in fact go into labor in the office. My home is a good bit closer to my hospital too. But overall I should be physically capable of working in the office and am not sure it's fair to ask for an exception.

Ahh I used to have nightmares about what would happen if I went into labor at work or had a pregnancy emergency at work. I walked a mile, took the metro and then had a metro shuttle. The metro barely ran in the middle of the day. I got a new job while pregnant, but had planned to ask for telework at 37 weeks so I wasn’t so far from my hospital

I think it fair to ask for an exception and I typically am a stricter boss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a medical reason not to telework while the rest of your collegues have to suck it up the commute, get dressed in the morning, juggle their own families/kid drop-offs, and otherwise be accountable?

As your coworker, I'd be annoyed that you get this special treatment for no good reason except that it's a personal convenience...and your due date could go 2 weeks beyond what the calendar says - so a total of 5 "extra" weeks of teleworking perks over the rest of us.

It may look bad OP - optics and all - especially with your work load, I presume, getting off-loaded onto your collegues while on maternity leave.

Haha what a troll

Said the man. In the UK my friends all begin their maternity leave in their third trimesters anyway because everyone who has been pregnant knows how difficult that last month is. No one wants to be around a pregnant lady worried she might go into labor or have her water break at work. No one wants to be in a meeting with you when you sneeze pee or watch your belly contort from baby’s acrobatics or watch how you can’t stop burping cause there’s a baby in your stomach and your heartburn is through the roof or hear you Yelp from lightning crotch. Getting dressed and going into the office proves nothing about an employees dedication or work ethic or ability to get the job done. I teleworker the last months of both my pregnancies and everyone understood and was glad for me to be at home, cause they didn’t want to have to worry about taking me to the hospital. Proving you can suffer more by coming into the office doesn’t provide anything. Ignore the misogynist.

[Anonymous]

I am a woman and a manager. I would happily approve your telecommuting, assuming you are usually a responsible and productive employee. It sounds like you're going in part time right now, right? So you're still getting face time and people are able to check in with you when needed.
If you were totally telecommuting, I'd probably encourage you to go in a little bit, just so that you can experience the "back to work" environment for a little before you're out again, for your own benefit more than anything else.

But you're doing that, so I can't see how going in 5 days instead of 2 or 3 makes much difference.