Telling your employer you're pregnant

If you’re newly pregnant you’ll be thinking about when to tell work you’re pregnant. Here’s what you need to know about sharing your baby news with your boss.

How and when should I tell my employer I'm pregnant?

If you want to take pregnancy leave you must give notice in writing before the leave begins. The amount of notice required by law depends on where you live and work:

• If you work for an industry under federal jurisdiction (for example, airlines, banks, federal civil service, post offices, radio and TV stations, inter-provincial/territorial railway and road transportation), Canada’s Labour Code says you have to give four weeks’ notice.
• For other places of work, the amount of notice ranges from two weeks in Ontario to four weeks in Nova Scotia and six weeks in Alberta. It really does vary, so make sure you look at your work handbook, or your contract.

You can also have a look at our Cross-Canada guide, for links to the employment legislation that applies to you, as well as the leave you’re entitled to.

Your notice letter should include the date you intend to start your leave and how long you plan on being gone.

Of course, you may decide well before this time to tell your boss. When to tell your employer you’re pregnant depends on a few factors. For many, pregnancy becomes obvious pretty early on! The timing, and how you do it, is up to you. Many people wait until they are at least three months pregnant, or even starting to show, before sharing the news at work. Or, you may have such bad morning sickness that you feel you have to tell your boss. And some people are so excited that they simply cannot wait!

For many people, though, it’s a big deal choosing how and when to tell their boss. You may want to ask loved ones how they did it.

What happens after I tell my boss?

There are some good reasons to tell your boss early on in your pregnancy. If your job poses any risks to your health or your baby’s health then you can request a workplace risk assessment as soon as you have told them about your pregnancy. You can go on paid leave while the assessment is done. If risk concerns are raised, and a different post is free, you can take it. If no role is appropriate, you can take unpaid leave.

Your employer must also respect your pregnancy rights to time off for prenatal care.

It’s against the law for your employer to fire you, treat you unfairly, or select you for redundancy for any reason to do with pregnancy, childbirth or parental leave. It does not matter how long you have worked for your employer or how many hours you work.

How should my co-workers react to my news?

Some companies have a progressive approach to impending parenthood. Their HR teams make sure that you will be offered services to make your pregnancy less stressful and help you adjust to being a new parent after the birth. Always read your contract. Yours may give you better rights, maternity pay and benefits than the basic package you are entitled to by law.

But in some places of work, you may run into prejudices about pregnancy. Sadly, some employees feel that they have to prove themselves to be capable workers while they’re pregnant. They may even end up putting in many more hours than they would do if they were not pregnant. Some find that their boss reacts poorly their news. Try to stay informed about your rights, keep calm, and treat the issue as you would any workplace matter.

The good news is that more and more companies support work-life balance and understand the benefits to both staff and the company.