How Soon Should I Tell My Boss I'm Pregnant?
How Soon Should I Tell My Boss I'm Pregnant?
ASK ANNIE
How Soon Should I Tell My Boss I'm Pregnant?
I worry that if I break the news now, I'll miss out on a juicy new
assignment. Plus, how to deal with a boss who's spreading rumors about
your love life, and when to look for a summer internship.
Nov 16 2004
By Anne Fisher
Fortune.com
Q. I work for a company that is currently undergoing a merger with new
positions being created and responsibilities shifting around. I just found
out that I'm pregnant with my second child. I'm worried that if I make it
known now that I'll be taking maternity leave for four months, I'll be out
of the running for a juicy new assignment. On the other hand, I do have a
good relationship with my boss, whom I consider a friend. I know that she
will be hurt if I don't tell her pretty soon, i.e., before it can't be
hidden with baggy clothes. I'm inclined to keep it a secret as long as
possible to keep my professional options open, and deal with my boss's
feelings later. Are there any rules about this? What's my best bet?
A. I think you should put all your cards on the table. This isn't simply
about your boss's feelings. One of the primary functions of bosses is to
help nurture the careers of the people they manage. If yours is interested
in doing thatÂand let's hope for her sake, as well as yours, that she
isÂthen she could be a valuable ally in your quest for a new assignment.
So, tell her what you've told me: You're going to have another child, but
you don't want that to put you out of the running. It's unwise to keep her
in the dark, not least of which is because (who knows?) she may already be
thinking of recommending you for a new position. If she does do that
without knowing your true situation, it could create all kinds of
awkwardness later on.
The fact that this is your second child is important. Presumably, you can
make a persuasive case that, since your first baby didn't throw your work
off track, this one won't either. When you're trying to convince
higher-ups of this, it's far better to have your boss on your side. But if
you mislead her now, then why would she be?
Q. Help! I recently found out from my assistant that my boss is telling
people that I'm having an affair with one of the other assistants. This is
completely untrue, and I am shocked to learn that he's saying it. Apart
from the obvious fact that my boss is trying to damage my reputation here,
and the fact that maybe I should think about leaving, should I just ignore
this slanderous talk?
A. Whoa. Don't start buffing up your resume, just yet. Slinking quietly
away to some other job is going to look an awful lot like an admission of
guilt, and it could come back to bite you later on. Instead, make an
appointment to speak with your boss privately, or just take him aside if
you have the chance, and say something like, "I've heard there's a rumor
going around that So-and-So and I are romantically involved. It's not
true, and I'm really concerned about the effect this kind of gossip could
have."
You don't need to let on that you know the rumor came from him. Then, wait
to see how he responds. You may be able to embarrass him into stopping the
slander. If not, then you and the person you're allegedly involved with
will have to join forces and go over his head, either to his boss or to
the human-resources department, or both, and get it on record (again
without blaming your boss by name) that this rumor is untrue. Simply
saying nothing and hoping the gossip will fade away is not an option.
Unless nipped in the bud, these things have a way of getting out of
handÂturning, for instance, into messy lawsuits and countersuits. Don't
let it get that far.
Q. I'm in my junior year of college and thinking about finding an
internship next summer. I want to go online and get my resume out to as
many potential employers as possible. Can you recommend web sites that are
good for finding internships? Also, is it too early to start looking now?
Should I wait until after January?
A. It's certainly not too early to start to look for an internship,
especially since a new survey by the employment web site Vault.com
(http://www.vault.com) suggests the competition is already heating up.
About 60% of college students polled say they're actively looking for
summer internships now, versus 40% who said so at this time five years
ago. Not coincidentally, Vault publishes a 550-page guide to
internshipsÂincluding who hires interns, how many they hire, what they
hire them to do, what they pay (if anything), application deadlines, and
how to contact employersÂavailable through its site for $14.95.
Although there are sites like http://www.internships.org that hook up
students with summer opportunities, I hope you won't restrict your search
to sending your resume out on the web. You're likely to fare better
contacting employers in person, beginning with local companies and
nonprofit organizations, where you already know someone. For some tips
that could help get you started, take a peek at a column that appeared in
this space last December, "Students: Want a Job Next Summer?" Happy
hunting!
Send questions to askannie@fortunemail.com.
From: annieadm@TIMEINC.NET
ASK ANNIE
How Soon Should I Tell My Boss I'm Pregnant?
I worry that if I break the news now, I'll miss out on a juicy new
assignment. Plus, how to deal with a boss who's spreading rumors about
your love life, and when to look for a summer internship.
Nov 16 2004
By Anne Fisher
Fortune.com
Q. I work for a company that is currently undergoing a merger with new
positions being created and responsibilities shifting around. I just found
out that I'm pregnant with my second child. I'm worried that if I make it
known now that I'll be taking maternity leave for four months, I'll be out
of the running for a juicy new assignment. On the other hand, I do have a
good relationship with my boss, whom I consider a friend. I know that she
will be hurt if I don't tell her pretty soon, i.e., before it can't be
hidden with baggy clothes. I'm inclined to keep it a secret as long as
possible to keep my professional options open, and deal with my boss's
feelings later. Are there any rules about this? What's my best bet?
A. I think you should put all your cards on the table. This isn't simply
about your boss's feelings. One of the primary functions of bosses is to
help nurture the careers of the people they manage. If yours is interested
in doing thatÂand let's hope for her sake, as well as yours, that she
isÂthen she could be a valuable ally in your quest for a new assignment.
So, tell her what you've told me: You're going to have another child, but
you don't want that to put you out of the running. It's unwise to keep her
in the dark, not least of which is because (who knows?) she may already be
thinking of recommending you for a new position. If she does do that
without knowing your true situation, it could create all kinds of
awkwardness later on.
The fact that this is your second child is important. Presumably, you can
make a persuasive case that, since your first baby didn't throw your work
off track, this one won't either. When you're trying to convince
higher-ups of this, it's far better to have your boss on your side. But if
you mislead her now, then why would she be?
Q. Help! I recently found out from my assistant that my boss is telling
people that I'm having an affair with one of the other assistants. This is
completely untrue, and I am shocked to learn that he's saying it. Apart
from the obvious fact that my boss is trying to damage my reputation here,
and the fact that maybe I should think about leaving, should I just ignore
this slanderous talk?
A. Whoa. Don't start buffing up your resume, just yet. Slinking quietly
away to some other job is going to look an awful lot like an admission of
guilt, and it could come back to bite you later on. Instead, make an
appointment to speak with your boss privately, or just take him aside if
you have the chance, and say something like, "I've heard there's a rumor
going around that So-and-So and I are romantically involved. It's not
true, and I'm really concerned about the effect this kind of gossip could
have."
You don't need to let on that you know the rumor came from him. Then, wait
to see how he responds. You may be able to embarrass him into stopping the
slander. If not, then you and the person you're allegedly involved with
will have to join forces and go over his head, either to his boss or to
the human-resources department, or both, and get it on record (again
without blaming your boss by name) that this rumor is untrue. Simply
saying nothing and hoping the gossip will fade away is not an option.
Unless nipped in the bud, these things have a way of getting out of
handÂturning, for instance, into messy lawsuits and countersuits. Don't
let it get that far.
Q. I'm in my junior year of college and thinking about finding an
internship next summer. I want to go online and get my resume out to as
many potential employers as possible. Can you recommend web sites that are
good for finding internships? Also, is it too early to start looking now?
Should I wait until after January?
A. It's certainly not too early to start to look for an internship,
especially since a new survey by the employment web site Vault.com
(http://www.vault.com) suggests the competition is already heating up.
About 60% of college students polled say they're actively looking for
summer internships now, versus 40% who said so at this time five years
ago. Not coincidentally, Vault publishes a 550-page guide to
internshipsÂincluding who hires interns, how many they hire, what they
hire them to do, what they pay (if anything), application deadlines, and
how to contact employersÂavailable through its site for $14.95.
Although there are sites like http://www.internships.org that hook up
students with summer opportunities, I hope you won't restrict your search
to sending your resume out on the web. You're likely to fare better
contacting employers in person, beginning with local companies and
nonprofit organizations, where you already know someone. For some tips
that could help get you started, take a peek at a column that appeared in
this space last December, "Students: Want a Job Next Summer?" Happy
hunting!
Send questions to askannie@fortunemail.com.
From: annieadm@TIMEINC.NET
posted by sayong at
11/17/2004 12:04:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home