Unfair treatment at work during pregnancy

[Olivia G]

Hi I'm currently expecting my first child, and in my 2nd tri already. I noticed that my boss had a change of attitude towards me after I told him that I'm pregnant. I am in sales and working for a small one-owner start up and had been with the company since its inception, about 2 yrs ago.

I told my boss about my pregnancy about 3 months ago, since then he has stopped talking to me on a normal basis (even hi-byes), only when we have one on one meetings. But as of yesterday, he had 1-1 meetings with everyone else in the company except me. He pretty much chose to communicate with me over email even though he is sitting just beside me. And his emails, coming on fast and furious, are nothing but complaint emails reminding me to adhere to certain company protocols and policies, which I have always been obeying.

Ironically, I am reporting my strongest revenue billing to date (individually and across the company). Instead of appreciating, he kept on picking on other small non sales stuff, even things like a small box of cakes $20 for my client (whom I have substantial billings with) he also challenged. Other things like punctuality also, he allows everyone to stroll in at different timings, because in sales sometimes we have to run around, but he tells me and only me to watch my timings. As it is I come in between 8-9am (unless I have morning appointments), but leave 7-8pm and work during weekends, when I am on leave, even MC if i have to.

And the latest email really pissed me off big time- he threatened to cut my salary if I do not continue bringing in revenue to cover my cost! Over here sales consultant have to cover their own cost to qualify for commission - which I have duly done so, and it was never made known to me that it is compulsory to cover our cost at any point - its just a matter of whether or not we get any commission or pay back our cost if we leave.

It is apparent that cutting my salary would impact my maternity benefits.

Frankly, I know there is absolutely no grounds for him to do so because i have my performance to prove. It just irks me that he is even suggesting, and doing all other nonsense things to perhaps irritate me and make me leave on my own accord.

Up til this point, we were working well, even at one point when the company was down and out with only 3 strong. I had my lows during my stint here where i wasn't billing much but he just left me alone with a few casual reminders over coffee to buck up. He never did pick on all the other small things. We rebuild the company to close to 10 but recently again there was another bout of bad hires, turnovers and even legal cases. But I stuck by throughout his bad decision and management, and now I am literally the last full fledged sales person left. Yet he is doing this.

I would like to seek some advice if I'm reading too much into things, or do I actually have a case to bring up to authorities should things get worse.

 

[gammahedging]

I'd say, if you can, save documentary evidence of your sales performance as well as that of your peers (sales report etc?), as well as emails from clients praising u, ur past evaluations and so on. Pls do so asap because you'd never know when he'd just fire u. U can also use this to protect ur a** if need be.

It sounds ridiculous that he expects sales staff to come in on time at say, 9 am (i.e. official office hrs??)? That's utter bull..

Let him irritate u, dont kenna cheated ok? Then into ur 3rd mth of maternity leave, throw ur resignation letter (i assume ur notice period is 1 mth).

 

[redvel]

At this point we are hearing one sided story.

However, if you have enough evidence to prove your stand (yes save all documents available) and you do indeed feel unfair treatment, you can certainly raise it up to MOM. Like I said, you must have substantial and solid evidence to help you along.

But that's if you're ready mentally to face the "insurrection" ahead.

I can understand the frustation there... I've had a preggie friend whom was in similar situation. She did escalate to MOM.

 

[Olivia G]

I'll definitely be keeping all the documents and emails... in fact he himself just sent me my sales report stating that i have cleared all my costs and with surplus for commission.
Can he fire me?
I think he can't that's why he is doing all these to irritate me to make me leave on my own...

If this goes on, all the more i will bite the bullet and hang on for my maternity benefits for all that I have done for the company, and then adios after that. Yes I'm on 1 month notice period...I can resign during maternity? Thought to come back after 4 months and throw.

redvel, true, i can only share from my point of view, and as far as my conscience goes i know i have been doing my level best here and my sales performance speaks for itself. Talking about disciplinary issues, i see more errant colleagues who doesn't even comply to basic requirements, not billing but yet run scot free. In fact during the 'better' days before i was pregnant, my boss use to complain about them to me, calling them "monkeys". Which boss calls his own staff monkeys? He was the one who hired them, so he must be the master monkey lor.

If it adds to my case, my boss had a record with MOM before on non-salary payment issues. Also, I had a colleague who was pregnant last year, my boss wasn't easy on her as well. even after she completed her maternity - at one point he was tracking how long she takes to pump milk.

I have heard of horror stories from my friends also working for small companies like these and getting 'bullied' when they got pregnant, didn't expect one day it would happen to me too, sigh
Battling with such issues is even more tiring than work itself!

 

[nanadeedadee]

Remember to keep a copy of your employment contract too, and all side letters relating to your compensation. Best if you have written proof that he cannot simply cut your pay without good grounds.

Yes you can only resign after your maternity leave i.e. Cannot offset your notice period against maternity leave.

I suspect he's either trying to get you to quit, or build a case against you to justify his decision to fire you if he wants. Because once you're pregnant he needs a good reason to fire you without giving maternity benefits. Don't give him any reason. Do your job best as you can.

All the best to you babe. Local employers can be so annoying sometimes.

 

[portia3]

Hi Olivia,

I am a practising HR professional and have given my 2 cents worth of comments below and hope that it will help. Employer/ employee relations are always tough when things go wrong. In a fair situation, we have to hear from both parties when thete's disputes. I have made some assumptions in my comments and tried to provide nuetral suggestiond in my response below since we only have your side of ghr story.

Hi I'm currently expecting my first child, and in my 2nd tri already. I noticed that my boss had a change of attitude towards me after I told him that I'm pregnant. I am in sales and working for a small one-owner start up and had been with the company since its inception, about 2 yrs ago.

I am assuming that you have a permanent full time employment contract with all the agreed terms spelled out clearly or with annexes/ addendums stating changes in compensation terms n benefits over the 2 years.

I told my boss about my pregnancy about 3 months ago, since then he has stopped talking to me on a normal basis (even hi-byes), only when we have one on one meetings. But as of yesterday, he had 1-1 meetings with everyone else in the company except me. He pretty much chose to communicate with me over email even though he is sitting just beside me. And his emails, coming on fast and furious, are nothing but complaint emails reminding me to adhere to certain company protocols and policies, which I have always been obeying.

It looks like he is trying to build a case to possibly terminate you by having documentations/ warnings in writing. If you disagree with the allegations against you, please make sure it is made in writing as well.

Ironically, I am reporting my strongest revenue billing to date (individually and across the company). Instead of appreciating, he kept on picking on other small non sales stuff, even things like a small box of cakes $20 for my client (whom I have substantial billings with) he also challenged. Other things like punctuality also, he allows everyone to stroll in at different timings, because in sales sometimes we have to run around, but he tells me and only me to watch my timings. As it is I come in between 8-9am (unless I have morning appointments), but leave 7-8pm and work during weekends, when I am on leave, even MC if i have to.

Do keep / include 'proof of innocence' in your email response if you can (eg. Name of clients whk can be your alibi, parking or security records at company/ clients' premises on days you were on sales call early in the morning or working late at night.)

And the latest email really pissed me off big time- he threatened to cut my salary if I do not continue bringing in revenue to cover my cost! Over here sales consultant have to cover their own cost to qualify for commission - which I have duly done so, and it was never made known to me that it is compulsory to cover our cost at any point - its just a matter of whether or not we get any commission or pay back our cost if we leave.

Please check your employment contract to see if there is a specific clause stating that your own cost must be covered by your sales revenue, what is included in the calculation and how it is being calculated. Also, check if there is clause stating a specific sales target before a min commission will be made to you and the duration you are given to meet this target before the company terminates you.

It is apparent that cutting my salary would impact my maternity benefits.

Frankly, I know there is absolutely no grounds for him to do so because i have my performance to prove. It just irks me that he is even suggesting, and doing all other nonsense things to perhaps irritate me and make me leave on my own accord.

Company can cut salary only by the agreed amt or percentage if there is a clause in employment contract that allows it to do so in difficulties times. If not, they have to provide valid reasons and your agreement to do so. However, they are not obligated to pay you any commission if you did not meet your sales target. I suggest that you keep your sales report (and possibly those of your colleagues), performance appraisals and salary and bonus increment letters for good performance and compliment letters from clients as potential documentations ina case of unfair dismissal.

Up til this point, we were working well, even at one point when the company was down and out with only 3 strong. I had my lows during my stint here where i wasn't billing much but he just left me alone with a few casual reminders over coffee to buck up. He never did pick on all the other small things. We rebuild the company to close to 10 but recently again there was another bout of bad hires, turnovers and even legal cases. But I stuck by throughout his bad decision and management, and now I am literally the last full fledged sales person left. Yet he is doing this.

I would like to seek some advice if I'm reading too much into things, or do I actually have a case to bring up to authorities should things get worse.

I hope that things will work out for you and there is no need for you and your employer to have this brought to MOM.

 

[portia3]

I'll definitely be keeping all the documents and emails... in fact he himself just sent me my sales report stating that i have cleared all my costs and with surplus for commission.
Can he fire me?

Please keep your sales report on record if he does terminate you on unfair grounds to avoid compensating you. (Eg. misconduct of employee can lead to termination depending on severity of the incident and company need not serve notice or pay notice in lieu.)

I think he can't that's why he is doing all these to irritate me to make me leave on my own...

In all honesty, termination by company can also happen when employee did nothing wrong. They can do it by including a certain clause in your employment contract by stating that both the company/ employee can terminate each other by either serving a notice period or paying the salary in lieu of the notice period.

In your case, if your company choose to terminate your service during your pregnancy, they can either:
1) pay you 16 weeks of maternity (if you are SG citizen) or 8 weeks of maternity (if you are foreigner) + your notice period of 1 month (as stated in the employment contract) and tell you to leave immediately; or

2) pay you 16 weeks of maternity (if you are SG citizen) or 8 weeks of maternity (if you are foreigner) and ask you to serve your notice period of 1 month (as stated in the employment contract).

Of cos, some superiors may prefer that pregnant staff leave 'on their own accord' so that the company need not make any compensation by using dirty tactics. It is definitely not an above board action.

If this goes on, all the more i will bite the bullet and hang on for my maternity benefits for all that I have done for the company, and then adios after that. Yes I'm on 1 month notice period...I can resign during maternity? Thought to come back after 4 months and throw.

While many may encourage you to hang on to the current situation so that you get to enjoy the maternity benefits, my personal view is for you to weigh the pros and cons of hanging on to your job should the situation evolves into something much uglier and affects your health and pregnancy. $ can always be earned back but an affected mental or physical health or pregnancy will probably cost you more than financial loss.

 

[Olivia G]

Hi Olivia,

I am a practising HR professional and have given my 2 cents worth of comments below and hope that it will help. Employer/ employee relations are always tough when things go wrong. In a fair situation, we have to hear from both parties when thete's disputes. I have made some assumptions in my comments and tried to provide nuetral suggestiond in my response below since we only have your side of ghr story.

I am assuming that you have a permanent full time employment contract with all the agreed terms spelled out clearly or with annexes/ addendums stating changes in compensation terms n benefits over the 2 years.

Hi Portia, thank you very much for taking time to pen down your advice, I really appreciate much having a HR point of view because I don't even have a proper HR in our company to consult on such matters. As it is, I don;t even know who to apply my maternity leave with! You have brought up many good points and I will definitely bear in mind.

Yes, I am a permanent employee entitled to full company benefits, local Singapore citizen.

It looks like he is trying to build a case to possibly terminate you by having documentations/ warnings in writing. If you disagree with the allegations against you, please make sure it is made in writing as well.

Do keep / include 'proof of innocence' in your email response if you can (eg. Name of clients whk can be your alibi, parking or security records at company/ clients' premises on days you were on sales call early in the morning or working late at night.)

So far I have stated my defense both in writing and verbal. Because from experience, this boss of mine never keeps to his words, I use to think he is forgetful, but now I believe there is a certain degree of intent. Since I noticed something is amiss, I have also started collating evidences of my work activities off office hours- emails, clients sms/watsapp etc.

Please check your employment contract to see if there is a specific clause stating that your own cost must be covered by your sales revenue, what is included in the calculation and how it is being calculated. Also, check if there is clause stating a specific sales target before a min commission will be made to you and the duration you are given to meet this target before the company terminates you.

I have gone through my contract: on cost, there is no obligation to pay back if we do not cover. In fact this was a case brought up by an earlier consultant who left and my boss demanded for payment of deficit incurred by holding back her salary. The consultant brought this to MOM and my boss lost the case. So I know my contract does not bear any clause that it is compulsory to pay back our costs, only that our commission will start after our cost is covered. Cost not covered, no commission. That is our industry practice as well.

Company can cut salary only by the agreed amt or percentage if there is a clause in employment contract that allows it to do so in difficulties times. If not, they have to provide valid reasons and your agreement to do so. However, they are not obligated to pay you any commission if you did not meet your sales target. I suggest that you keep your sales report (and possibly those of your colleagues), performance appraisals and salary and bonus increment letters for good performance and compliment letters from clients as potential documentations ina case of unfair dismissal.

I hope that things will work out for you and there is no need for you and your employer to have this brought to MOM.

No such clause on salary adjustment either- because our costs includes our own salary. So effectively, we are working to pay ourselves. The problem with our company is that processes and tracking are in a mess. Our so called group sales report still carries ex-consultants numbers, and cases are not updated duly-cases that has fallen off are still reported in there and hence the numbers are badly inflated. I know that the rest of the consultants are not doing well because I have been here since day 1, we can hardly keep a consultant for more than a few months, they come and go, the last 2 consultants chalked up 6 months of costs and they barely closed any cases and left. The only verification I have is my own numbers which the boss himself has endorsed in writing. In my rebuttal email with regards to the pay cut, I clearly state that I know I am the only profit making consultant in his books. I hope that helps in my case?

Please keep your sales report on record if he does terminate you on unfair grounds to avoid compensating you. (Eg. misconduct of employee can lead to termination depending on severity of the incident and company need not serve notice or pay notice in lieu.)

In all honesty, termination by company can also happen when employee did nothing wrong. They can do it by including a certain clause in your employment contract by stating that both the company/ employee can terminate each other by either serving a notice period or paying the salary in lieu of the notice period.

In your case, if your company choose to terminate your service during your pregnancy, they can either:

1) pay you 16 weeks of maternity (if you are SG citizen) or 8 weeks of maternity (if you are foreigner) + your notice period of 1 month (as stated in the employment contract) and tell you to leave immediately; or

2) pay you 16 weeks of maternity (if you are SG citizen) or 8 weeks of maternity (if you are foreigner) and ask you to serve your notice period of 1 month (as stated in the employment contract).

Of cos, some superiors may prefer that pregnant staff leave 'on their own accord' so that the company need not make any compensation by using dirty tactics. It is definitely not an above board action.

While many may encourage you to hang on to the current situation so that you get to enjoy the maternity benefits, my personal view is for you to weigh the pros and cons of hanging on to your job should the situation evolves into something much uglier and affects your health and pregnancy. $ can always be earned back but an affected mental or physical health or pregnancy will probably cost you more than financial loss.

Yup I do have the clause that company can terminate my service by giving me notice as well. But do they have to give a valid reason? So in my case, if they terminate me, I definitely have a right to recover my maternity benefits or depends? If that is so, I would rather he fire me and pay me, I will gladly take it. I agree that my priority should be me and my baby’s well-being but I also need the money esp with the little one coming. I really did not wish for things to become like this here. In all honesty, I love my job, doing what I am doing, just that that boss with his change of attitude is making things really unpleasant. It is still bearable currently but I foresee things will do downhill from here and I want to know that I have my rights even though it might be a tiring battle.

 

[Chufang]

He could have just done a tally on your salary cost during maternity (company pays 2 months, government pays 2 months) and felt very unhappy about it, so he took it out on you, which is not right.

Does your current sales performance also cover the 2 months salary he has to fork out? If not, would you have enough in the pipeline to cover? If yes, try to experiment a bit and if you manage to cover your pay up till your EDD, and also the 2 months he has to fork out, see if his attitude towards you changes.

Btw, when is your EDD?

 

[portia3]

Hi Portia, thank you very much for taking time to pen down your advice, I really appreciate much having a HR point of view because I don't even have a proper HR in our company to consult on such matters. As it is, I don;t even know who to apply my maternity leave with! You have brought up many good points and I will definitely bear in mind.

Yes, I am a permanent employee entitled to full company benefits, local Singapore citizen.

Usually, small companies will have at least one or a couple of people dealing with Admin/ finance and payroll/ personnel related matters. My guess is you need to inform the person doing your payroll for your maternity leave other than your superior. Reason being the person needs to claim back the 2 months of maternity leave salary back from govt.

So far I have stated my defense both in writing and verbal. Because from experience, this boss of mine never keeps to his words, I use to think he is forgetful, but now I believe there is a certain degree of intent. Since I noticed something is amiss, I have also started collating evidences of my work activities off office hours- emails, clients sms/watsapp etc.

In dispute cases, written records will carry more weight as verbal defenses will be unlikely to be taken into account as it becomes a case of your words against his, unless the entire dispute meeting/ discussion is witness by a nuetral party and put into written record with confirmation on accuracy by both parties.

I have gone through my contract: on cost, there is no obligation to pay back if we do not cover. In fact this was a case brought up by an earlier consultant who left and my boss demanded for payment of deficit incurred by holding back her salary. The consultant brought this to MOM and my boss lost the case. So I know my contract does not bear any clause that it is compulsory to pay back our costs, only that our commission will start after our cost is covered. Cost not covered, no commission. That is our industry practice as well.

Is the term for 'commission start after cost is covered' included in your contract?

Also, I will want to be sure that there is transparency in the calculation of cost as cost can always be inflated and cause your commission to be reduced. What is included in cost calculation and how it is computed is also important.

Do note that industry practice does not mean that it is applicable in your case if it is not covered in your employment terms of your staff policies/ handbook.

No such clause on salary adjustment either- because our costs includes our own salary. So effectively, we are working to pay ourselves. The problem with our company is that processes and tracking are in a mess. Our so called group sales report still carries ex-consultants numbers, and cases are not updated duly-cases that has fallen off are still reported in there and hence the numbers are badly inflated. I know that the rest of the consultants are not doing well because I have been here since day 1, we can hardly keep a consultant for more than a few months, they come and go, the last 2 consultants chalked up 6 months of costs and they barely closed any cases and left. The only verification I have is my own numbers which the boss himself has endorsed in writing. In my rebuttal email with regards to the pay cut, I clearly state that I know I am the only profit making consultant in his books. I hope that helps in my case?

Messy processes and poor record keeping is not uncommon in both big and small companies. Keeping your own sales report with uour boss' endorsement on your contribution is good enough.

Yup I do have the clause that company can terminate my service by giving me notice as well. But do they have to give a valid reason?

Generally, they do not have to provide you with a good reason. A simple 'your service is no longer required' will suffice as long as they give you notice or pay u in lieu according to your employment terms.

It is akin to you resigning from yr company where you tender your resignation giving notice. Not many of us will state the real reason for leaving, do we? Often, the real reason is 'I hate my boss/ colleagues' or 'The job/ pay sucks' but we do not say so in our letter, right?

So in my case, if they terminate me, I definitely have a right to recover my maternity benefits or depends?

If they terminate you base on what I describe above and will give you notice/ pay you in lieu of notice, then they have to pay you maternity benefits.

If they try and dismiss you base on misconduct or lack of integrity or any baseless grounds that you can provide evidence to prove your innocence, they will still have to pay you the maternity benefits in the end if MOM rule in your favour.

However, if their reason for dismissal is valid, you may lose your job and maternity benefits.

If that is so, I would rather he fire me and pay me, I will gladly take it. I agree that my priority should be me and my baby’s well-being but I also need the money esp with the little one coming.

Being a pregnant mum in my 2nd tri, I understand your financial concerns too. I have been on no pay leave for 3 months and hosp leave for 1 month due to complications since I got pregnant. But I believe that we can all tweak our lifestyle and manage our finances accordingly to a certain extend unless you are only income earner in the family.

I really did not wish for things to become like this here. In all honesty, I love my job, doing what I am doing, just that that boss with his change of attitude is making things really unpleasant. It is still bearable currently but I foresee things will do downhill from here and I want to know that I have my rights even though it might be a tiring battle.

We can't control what/how others wants to act but we can control how we react to these people and their actions.

Unless your company is the only one offering this service in SG, I am sure you can find another job in a different company some time down the road.

If it does get worse, do weigh your priorities and the pros and cons of fighting a tiring battle while trying to maintain mental sanity and a good health for your pregnancy. The answer will come naturally to you.

 

[Olivia G]

He could have just done a tally on your salary cost during maternity (company pays 2 months, government pays 2 months) and felt very unhappy about it, so he took it out on you, which is not right.

Does your current sales performance also cover the 2 months salary he has to fork out? If not, would you have enough in the pipeline to cover? If yes, try to experiment a bit and if you manage to cover your pay up till your EDD, and also the 2 months he has to fork out, see if his attitude towards you changes.

Btw, when is your EDD?

I'm due early-mid dec, planning to start maternity leave from dec 1. my pipeline will cover til edd. As to the 2 months maternity, actually i also dunno how it works in my case since we are on deficit/surplus base...if its maternity salary, do i still need to cover? I'm sure he has been looking at the cost that's why he is starting all these things. with the recent events leaving him in a bad cashflow state, I can understand as a business owner he wants to be cost cautious but not to the extent of engaging such underhanded methods right......sigh.

 

[Olivia G]

Usually, small companies will have at least one or a couple of people dealing with Admin/ finance and payroll/ personnel related matters. My guess is you need to inform the person doing your payroll for your maternity leave other than your superior. Reason being the person needs to claim back the 2 months of maternity leave salary back from govt.

Our ‘HR’ is split across 2 persons now, the admin who tracks our leave & MC, and a part time finance who does our payroll. But when it comes to HR matters like these that fall into neither category, then I don’t know who. Default boss? I guess I’ll check with the payroll person in this case. We use to have a strong full time HR/Finance person but also left in duress

Is the term for 'commission start after cost is covered' included in your contract?

Also, I will want to be sure that there is transparency in the calculation of cost as cost can always be inflated and cause your commission to be reduced. What is included in cost calculation and how it is computed is also important.

Do note that industry practice does not mean that it is applicable in your case if it is not covered in your employment terms of your staff policies/ handbook.

To be honest, the contract is rather vague; hence there are loopholes to the company’s disadvantage, hence leading to that MOM case earlier which my boss lost. The contract states costs as our salary, in the form of a “draw”. There is a simple calculation to illustrate the tiers of our commission but that’s about it…

Generally, they do not have to provide you with a good reason. A simple 'your service is no longer required' will suffice as long as they give you notice or pay u in lieu according to your employment terms.

It is akin to you resigning from yr company where you tender your resignation giving notice. Not many of us will state the real reason for leaving, do we? Often, the real reason is 'I hate my boss/ colleagues' or 'The job/ pay sucks' but we do not say so in our letter, right?

If they terminate you base on what I describe above and will give you notice/ pay you in lieu of notice, then they have to pay you maternity benefits.

If they try and dismiss you base on misconduct or lack of integrity or any baseless grounds that you can provide evidence to prove your innocence, they will still have to pay you the maternity benefits in the end if MOM rule in your favour.

However, if their reason for dismissal is valid, you may lose your job and maternity benefits.

Ah, ok I see what you mean about the termination. So the crux of the matter is that I must be ready to defend myself well when it comes to that! I really wish we won't have to go down that path, but if it is truly the case where he wants to do this way, I will have to be prepared and load up my gun in event of war.

Being a pregnant mum in my 2nd tri, I understand your financial concerns too. I have been on no pay leave for 3 months and hosp leave for 1 month due to complications since I got pregnant. But I believe that we can all tweak our lifestyle and manage our finances accordingly to a certain extend unless you are only income earner in the family.

Not sole bread winner but a lot of commitments – to parents, housing etc and ideally I would also want to contribute to the family else it will be stressful on my husband to survive on single income now that there’s a new mouth to feed. But you are right, we might be faced with no options at times, and the next best thing is to make adjustments. I guess we won’t starve!

Sorry to hear that your pregnancy had not been easy, are you are much better now?

We can't control what/how others wants to act but we can control how we react to these people and their actions.

Unless your company is the only one offering this service in SG, I am sure you can find another job in a different company some time down the road.

If it does get worse, do weigh your priorities and the pros and cons of fighting a tiring battle while trying to maintain mental sanity and a good health for your pregnancy. The answer will come naturally to you.

Thanks for the encouragement and sound advice!

Looking at things, I will definitely be on the lookout for a better environment to continue my career. Though it is a disappointment as I dislike changing environment and I thought this could be a place to stay put for long, it might be a blessing in disguise to finally let me see what kind of person my boss is. I have been hearing things, but now I’m experiencing it first-hand!

As it is with all these emails going around for weeks, I would have thought any sane and professional manager will have called for a face to face meeting instead of continuing an email war despite me suggesting to talk about it. No response, but black face and slamming things for next few days and then yet another irritating email reply sitting in my inbox after that. Speaks much about his capacity as a leader.

 

[Chufang]

I'm due early-mid dec, planning to start maternity leave from dec 1. my pipeline will cover til edd. As to the 2 months maternity, actually i also dunno how it works in my case since we are on deficit/surplus base...if its maternity salary, do i still need to cover? I'm sure he has been looking at the cost that's why he is starting all these things. with the recent events leaving him in a bad cashflow state, I can understand as a business owner he wants to be cost cautious but not to the extent of engaging such underhanded methods right......sigh.

Technically you don't need to cover the salary cost when you're on maternity, because you're not working those two months. But then I also think he is unhappy because he prolly did that calculation of how much he need to fork out for your 2 months pay when you're on maternity leave, so I'm just suggesting if it is possible for you to work harder in the pipeline. Means earn more until you have to go for maternity.

 

[Olivia G]

Chufang..trying my best also. But when it comes to sales, there is no guarantee. And the last quarter is usually the off peak season in our sector. Given what is going on right now, to be honest it has affected my morale badly and I am in dilemma whether or not to continue making money for someone who doesn't appreciate. on the other hand, I'm telling myself to fight back to not let this be an excuse and hamper my work performance lest it becomes a case for him.

Being a profit and loss sensitive sales person, I do not like to see myself ever on a deficit. In fact, last year when I was accumulating a few months of deficit, my boss didn't say anything then abt adjusting my salary (that's another stark difference in treatment vs now that I'm expecting ). But I volunteered to go on no salary until I clear my deficit i.e I worked for free! I only asked back my salary when I am profit making again. (I have this on black and white as well)
That's the kind of commitment I'm willing to give to the company but what do I get in return. I have never ever asked for a raise even when i'm doing well. I felt so stupid thinking about it now (and maybe I even spoilt my own market??)

 

[Chufang]

Chufang..trying my best also. But when it comes to sales, there is no guarantee. And the last quarter is usually the off peak season in our sector. Given what is going on right now, to be honest it has affected my morale badly and I am in dilemma whether or not to continue making money for someone who doesn't appreciate. on the other hand, I'm telling myself to fight back to not let this be an excuse and hamper my work performance lest it becomes a case for him.

Understand the difficulties! I was just wondering if it's possible. But if end of the year is usually the off peak season, there's not much you can do as well. Cheer up, and continue to do your best. My friends always told me that if the mummy is unhappy because of work, it will affect the baby. So try your best to stay upbeat for the baby's sake.

Being a profit and loss sensitive sales person, I do not like to see myself ever on a deficit. In fact, last year when I was accumulating a few months of deficit, my boss didn't say anything then abt adjusting my salary (that's another stark difference in treatment vs now that I'm expecting ). But I volunteered to go on no salary until I clear my deficit i.e I worked for free! I only asked back my salary when I am profit making again. (I have this on black and white as well)
That's the kind of commitment I'm willing to give to the company but what do I get in return. I have never ever asked for a raise even when i'm doing well. I felt so stupid thinking about it now (and maybe I even spoilt my own market??)

Most Bosses only look forward (向前/钱看 pun intended) ma, so don't feel bad about being unappreciated for your contribution previously. JIAYOU~~~

 

[Olivia G]

Thanks Chufang...

 

[moorspa7]

Olivia,

I agree with Chufang. For the sake of yr baby, ignore those 小人 like yr boss. When mummy is stressed, baby is also stressed as yr body will produce stress hormones which is not beneficial for u and yr baby. Stay positve, it is easier said than done but do try. Try deep breathing every time you feel stress, remember to destress at home. I find listening to relaxing music helps a lot. Jia you!