So the other day I was speaking to my sister and I ended up thinking about that time. You ever have those moments? Where you think to yourself I remember the time…Well I did and what I am about to speak about often comes to my mind and upsets me because I did not know any better.
I began working at Champs right after I graduated high school back in 2006. For those that don’t know, Champs is a part of the Foot Locker chain. That summer I helped to set up the store which was brand new and then went on to work as a cashier. I worked there during each of my breaks from college until the summer of 2008 which was right before I had my daughter that December. At the end of that summer, I gave my two weeks notice and never returned.
What happened is unfortunate and I am sure has been experienced by many women. That summer my manager found out I was pregnant through another source (not me!). The moment she knew, I could tell. Instantly I saw the schedule which had already been posted was suddenly changed and there was a noticeable decrease in my hours. I did not feel comfortable addressing it with her so I went straight to corporate Human Resources. They contacted my District Manager who then proceeded to request a meeting with me after we had a phone conversation.
She made an attempt to make things right and at the time I guess I felt it was sufficient. I mean think about it…I was a young college student who needed the extra cash during the summer especially being pregnant. I was just worried about keeping my job.
During the meeting, she apologized on behalf of the store manager but then proceeded to present me with a write up! She told me it was for a no call/no show for a day that at that time was about a month old. Not to mention, I actually did call out but of course the manager claimed I had not. She told she would make sure I got my hours back but I also needed to sign the write up. This is where I didn’t know any better comes in.
I didn’t know any better back then. I stupidly signed the paper and went back to work as if nothing happened. Thinking back at it I had every right to decline to sign and then return to HR to express that I felt the write up was done as a retaliation tactic because honestly that’s what it was. The apology was for me to feel better but the write up was to make the Store Manager and DM feel better.
It upsets me to think back at this situation. I was a good employee for those two years. I barely called out and dedicated my evenings, weekends, and sometimes almost full days to them for extra cash. And at the end, I quit! I felt I had been taken advantage of and even more so now because I know I had rights as a pregnant woman I was not aware of back then.
I share this because if you are pregnant for the first time regardless of age, make sure you know your rights. And even if it’s not your first time, just make sure you read up on any changes that might have happened since the last time you were pregnant.
Below are some links to helpful resources:
https://www.nj.gov/njparentlink/career/maternity/
https://www.nj.gov/njparentlink/career/childcare/index.html
https://www.nj.gov/njparentlink/parenting/101/
Marce's View 