Advice Required - We're expecting!

[Guest]

Guys,

 

I have playing this through my head over the last week and I am not sure what the 'right' short & long term solution for the position we wife are in ; what I would like to hear is advice from the esteemed board members hear on what they believe the right direction is.

 

Background :

 

The wife and I have been married for nearly 2 years and most of that time we lived outside of Thailand. During that period my wife did bits & pieces work to keep her going. So if you were looking from a CV perspective the work performed is not impressive, but, the fact she did something does impress.

 

We are now living in Thailand and she has landed a good position at a big multi-national company. Her role is a what I call a 'dirty' short term role(long hours - underpaid), but, the long term benefits are massive if she performs well!

 

It was confirmed that she is now pregnant!

 

My wife wants to be a career person (i.e she has work ambitions).

 

The money me wife will make at this role is not critical to our finance situation, if she does not work we will be okay with decent savings, if she works then we have a 'bonus'.

 

Current Situation ;

 

She is working for a very good company for less than 1 month, she has just recieved confirmation of being pregnant and she is concerned at working whilst pregnant, however, the opportunity she has now could be a once in a lifetime opporunity in terms of future career prospects!

 

We have 2 choices :

 

1> Continue to work during the prenancy and stopping once she gets close to the due date.

 

The underlying risk I see is her stress levels being to high.

 

or

 

2> Stop working, wait for the pregnancy to finish and maybe a year or 2 after the baby is born rejoin the workforce.

 

The underlying risk is her ambitions to be a career woman in the future will be crushed as she would be out of the workforce for another 2 years, which essentially means she has not been in the professional workforce for nearly 5 years! So the chances of getting back in are low and possibly she would have to start at the bottom of the ladder again!

 

So if you were in a position like this, then what would you advise!

 

SB.

 

 

[whosyourdaddy]

Inb my experience most thais will work up till the 8th month. ( fine) and then take a short 2 month holiday and rejoin the workforce with a family member taking care of the baby.

 

My wife on the other hand is reluctant to get pregnant since she does not want to take extented time off of work and we have no immediate relatives in BKK to help with the baby. It is not a money issue ,m but I think she would go insane being home all day alone

[think_too_mut]

>So if you were in a position like this, then what would you advise!

 

I would not mind being in your boots.

 

My take: she's got another six months or so of work, that should be enough to demonstrate her abilities and leave for maternity on good terms, preferrably with some written recommendations.

 

If 6-7 months of good work are not enough for the company to welcome her re-entry, then they are not worth any sacrifice, especially such a big one as a baby.

[khwaimaisabai]

Hi sb,

 

Impossible to advise really without knowing you. All I would say, based on what you wrote, is that my inclination would be to go for option 1. You will need to make the effort to make sure she is well taken care of for nine months (and beyond), but women are not as frail as they may sometimes appear - and I'm not talking about just Thai women here.

 

In my line of business, companies usually have staff with a high proportion of young females so pregnancy happens all the time. Many keep working and take a minimum time off for delivery and then come back. The biggest problem is fatigue, which can be handled if the partner is willing to do his bit - which mostly is the case.

 

The human race has not evolved to where we are today because bearing childeren is difficult.

 

Khwai

[Guest]

Yes, I know most Thais will work right upto the date and then take a short break and return to the workforce with family helping out with the baby! not sure whether this is an ideal environment though!

 

We do have family in Bangkok , however, her mother still works and the father is retired. So I think it would be culturally incorrect to expect the grandfather to take care of the baby as he is retired! So we have family, but, the probably can't help much! But, I could be wrong here!

 

Sanukboot.

[Guest]

"My take: she's got another six months or so of work, that should be enough to demonstrate her abilities and leave for maternity on good terms, preferrably with some written recommendations."

 

she has just started working for them, wouldn't it be unfair to plan to stay 6 months and bugger off? My feeling is we have to tell them (being her company) in the next week or so once we have decided on our preferred course of action.

 

I am also concerned that once they know that they will tell her to bugger off as well (which maybe a blessing in disguise as well)

 

Too many uncertainties for my liking here! But, hey it keeps life interesting!

 

SB.

[Guest]

"The biggest problem is fatigue"

 

I believe this will be a big factor! As she will work long hours, plus we have a 1 hour commute to work every day! So it really is a min. of 7am --> 8pm lifestyle!

 

SB.

[think_too_mut]

>she has just started working for them, wouldn't it be unfair to plan to stay 6 months and bugger off? My feeling is we have to tell them (being her company) in the next week or so once we have decided on our preferred course of action.

 

Yes, you have to tell them about the pregnancy.

 

If company is worth considering them before the baby, they will do something on their part to show that. I mean, reducing or planning to reduce stress that may be thrown upon your wife and let her stay until month 7 (or, as someone pointed, 8) or whatever is legal limit in Thai.

[greg]

First try to assertain if the best case scenario is possible.

i.e. Your wife works until the end of her pregnanacy then returns after sanukboot jnr is born. However from what you mention about her family i.e. retired Grandfather.Is this really possible? Would there be anyone to take care of the babay. Especially as your wife will be working long hours.

 

I think I would tell her company that she is pregnant but that she relly lover it there etc etc and try to work out a compromise. At the end of the day it is somewhat in the companies hands. Do employee's like your wife, not full time, get maternity rights?

 

I know nothing about women but I have seen career women get pregnant and then after the happy event deciede they want to be th eperfect Mum and choose to stay at home.

Good luck

[Guest]

A few legal point first.

 

A female employee is entitled to 90 days maternity leave.

During this 90 days period, the employer is required to pay her a salary for 45 days. The fact is that she should recieve 50 percent of her current salary during maternity leave.

 

Pregnancy may not be a cause for dismissal. However, since your wife has only just started to work there she will still be on probation. This usually is a period of between 3 to 6 months.

During the probation period either party may terminate the employment without notice and without compensation.

 

If the employer is sincere in wanting to keep her employed after the 90 days maternity leave, they may decide not to pay her anything during the 90 days period, as she probably became pregnant before taking up employment with this firm.

 

Id the probation period is completed and a female employee becomes pregnant, she cannot be dismissed and the 45 days salary payment must be made. Provisions for this are clearly stated in the Labour Protection Act.