Would you give a special treatment to your staff who is pregnant?

The question was asked first on LinkedIn where other answers can be found. My answer was:

“Dear Helen,

While it is a truism that pregnancy is not unusual in the general sense, it is clearly special to the person who is pregnant, not to mention the baby forming inside her.

Getting prepared for a baby's arrival is equally a challenge in our busy world, especially if the father is wrapped up in his own world and not pitching in. In such an instance, often the pregnant woman must rely on an understanding set of co-workers and bosses to lessen the isolation of the experience.

When I was working as an attorney for The University of Texas System, my secretary became pregnant. With a lot of work to do, I at first thought this was going to be a problem.

We supported her throughout and accommodated the natural changes in her body and feelings, before laws, rules, regulations, and policies were passed to accommodate such a condition. It wasn't always convenient, but then life isn't always convenient.

We all responded to the situation as a growing experience. She kept being a very thoughtful person. Close to the time she was to have her baby, she found a friend who was willing to come in and work for us on an interim basis. She trained the person herself. That person turned out to be equally thoughtful and up to the task.

From my perspective this was one of the wisest things she could have done. We never felt like we were being left to fend for ourselves.

When my original secretary was ready to come back, the transition was seamless and I realized that she would be loyal to me in part because I had been loyal to her.

She turned out to be one of the best secretaries I ever had. A wonderful human being and mother. I was proud of her for starting her family and happy that we could support her in that pursuit.

Later, she moved on to higher positions within UTS and is quite successful. I cannot help but think that by working together through one of life's natural and normal experiences, we managed to arrive at some very special results for all of us.

A frank, but warm talk may be in order in your case. But, handled appropriately, this situation may end up being one of your proudest moments as well. John”

What do you think?

Please include your comment here or contact me to discuss.

Thanks.

John Darrouzet