I'm pregnant and curious if I should tell my clients about it!

Anonymous

November 1,2022 at 12:48PM UTC

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I'm pregnant and curious if I should tell my clients about it! I'm a consultant and work mostly from home. I go to clients' buildings throughout the year (although the later part of my 3rd trimester probably will be a no-go) so my job isn't like "normal jobs" where you would take maternity leave. Is it anyone's business? My concern is it could affect my ability to get new clients. We meet through Zoom but they only see me chest-up!

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AnonymousNovember 1,2022 at 2:18PM UTC
If you will be able to complete a project prior to needed time to recoup then I do not see the need. If the project overlaps with not being able to complete or during a time when you won’t be able to travel in, I would inform potential clients as they have timelines and needs. You do not want to burn bridges for lack of transparency or risk tarnishing your brand/reputation. So in other words, only inform if there is a need to make aware of delay of service or inability for in person presence where the project would require it.
AnonymousNovember 1,2022 at 2:21PM UTC
Congratulations on your baby on the way! I believe at some point you should disclose your pregnancy status to clients only if it's going to impact important timelines / contractual work that's expected of you. If you're going to be out on leave while a contract is still live, then you should come up with a workplan for your clients so they have a roadmap of how your workload would be covered while away. Not sure if you work alone or in a team.
You should continue to work virtually as you see fit but I totally hear you about this being a very personal/sensitive subject.
As for new clients, you can always give them a timeline of when your books would re-open to accept new clients (post-baby). I know there's a chance this could impact potential contracts if they're ready and your not just yet but you have to be realistic about your situation too.
Don't put more on your plate until you have some time to process post-baby to reorganize your schedule and most importantly, yourself.
Good luck to you!