‘I was fired by text message on the day of my stillborn daughter’s funeral’

A mother has described the gut-wrenching moment she was fired from her job by text message on the day of her stillborn daughter’s funeral.

Lou Temlett, now 47, was working as a project manager for a national company and was still in her probationary period when she received the text telling her that her job was ending with immediate notice.

She is sharing her story with The i Paper as new research from campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed in partnership with Women in Data has revealed a sharp rise in the number of women who are potentially pushed out of their job when pregnant, during or when returning from maternity leave.

The findings show up to 74,000 women every year now lose their job after becoming pregnant or whilst taking maternity leave – an increase of 37 per cent from 54,000 in 2016.

Ms Temlett, who lives in Bath and is a single parent to a 14-year-old and a seven-year-old, says she had been working for the company for around five months and was still in her probationary period when she went through a difficult ordeal with her pregnancy.

“I was pregnant and had some scans and they couldn’t see parts of my baby’s heart,” she explained. “I had genetic testing and had to wait three weeks for the results and the call from the doctor came one afternoon at work.”

Ms Temlett was given the devastating news her baby daughter had severe health issues and might not survive the pregnancy at all.

“I was in floods of tears and my manager walked me across the open plan office where everyone could see how distraught I was,” she said.

Ms Temlett made the difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy and due to being 26-weeks pregnant, she had to give birth to her stillborn daughter following a 14-hour labour. “It was very emotional making that decision and I felt guilty and distraught. But the week after the stillbirth, I returned to work and the funeral was about two-and-a-half weeks later and I took the day off for it.”

On the morning of the funeral, Ms Temlett was shocked and stunned to receive a text message telling her that she was being fired with immediate notice. “It was horrific. I was still in my probation period and they gave me immediate notice for poor performance,” she recalled.

“But I had shown up for work and delivered everything I was meant to be delivering and there was never any discussion about my performance. There was nothing until that text message on the day of the funeral.

“I firmly believe it was because they didn’t want someone pregnant, or who would go on to get pregnant again in that kind of senior role in their organisation.”

Ms Temlett’s stillborn daughter’s funeral was in 2012 and says the turmoil ultimately led to the end of her marriage. She went on to have her now seven-year-old with a new partner a few years later, but is now a single mother to her two children and is self-employed.

“I think it is awful how many women lose their jobs while they are pregnant or on maternity leave,” she said.

Kate Miller, 32, who lives in Newcastle with her partner Danny, told The i Paper she was told she was being made redundant via a Zoom call two weeks after giving birth to her son Luca, who is now 10 months old.

Ms Miller, who was working as a sales director for an advertising company, says she was attending a hospital appointment two weeks after the birth when she was sent a WhatsApp message from HR asking her if she could “jump on a Zoom call”.

“I didn’t get the message until I got home and when I replied, I was asked if I could join a call the following morning. I went on the call and it was the CEO reading from a script and telling me they were closing the UK side of the business,” she said.

“It was completely out of the blue and I felt so emotional and shocked as I hadn’t planned for it at all.

“Then a month later, after I had been paid off, I saw them advertising for the exact role that had been my job with the same job description.

“I feel I lost my job as a direct result of me having a baby. When they hired me, I was single and I had my baby soon after that.

“It is just awful and I feel speechless that women can be treated in such a way when they’re in their most vulnerable state after having a baby.”

The survey of 35,800 parents found that 12 per cent of women are sacked, constructively dismissed or made redundant while pregnant, on maternity leave or within a year of returning from maternity leave.

The report estimated that this could mean as many as 74,000 women are forced to leave their job every year.

Half of pregnant women, those on maternity leave, and those returning from maternity leave said they had a negative experience at work, leading one in five to quit their job.

A third of women said they were sidelined or demoted while pregnant, on maternity leave, or when they return from maternity leave, but only 2 per cent of women who experience discrimination took a claim to a tribunal.

While it is illegal to dismiss an employee due to their pregnancy, it is possible to be dismissed as long as the dismissal is proved to be fair.

Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, said: “We have long suspected things are getting worse, not better. Our free advice line is ringing off the hook, it has reached a point where we simply cannot cope with demand.

“To find that 74,000 mothers a year are being pushed out of their job for daring to procreate is not surprising, but it is devastating.

Taisiya Merkulova of Women In Data said: “Collectively, we need to close the gender gap and remove the challenges women face to achieve equality of opportunities in the workplace and reduce the burden of the unspoken ‘tax’ on mothers from additional unpaid labour as carers and in the home.”

If you need support, please visit maternityaction.org.uk or call the Sands helpline on 0808 164 3332.