Having a baby is a wonderful thing and as more and more women embark on being part of the workforce it becomes a challenge to juggle personal and professional lives.
More so in the BPO industry that is most prevalent here in the Philippines where majority of the accounts that are serviced are in the late afternoon to graveyard shift. This is a difficult schedule to have if you are pregnant because as much as possible you don't want to stress yourself and the baby. More so if it's the first baby because the body has not yet adapted to child bearing.
I usually recommend a change to an earlier schedule to accommodate pregnant women. Their safety as well as the child takes priority for me. I have heard some disgruntled murmurs from some employees who had to change their schedule to accommodate this but I always answer that it is more difficult for pregnant women to be in the graveyard shift and ask for their consideration. I have only fought one person who was adamant in keeping his schedule not because of any reason but that he does not want to take more calls. That was such a facepalm moment for me.
Yet not everyone thinks like me in taking care of pregnant women because they face major discrimination and dad to say it comes from both management and Human Resources itself. I have seen so many times that a very good candidate was turned down because she was 2 months pregnant at the time of the interview. It is listed in article 133 of the Philippines labor law and further strengthened by the Magna Carta for women that no pregnant woman or any woman for that matter should experience discrimination in terms of getting hired, promoted or judged on being able to do their job because of gender, status and condition. Sad to say a lot of folk do not follow this and a lot more are afraid of voicing out their rights.
Pregnant women are entitled here in the Philippines 60 days of maternity leave for regular delivery and 78 days for Cesarean delivery of the baby. This would be paid by the SSS but would be initially shouldered by the company to be immediately reimbursed by the government. Here a lot of companies changed their way of giving the benefit that instead of giving it in full before the delivery it would be given after the employee has given birth and returned to work. This is to ensure that the company does not incur a loss. Some companies adopt a more humanitarian approach of giving half before the maternity leave takes effect and then the other half when the employee goes back.
[Further reading recommended](http://hrnation.ph/pregnancy-and-maternity-rights-in-the-philippines/]
Filipinos by their very nature are not confrontational people. They tend to circle around and beat around the bush as if offending someone else. Doubly they are afraid if that person has power. Maybe because we have been colonized so long that we are so submissive even to the point of being afraid to speak up.
I had this one person consult me regarding her issue. it was her first baby and she had a Ceasarian operation on a premature baby. So there were complications and a month ago she requested to have her leave extended because her baby is still not strong enough to be left with someone else. No response from the company and she followed up but to no avail because the HR said it was still up for approval from management.
It was nearing the end of her leave that she was informed that extension was denied and she was to report to work and failure to do so will result in her AWOL status and subsequent termination. Not even a phone call but a very impersonal email with a very thinly veiled threat of termination. You have to excuse me because as I write this I am so mad. Then I got more mad because she is being treated this way because she is a favorite of one of the owners. The plot thickens as the head of the company has a history of harassing those people that are close to the owner. You would wonder why the owner does not do anything about this but that is one can of worms I don't want to discuss.
To me HR means protecting the welfare of the employees. Their will be times that what is right in terms of labor law and humanitarian standards are in direct contrast to management directives that only care about the bottom line or the almighty dollar. I have in several occasions fought with management and overturned several decisions they have because it is not right. I have been branded as a troublemaker, a complainer, worst enemy of the admin but I don't see myself that way because what I am only after is what is right and lawful.
I give voice to the voiceless, I act for those that cannot act for themselves, I stand for those that have been bowed and broken for I am their champion.
I am HR.
