I have not dealt with this personally but I can see it happening. My company is small as well, we have 12 employees. If I was to go out for 10 weeks we would fold. There is literally no one else that could fill my shoes within the company. I strategically planned my hysterectomy so that I would miss as few days as possible and worked from home in a state that I never should have been doing anything important- the Percocet was flowing! LOL

I guess my point is, would he be willing to hire a temp and have you do some things remotely with the baby at home? If not, and if you aren't willing to make that sacrifice (which I wouldn't blame you for a second! I stayed home for 4 years when my kids were little and wouldn't trade it for the world) you may need to plan for this job terminating your employment. Let them fire you. Don't quit. Make sure it is writting when you will return- let them tell you no!

Unfortunately, it does not sound like they are obligated to pay you.. and despite what they may have paid the GM in the past, you honestly may not be valuable enough to them for them to provide you the same treatment.  I'm not sure what your role is but it's not unusual to give different treatment depending in small companies. Also, you don't know the exact details of what went on during the medical issue.. whether the GM was still performing part of their job remotely etc... You really have to see your own situation judged on your own merits and based on your own agreement.  It does not sound like there was a meeting of the minds with you and your boss over what exactly would happen if you were to have a child.  He thought that he was being nice and letting you know you would not lose your job.. and you thought he was offering some sort of paid time off.  

You have now worked out the best they seem to be willing to do.  It's not great.. but more than they are obligated.. so for that I guess you should be thankful.  Small companies can't always offer the same benefits due to the high cost and difficulty it might present in their operations... By the way, you may not be aware but FMLA does not require PAID leave.. only unpaid.  Some companies allow for paid leave.. but it's not required.. even with companies over 12 employees.. in fact.. it's reallyl just preserving that you have a job to come back to.  your employer isn't even obligated to do that really since they are so small.

As far as the attitude.. it is not totally uncommon.  I'm sure you can see how losing a person in a large organization is going to mean more work for people.  More work for your manager to re arrange your duties. more work on your coworkers etc.. it just is a fact of life.  It's unfortunate, but the fact that women have children puts them at a natural disadvantage in the workplace.  The percieved need for "special treatment" to take time off with their child is a special accomodation.  Now some companies like mine are progressive and offer leave paid for both men and women.. and people who are adopting etc.. but not all companies do that.. nor are they required to offer the paid leave.

If you like the company you work for and your job.  I think the best way to deal with it is hold up your end of the bargain.  Do your job.. be available and willing to do your work.  

If you are inclined to cause problems, you could report the situation to the unemployment board since they are basically faking that situation....but you won't get paid then.

You could look for another job.. but you will also be unlikely to find one that will provide you with those benefits for this pregnancy.

Hopefully you can find that with time that things work out anyway and your boss gets past his concerns 

dupe

I believe pregnancy is considered a "disability" under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and your employer is expected to provide you with "reasonable accomodation". Being paid while on leave is not a "reasonable accommodation", but there may be precedent if they have provided that to another employee. A better approach might be to do some research on what a "reasonable accommodation" for your unpaid leave would be (for that the FMLA, which allows up to 18 weeks of unpaid leave for a pregnancy, I believe) could be used as a benchmark and then put your request for that accomodation in writing. 

You could contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) if you wanted to push on the discrimination issue, but I suspect that is a lengthy process and won't solve your immediate problem. 

I've never gone through anything like this (I had the good fortune to be able to stay home when DD was born), but I've also never worked anywhere that offered either paid maternity leave or company-paid disability insurance.  The US is not known for its generous maternity policies.

Do you think that your boss's new attitude might be a result of this:  "I tried to stand up for myself and things got a little loud and I left for the day that day."  When a business doesn't offer paid leave, I don't think there's anything wrong with trying to negotiate for something.  However, I can see where a supervisor's opinion of an employee could change if that negotiation became loud or contentious and the employee left.  

You probably won't have issues, but be aware that to collect unemployment you're supposed to be ready and able to work.  My state requires that you be actively looking for another job and you're required to keep a log of all the calls you made and job applications you submitted (although I don't think anyone actually asks to see that stuff), and you have to certify weekly that you're actively looking for a job (or participating in a job training program).  Maybe it's different if there's a temporary work shortage at your company, though.

In your situation, I would probably be inclined to look for another job, for a couple reasons.  First, it would be difficult to work for a boss who is being standoffish.  If you think that would continue after your maternity leave, it's probably time to make a change.  Second, if the company is small enough to be exempt from FMLA, I'm not sure how wise it is to have both you and DH working for the same small company.  If they had financial difficulties, or problems with one of you, that wouldn't be a great situation.  Finally, you might as well be prepared in case they are setting you up to not come back.

I'm sorry you're going through this.  It's hard enough being pregnant and dealing with everything else it entails without having to deal with an unfortunate work situation as well.  I hope it all works out.

Not my boss but a boss that I was helping tell me to get an abortion cause the baby's birth would land on an important time frame for a project. I was just learning some new skills and helping them. It was just a side project . She got fired not for what she said to me but she kept saying inappropriate things like that. My baby is six now. . I work for the City so we have FMLA and now all moms and dads get twelve weeks of paid leave without using their own sick or vacation. They didn't have that when I had my kids though. We keep getting diversity and inclusion training and so do the bosses so they know that pregnancy is a protected state and they can't discriminate based on it . Sorry you are going through this . I had a negative experience with my second child when I was pregnant too. I got pre eclampsia and my female boss tried to force me to work hours and amounts against doctors orders and disclosed my hippa to my coworkers and told them they had to work overtime cause of me and my medical condition and she did get fired for that . She had 25 years ar the company and her bosses fired her for it 

I am an accountant, but have managed HR for companies as part of my duties. If your company is under 50 people, they do not fall under the FMLA law. They are not legally obligated to hold your position (or a similar one).

I work for a huge multi-national company that is male-dominated, and got the royal treatment when pregnant: unlimited work from home, flexibility for doctor's appointments, 12 weeks paid leave and could take up to 6 months additional unpaid with continuing benefits. But, big companies can absorb those personnel costs (and they were clearly stated upfront - no negotiation), where small companies simply can't.

But - I had a reputation for going above and beyond before pregnancy, didn't ask for any accommodations that weren't offered, and kept my productivity up at pre-baby levels when I returned. 

Fairly or not, your boss may perceive you as focused on time-off perks and no longer committed to the work, and unlikely to maintain productivity. In that case, he may hope to replace you ASAP.

Maternity leave is a joke in this country. I've known small businesses that have amazing maternity leave and other benefits, so don't tell me it's impossible because of size. 

Even working at a public school with hundreds of employees and decent benefits, I was told if I came back after my leave, it wouldn't be to my job. I would have had to take a completely different job. Even though I only took two weeks of time during the school year and the rest I had planned around summer break, I felt it was a punishment for daring to have a child while employed. It fucking sucked.

I told them to pound sand and I found a much better opportunity working from home.