Karel van der Molen
Karel is an admitted attorney and a Master Human Resource Practitioner and Registered Mentor with the South African Board for People Practice, having obtained completed various qualifications in law, human resource management and financial services. Read more
Recent Questions
QUESTION
Hi Karel
I am not sure if you're the right person to ask about this.
I have been working for my company for almost 3 years but I am very miserable in my current role.
Can I apply for alternative employment outside of the company? What are the rules & regulations around this?
I am almost 13 weeks pregnant.
Regards,
Tash
ANSWER
Tash, this is an important question that you have posed as it is one that affects many readers of the Women24 Careers website.
The crisp answer to your question is that nothing stops you from seeking other employment or applying for a position at any time, even when you are pregnant.
There is however a perception that is held by many pregnant women that an employer may well not consider you for employment because you are pregnant. It is important to note that the fact that you are pregnant should not (and may not) in way affect any decision regarding employment with an organisation and an organisation will therefore not be entitled to take a decision not to employ you on the basis of your pregnancy. It is important to highlight that the Constitution, 1996 makes it very clear that a woman may not be discriminated against on the basis of her pregnancy.
I am sure that you will be weighing all your options very carefully before taking the decision to seek new employment opportunities. And, although you have not mentioned what the causes are of your unhappiness at work, but it might be a good idea to have a discussion with your manager or the HR department with a view to possibly being able to address the issues and possibly moving into another area of the orgnaisation or taking on some new and exciting challenge whih will make the working experience a little more pleasant.
This is a very broad sweep through your question – please do submit another question if you require any further information and/or assistance.
Good luck!