Laid Off at 6 Months Pregnant, Hired at 7 Months - A Story of Perseverance, Advocacy, and Mama Strength ??

Hello to all the working parents and parents-to-be out there! Welcome to “Mat Leave” - your place to hear stories, find wisdom, and build community.? Today’s newsletter features Beth Marceau, SHRM-CP , Founder and Fractional Recruiter at Fractional Recruiting Co.?

?? Meet Beth Marceau, SHRM-CP

"I have been in the talent acquisition, recruiting, and people/culture space for 11 years, primarily supporting tech-startups during periods of hyper-growth. I recently launched my own company where I offer part-time recruiting to startups. I also offer services like ATS implementations, headcount planning, and sourcing strategy. Going out on my own has been my dream for many years, so being able to achieve this has been extremely exciting for my family of four and for myself.?

Rewind to March 2023, when I was 6 months pregnant with my second child. I was the Director of Talent at a startup and we had been acquired by a much larger company - and to no one’s surprise, my position was eliminated. And I was laid off… at 6 months pregnant.?

While I was not surprised by being laid off, I was shocked when my benefits ended at midnight on my last day of work.?

It was at that moment I said to myself (and my husband) ‘I’ve got to freaking hustle to try and get benefits and a steady job asap!’ but knowing very well it might be impossible to do - who would hire a VERY pregnant woman!!??

Well, to my surprise and delight, I was hired at 7 months pregnant. The CEO who hired me knew I was very far along and we agreed I would start ASAP, that I would develop a solid mat leave plan, and jump back into work 7 weeks after I had baby boy.?

I did in fact execute against our agreed upon plan and it worked well for my situation.???

Here are the practices I employed to set up myself and my team for success while I was on mat leave:

1. Write down a plan - I wrote out a thorough document of who-does-what while I was out. Even in my case where I was just ramping up in this new company and new role, there were still approvals, processes, interviews that I did need to plan for someone else to maintain while I was gone.?
2. Communicated the plan - I had 1:1’s with each team member letting them know the plan, and I shared the written document as well. I also ensured cross-functional leaders and teammates knew what was expected while I would be out.?
3. Turned off Slack and Google notifications - I drew the line in the sand, and was transparent in being fully offline; I would not be responding to, or even seeing, slacks or emails while on leave. I will be back in 7 weeks ??

Returning to work was another story altogether. Like most new moms, I was battling postpartum in a way I had not experienced with my first child.?

Here are some lessons learned from my experience with postpartum and returning to work:

1. Boundaries - I made the very hard decision to turn off Slack after 6 PM EST. It might sound silly but for 10 years of my professional career, I would always be available. ALL the time. But now, with two kids, our family dynamic needed more of my attention and I had to draw the line in the sand, and learn that my self-worth is not tied to my being online to my company 24/7.?
2. Getting Help - I knew my postpartum was ‘different’ than I had experienced before and I knew it was not your traditional ‘baby blues’ either. So, I did my own research on my brain fog, lack of focus, challenges in concentrating, and the like. For anyone that knows me personally, they were not at all shocked when I was diagnosed (in my 30’s) with ADHD. Ah, got it, makes sense now!?
3. Flexibility - I was extremely grateful, thankful, and appreciative to have a flexible and understanding CEO that gave me extensive grace during the few months where I struggled. My CEO could fired me. Instead, she worked with and supported my needs to get help and get my life back on track. I asked for the time off I needed to take care of my mental health, and was met with grace and support.?

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Every person’s experience of course is different when it comes to parental leave.?

The biggest work-advice I have for anyone preparing for their upcoming leave to welcome their bundle-of-joy: Advocate for yourself.?

There is no one on this planet that is going to advocate for you, like YOU will for you.?

Ask for more time off if you are not ready to go back. Take a half day or full day off to be with your baby if you are feeling down (& you do not have to tell a single person why).?

Give yourself grace. Be your biggest cheerleader.?"

Beth Marceau is a Fractional Recruiter & Talent Acquisition Strategist partnering with startups to hire culture-add team members across GTM & Engineering. If you have recruiting needs, are looking for content partnerships, or are just looking to network, then reach out to her today at [email protected]