hi, i am new here. i am 18 weeks pregnant with twins. its my first pregnancy. i am in outside sales in nyc and want to continue working as long as i can. i just asked my boss if i can work from home 2 days a week and he said he needs to talk to human resources. my commute is 1 1/2 hours each way and it is exhausting. does anyone else find the commute takes a lot out of them even at 18 weeks? has anyone worked at telecommuting arrangements without taking reduced pay? thanks for any advice.
hi, i am new here. i am 18 weeks pregnant with twins. its my first pregnancy. i am in outside sales in nyc and want to continue working as long as i can. i just asked my boss if i can work from home 2 days a week and he said he needs to talk to human resources. my commute is 1 1/2 hours each way and it is exhausting. does anyone else find the commute takes a lot out of them even at 18 weeks? has anyone worked at telecommuting arrangements without taking reduced pay? thanks for any advice.
Welcome to TS! I would say that it's a long commute regardless of how far along you are. I hope your boss comes through with a reasonable compromise to working full time.
I cannot imagine that commute being anything but exhausting--pregnant or not!! I hope you figure out a solution. It seems that your request is reasonable...let's just hope your boss is! Congrats on your twins by the way! Reyna
When I was pregnant with the twins, I started working half days at about 20 weeks. I commute into Boston (about 45 min-1 hour each way) and was taking the subway. Getting out at noon time each day was helpful in the commute since then I always got a seat. My company set me up at home so that I could check in from there in the afternoons. When I came back, they allowed me to work from home 1 day a week (and I have also done so when the kids or I am sick). So yes, my company was very flexible with it. Good luck to you, I hope that your boss and hr accomodate your request.
Hi there! I have a long commute as well- an hour pluis each way- and it can definitely be draining! I am in Human Resources and have to say that I would be supportive of accomodating your position. My company is pretty flexible, but even if yours is more rigid, I'd think you'd have a great case since you're in sales and on the road most of the time anyway. Your best bet may be to present a mini business case outlining your plan, stating how your work will get done/will not be affected, and even proposing that it be a trial basis. If you're able to lay the groundwork during pregnancy and do a stellar job, you might be able to extend it out after the babies are born. If your boss doesn't budge, you can also ask your dr. to recommend a work from home situation or reduced hours but, depending on the company, that might be able to count that your FMLA time. Good luck!
Welcome to TS and congrats on your twins. I live in NYC too and my commute is about an 1.5 also. Unfortunately, my job does not allow anyone to work from home no matter what the circumstances. It is exhausting, especially as you get further along. I am now 28 weeks and find it very difficult to get to work on some days. The commute is one of the reasons my doctor gave me to stop working at 30 weeks. I know this isn't really helpful, but I do feel your pain and I think the important thing is that you listen to your body and rest as much as possible in the morning and when you get home. Good Luck!!!
thank you everyone for the supportive responses. yesterday, my boss went over my sales numbers and i guess he was pleased. he told me to work from home when i have to and we can reevaluate again in a month. i am happy with this for now!
