#3

What She Said : I had been working in that company for almost two years. I did my job diligently and never gave my boss any reason to complain. When I found out I was pregnant, I was both scared and happy. I tried to hide it at first, but eventually I had to tell my boss because I needed to apply for maternity leave. Instead of showing understanding, he simply told me that my services were no longer needed. Just like that, I was dismissed. I felt shattered because I had given so much to the company, and now when I needed their support the most, they turned their back on me. I thought maternity leave was something every woman was entitled to, but in my own case, I was treated as if pregnancy was a crime.

My Side of the Story : When she first came to my office to apply, I was very clear with her. I told her directly that I have a strict rule in my company, no female staff is allowed to get pregnant until they have served at least four years. The reason is that my business relies heavily on consistency, and training new hands takes a lot of time and resources. A staff going on maternity leave disrupts everything. She heard me, she nodded, and she accepted the condition without argument. She even signed the employment agreement. Now less than two years later, she came to tell me she was pregnant and already requesting maternity leave. What did she expect me to do? Forget our agreement and allow others to break the rule as well? I did not sack her out of wickedness. I simply enforced what she already agreed to before joining.

After reading both sides, what do you think really happened? Or who do you think is right?