New ask Hacker News story: Ask HN: Is This Legal?
Ask HN: Is This Legal?
4 by positive_dfnite | 3 comments on Hacker News.
Short version: I was let go from a startup after I made some requests to accommodate my pregnancy. Long Version: I was recently let go from a startup, just 9 days before my stock options were set to vest. I will not name the company here. It's a US based company and I was employed as a Massachusetts-based employee. For the past few months, I had been working from overseas for the company, with the permission of my manager. My skip level was also made aware of this decision. I had actually gotten a verbal consent from my manager to do this even before signing the offer letter. The plan had been to get back to the US in mid-May. My skip level was also aware of this. However, during my stay overseas, I learnt that I was pregnant. I informed my manager about the pregnancy as soon as there was heartbeat detected and the doctor confirmed that it was a viable pregnancy. The flight back to the US is a long one, over 12+hrs, and hence I was medically advised to avoid air travel during the first trimester. I made requests to my manager to make some accommodations: either to allow me to work from overseas for a bit longer than mid-May, which was the previously agreed date for my return to the US, or to be put on unpaid leave until I was able to fly back. After consulting with my doctor, I informed my manager and the skip level that the earliest I can get back is July 10th and that I was okay with being on unpaid leave till then. Throughout this process, I was never informed that my inability to get back to the US would lead to my immediate dismissal. But during the meeting in which I was let go, the skip level made it sound like having me overseas was not permissible. This was an absolute shock to me. As I stated earlier, I had been working from overseas, with their knowledge and permission. My employment is terminated now, just 9 days before my stock options were set to vest and I won't be receiving any stock options. I had also initiated a conversation with HR to plan for maternity leave, around my due date, which is in November. Since I am terminated now, I won't be getting any of the maternity leave benefits either. This is not a restructuring or downsizing because I was the only person from the company to be laid off, as far as I know. About me: I am a Machine Learning Engineer, with over 8 years of experience. Both my manager and skip level have explicitly stated that they consider me to be an employee in good standing and my performance has been satisfactory. I am fairly certain that my team members can also vouch for my work performance. Has anyone dealt with something like this in the past? Can someone help me with resources for legal guidance or advice?
4 by positive_dfnite | 3 comments on Hacker News.
Short version: I was let go from a startup after I made some requests to accommodate my pregnancy. Long Version: I was recently let go from a startup, just 9 days before my stock options were set to vest. I will not name the company here. It's a US based company and I was employed as a Massachusetts-based employee. For the past few months, I had been working from overseas for the company, with the permission of my manager. My skip level was also made aware of this decision. I had actually gotten a verbal consent from my manager to do this even before signing the offer letter. The plan had been to get back to the US in mid-May. My skip level was also aware of this. However, during my stay overseas, I learnt that I was pregnant. I informed my manager about the pregnancy as soon as there was heartbeat detected and the doctor confirmed that it was a viable pregnancy. The flight back to the US is a long one, over 12+hrs, and hence I was medically advised to avoid air travel during the first trimester. I made requests to my manager to make some accommodations: either to allow me to work from overseas for a bit longer than mid-May, which was the previously agreed date for my return to the US, or to be put on unpaid leave until I was able to fly back. After consulting with my doctor, I informed my manager and the skip level that the earliest I can get back is July 10th and that I was okay with being on unpaid leave till then. Throughout this process, I was never informed that my inability to get back to the US would lead to my immediate dismissal. But during the meeting in which I was let go, the skip level made it sound like having me overseas was not permissible. This was an absolute shock to me. As I stated earlier, I had been working from overseas, with their knowledge and permission. My employment is terminated now, just 9 days before my stock options were set to vest and I won't be receiving any stock options. I had also initiated a conversation with HR to plan for maternity leave, around my due date, which is in November. Since I am terminated now, I won't be getting any of the maternity leave benefits either. This is not a restructuring or downsizing because I was the only person from the company to be laid off, as far as I know. About me: I am a Machine Learning Engineer, with over 8 years of experience. Both my manager and skip level have explicitly stated that they consider me to be an employee in good standing and my performance has been satisfactory. I am fairly certain that my team members can also vouch for my work performance. Has anyone dealt with something like this in the past? Can someone help me with resources for legal guidance or advice?
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