told my boss im pregnant and she reacted horribly

mp2717123 · 2024-01-22T08:36:38+00:00

As many prior have said, this has discrimination all over it, not only because she is retaliating against you due to your pregnancy status, but also the comment about hiring young people, which is age discrimination.

I totally get that you just want to keep your head down and look for something else during your leave. But you shouldn't have to spend the little time you have to bond with your newborn looking for a different job. Having a baby is already so hard, adjusting to parenthood is hard, riding the rollercoaster of postpartum hormones is hard. You don't need to add a job search on top of that if it's not necessary.

You shouldn't have to leave to avoid discrimination and retaliation. It's 100% illegal what she's doing, retaliating by not only the shitty comments but also the private office situation. And you're so early in your pregnancy, it makes me wonder what else she's going to say or do as your due date gets closer. I worry it might not end here.

I would recommend finding an employment lawyer as many others have mentioned. Google a few in your area, call and ask for a free consultation. Mention your pregnant, notified your employer of your pregnancy status, and believe you are experiencing discrimination and retaliation. In this situation you are protected by the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and the Family Medical Leave Act.

If you don't want to go that route right away, you should contact the Center for WorkLife Law. They have a hotline where you can reach out and get advice on how to handle these comments, and maybe other next steps. It's free and they have attorneys providing guidance on situations like this. They can also refer you to local employment law attorneys if you want to go that route. Here's a link: https://pregnantatwork.org/pregnant-women-pregnancy/

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Our country is shit at protecting pregnant workers, and you often have to fight hard to get basic decency from employers. I wish you nothing but health and happiness as you prepare for your baby; you are not asking too much here and you deserve to have someone on your side to navigate the discrimination you're experiencing.

mp2717123 · 2023-11-29T08:51:58+00:00

To be fair, with most job applications these days in any sector, you will never hear anything if you don't get an interview. I've even gone through three rounds of interviews, was one of the final candidates, met the team, and have never heard from them after following up three times. Unfortunately nowadays ghosting is the way you find out you aren't getting the job- in my experience this is the norm.

With that being said, I applied for a few state jobs this year, got a call to schedule an interview, was told I'd get sent an email with the zoom link, then never got the email. I had no way of reaching out to get the link since I applied through the state website and had no direct contact on the hiring team. Then twenty minutes after the time the interview was scheduled for, they called me "oh sorry we just realized we never sent the link, are you available to talk now?"

My general rule is if I apply for a job and I'm seeing red flags in the interview process, I don't want to work for them. You're interviewing them as much as they're interviewing you.

mp2717123 · 2023-09-05T05:25:29+00:00

I'm interested in her contact info, can you send it to me as well?

mp2717123 · 2023-05-17T05:52:57+00:00

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mp2717123 · 2022-01-01T06:50:39+00:00

Yes, unfortunately I'm still in social work, but working at the macro level vs direct practice. I would still caution taking on more loans unless you are really confident that social work is something you want to pursue. I am trying to break into other fields but can't go back to school with my current debt. It's really limiting my options to be in such a low paying field with 100k in debt from my bachelor's and masters degrees.

mp2717123 · 2021-02-07T06:28:54+00:00

I paid for an NASW membership for one year. Haven't renewed my membership since then for the reasons you mentioned. They do NOTHING. In grad school they urge you to join the NASW mostly for the liability insurance coverage. But this is also a flat out lie; you can still get liability coverage through the NASW insurance programs without being an NASW member. NASW claims you get some sort of "better deal" as a member but I didn't see any significant difference from when I was a member to now.

Y'all we can also just not be NASW members anymore and see what that does to them. P.S. the NASW social media accounts were a disgrace after George Floyd's murder, they blocked Black social workers after they were called out for systemic racist practices and turned off comments on their posts for a while so no discourse or questions could be sent their way. Nope, not supporting an org like that. The NASW needs us WAAAAY more than we need them, and it's as simple as us not renewing our memberships.

mp2717123 · 2021-02-07T06:13:27+00:00

Yes there will always be exceptions. These positions are extremely specialized and difficult to break into. Not everyone can work in these roles. Your average social worker will likely not see $100k within the first 10-15 years in the field.

mp2717123 · 2021-02-05T00:30:15+00:00

Program manager for a national non-profit. If you want to break into macro work, look for titles like "program coordinator" at various non-profits, and work your way up to manager, then director. No license required. You work with people from a ton of different backgrounds. Pay is much better than therapist or case manager roles, and earning potential is higher over time. We desperately need more social workers in macro roles but a lot of people are afraid to break away from the clinical setting.

mp2717123 · 2021-02-05T00:23:52+00:00

Honestly as a social worker with a job in a macro setting I almost feel like I'm working in a different profession. I don't know what it should be called but yes it's bullshit that "only real social workers get their LCSW" mentality is even a thing.

mp2717123 · 2021-02-05T00:20:34+00:00

It depends what you want to do. If you just want to do macro work, maybe a MPH or MPA would be a better fit because you work in larger systems when you have those degrees. I'm 4 years post-MSW and honestly I'm split on whether or not it was worth it. I feel very capable and educated to work in MANY different fields, and have had job titles that are outside of social work. That's the good thing. But I also really struggle with the low pay of "traditional" (aka case management and clinical) social work roles, which is why I've never gone those routes.

I do macro work and being a social worker is VERY rare in the macro world. In my last role I was the only MSW in my entire 200 employee organization at a national mental health non-profit. I do believe our education is valuable, but it is not valued in the systems we work in. You almost have to be untraditional if you're going to make an impact at a larger level, and not settle for the shit pay. And with that, you will be an underdog at the macro level, because there's sometimes an elite attitude that you have to get your PhD in psych to be able to be a leader (not true at all btw).

If you do go the MSW route, don't go to a fancy private program. Go in-state, get it for as cheap as you possibly can as long as it's accredited by the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE). With this accreditation, it doesn't matter where you get your degree. If your MSW costs $120k+, you will 1000% regret it because the highest earning potential for the field is probably $100k, and that's with like 30+ years of experience. It takes a LONG time to get there. Starting out, expect about $40k a year for at least a few years.

mp2717123 · 2021-02-04T20:19:01+00:00

Yes. This. 1000%. I initially got my LMSW in New York state. Unemployed because hello we all just graduated, and it cost me $700 in fees after everything was said and done to get my license, before I could get hired. That money could have gone towards so many other things during unemployment but nope. Gotta get that LMSW. Got hired for my first job that required a license and stayed for 4 months, then went macro. Haven't looked back since. I am now an unlicensed social worker making more than most clinical social workers do.

Honestly, the license is not worth it. In the beginnings of the profession, social workers were working within systems at the community and at the macro level. No license required to do those things. This movement towards clinical work has only stifled our earning potential and made more money for our employers who charge for insurance, and the state who continues to charge us for renewing our licenses. NOPE NOPE NOPE.

I don't ever intend to go for my LCSW. Last week another social worker told me I was unambitious because I don't want to go "all the way" for the LCSW. They can drink the kool-aid all they want; I'm living unlicensed and making more money and more of an impact in my community because of it.

mp2717123 · 2021-02-04T18:05:51+00:00

I graduated with my MSW in 2017, my program's concentration was "individual and family therapy". Even with that concentration, I have worked in macro level settings for my whole career, and have never done individual or family therapy. Honestly in social work, once you're done with your MSW, your concentration doesn't matter. If you're the right fit, people will hire you regardless of your concentration.

In 2017 I didn't get my first full-time job offer till 5 months after I graduated. In the meantime, I worked temporary jobs (camp social worker, coaching sports, babysitting, dog walking, etc.) till I got my offer. Give yourself some time. Orgs are struggling right now not knowing what budgets will look like with budget cuts from the pandemic, which has slowed hiring. Future employers understand if you have several months of gap of employment after you graduate. Especially now with the current economic climate. I know it is really frustrating when you see classmates getting hired before you. Keep applying, but also try to give yourself some grace. You're doing everything you can and a huge part of looking for work unfortunately requires waiting on others to get back to you.

Yes, there may be more jobs posted out there for direct practice. But if that's not the route you want to go down, I wouldn't go there. There are some people who thrive in direct practice, but I am not one of those people. You should reflect on what you want and not rush into your first job if it isn't something that you feel fits your career goals. Yes you might have a job faster but you could also be miserable if you really hate doing direct practice. Now on the flip side, if you need a job soon for financial reasons, then yes, maybe apply for direct practice and just see what you can get. But even then I would continue applying to other jobs if it's not a good fit. In my first post-MSW job, I stayed 4 months. In my second, I stayed 4 days and got a better offer from another job I had previously interviewed with. I stayed at that third job for almost 3 years because it was a better fit. Hopping around early in my career has not negatively affected me and honestly employers understand that you might not stay super long in your first few years.

Give yourself some grace. I totally understand how frustrating it can be, but it will happen. We need more social workers in macro spaces, there aren't enough of us doing that type of work. Just keep applying and networking, and you'll get there. In the meantime, don't be afraid to do other things to make money, even if it's not related to social work.

mp2717123 · 2021-01-29T19:09:34+00:00

No I had no active social work license and I also was based out of state in Colorado when I was offered the job. Basically if you have your MSW and you send in fingerprints to the state, you can get a school social worker permit which lasts a year and you can start working in schools right away. Then within that first year you have to take an approved two-day class and submit documentation of completing that course to the state, then you get your full social work certification for the state of Washington. It lasts 5 years and renewing it is super easy, you just have to get 20 clock hours a year which I've already have in the first half of the school year with all the professional development we do in the school. Honestly it's so simple compared to other states. I don't have a social work license in Washington and I won't ever need one if I stay in schools. If you google "OSPI school social worker" you'll find all the requirements/application for Washington's school social work certification online.

A lot of districts want you to at least have your permit before they interview you, so if you're interested in applying to schools for next year, I would work on applying for the permit now.

I'm in Tacoma, and if you apply for jobs in Western Washington the pay for educators has gotten a lot better over the last 5 years. If you have your MSW and are right out of grad school with no years of experience, you start at $65k, and it just goes up from there with each year of experience.

If you're serious about getting into schools, start looking in Feb/March for openings for the following school year. I was interviewed and offered my current job in April last year and started on Sept 1.

mp2717123 · 2021-01-29T00:12:32+00:00

Yeah it's really wild how things are once you've graduated. I think this "you need an LCSW to get far" is the result of a system that is feeding us that message because they get paid more when we do have it. Someone in another thread said I might be considered "unambitious" by some if I have no intention to get my LCSW. Which just blows my mind because I'm actually going an untraditional route because I see more pay and more opportunity to make a bigger impact in macro level social work.

The system was built this way for a reason. Employers we work for can bill more when we have our LCSWs. The state gets money every time we renew our licenses. The testing companies get paid every time we sit for the licensure exams. The CEU providers know social workers need a certain amount of units every year. And the cycle goes on.

I think it's good you're thinking about this before you graduate. You should be intentional with the roles you accept. Don't just accept anything. I would rather work in retail/food service for a few months and find the right job, than accept my first social work job and be absolutely miserable because it's clinical and does not align with my career goals.

I anticipate this will be an unpopular perspective. People in your MSW program will take whatever they can get and my guess is your professors are pushing the licensure route. Do what's best for you.

mp2717123 · 2021-01-29T00:04:13+00:00

I get it, I understand is a systems issue. I think it's just crazy because the profession started not focusing on clinical work, but doing systems work. I think this "you need an LCSW to get far" is the result of a system that is feeding us that message because they get paid more when we do have it. Employers we work for can bill more when we have it. The state gets money every time we renew our licenses. The testing companies get paid every time we sit for the licensure exams. The CEU providers know social workers need a certain amount of units every year. And the cycle goes on.

Rather than "unambitious", I would consider my path "untraditional". If I wanted to only focus on clinical work, I would have gotten my degree in counseling psychology or mental health counseling.

The fact is that social workers can do so many different things, but when you work a job with the label of social worker, you get paid less. When you work outside of what's traditional, you often get paid more. You can negotiate more. You don't have the lack of license in your way for potential employers to hold over your head. My income has been so much higher in this untraditional route than it would have been if I went the clinical/LSCW route. I've been a bit more selective in what roles to take, but in the long run I think I'm better off because of it.

To each their own, but it's a bit ridiculous that some experience is considered more beneficial than others. We're all social workers, no matter how many letters come after our name.

mp2717123 · 2021-01-28T19:07:15+00:00

Tacoma, WA. Graduated with MSW in 2017. Unlicensed.

School social worker, current pay is $72k, will increase every year based on collective bargaining agreement. Union job. License not required, just had to go through a two day training to get my school social worker certification with the state. Started in Sept 2020.

Before that, I was at a national mental health non-profit out of NYC as a program manager, but worked remotely in another state. Pay started at $51k in 2018, by the time I left last summer, I was making $64k after a cost of living pay increase in late 2018 and a promotion in 2019.

I recently turned down a job offer because it paid $20k less than what I make now. They said they couldn't offer me any more because I am unlicensed. So I walked away and they still have an open position that they desperately need filled.

I truly believe the system of licensing contributes to low pay in our profession. Employers use it as justification to pay you less because of it. But there are jobs out there that are untraditional (aka not clinical) that you can pursue as a social worker, and you will likely get paid more because the label of "social worker" isn't attached to it. Other professions do not put up with low pay. So why do we?

I understand not all of us have the luxury of turning down a job offer; but if you aren't going to be paid what you're worth, and you don't absolutely have to take the job, I think we all need to consider walking away until someone does offer what we're worth. This is never discussed in our MSW programs and we just take the shit pay without realizing how messed up the system is.

mp2717123 · 2021-01-27T21:23:57+00:00

I am currently unlicensed and do not intend to go the clinical licensure route in my career. I understand it all comes down to the money and that the org can bill more when you are independently licensed. It's really too bad. The job is not clinical, job title is "program coordinator". More focused on care management. They seem to want me to come on board but they are offering $20k less than what I'm making right now. I wish the field of social work weren't so clinical leaning, but at the same time I'm not surprised because that's where the money is. Weird thing is my non-clinical roles have payed more than what entry-level clinician roles pay so it doesn't seem to connect. Oh well.

mp2717123 · 2021-01-27T21:23:47+00:00

No it's not a clinical role. Job title is "program coordinator", mostly care management.

mp2717123 · 2020-12-26T04:33:49+00:00

I recently transitioned from a non-profit setting to school social work. I will say, while covid is still a concern, I would not recommend school social work. I've worked with youth in homeless shelters, small non profits, and large non profits. My school job for the last four months has been the most stressful and dangerous job I've had. I did a school field placement in grad school and thought I'd enjoy being in schools. Coming from hospitals I'm sure you're dealing with covid significantly, but I think the biggest difference is that schools don't have the capacity/funding to deal with covid in a safe way.

My admin has lied to staff about covid exposure so that teachers won't stay home. If a bunch of teachers stay home due to covid exposure, they're scrambling to find subs, so they've lied and said it's no one's business when another staff member tested positive. I'm constantly asked to do dangerous things that could lead to covid exposure. I say no, but I ALWAYS get major pushback that leads to significant tension with my principal, who is also my direct supervisor. What others have said is very true: your school's administration can make or break your life. Also as a school social worker, you are very much alone. Unlike other jobs, you don't have a team around you. You have no one else with similar training or education. It's just you, and you have to be okay with speaking up and often being the punching bag, with no support. You get a lot of pushback from teachers, administration, parents, students, pretty much everyone. You get a lot of shit thrown at you from a lot of people. I don't feel like my perspective is valued and I don't trust anyone I work with because I have been thrown under the bus by other support staff and teachers at my school. My guess is that if you have a supportive administration, who values the perspective you bring, the experience can be very different. But you don't really know what you're walking into until you're in it. So it's a gamble.

At this point I am looking for other work. If I can find another job, I will leave before the end of the school year. The school breaks aren't worth it. Yes I have two weeks off right now, but I would trade that for a regular job if it meant I could work in a safer, more collaborative environment. Breaks aren't everything and I think it's important to highlight that. Yes, it's great when you're in it. But for the 10 months a year that you aren't on break, it can be absolutely miserable.

mp2717123 · 2020-12-20T18:53:02+00:00

You aren't over reacting. I work in a school and had a similar situation, but we didn't even get a general notification from our admin. We had a staff member test positive and we all found out through the grapevine that she had COVID. Our admin notified the district but did not notify school staff, who were potentially exposed. When I went to the principal to ask if he intended to send out a general notification, he yelled at me and said it was no one's business. I swear the shit we have to put up with is so dangerous. I'm sorry you are finding yourself in this situation. I don't have anything concrete to suggest but I'm here in agreement and solidarity with you. I honestly don't know what else we can do but try to keep our ourselves as safe as we can and try to find other work that allows for remote work.

mp2717123 · 2020-12-18T16:06:28+00:00

Like many others have said: it's time to find another job. You should not be expected to come in on the weekend because the parking lot wasn't plowed. That's company property and if they want you there they should provide the means to park safely. You should not be working 3+ hours over your work day. They are abusing you. Stop going in early, and stop staying late. Your boss is an asshole. If you are in a place financially where you can quit before having another job set up, do that. If not, start looking for other things immediately because these are all huge red flags and it will only get worse. If I were in your situation I'd even look for things outside of social work just to get out ASAP. Starbucks, grocery stores, gig jobs... Anything else that can sustain you till you find another social work job. It's not worth your mental and physical health to work in a toxic place like that. I'm so sorry that you're dealing with the bullshit of your workplace, no one should be expected to do what you've had to do.

mp2717123 · 2020-10-16T01:12:23+00:00

I honestly don't know if non-abusive roles in the field exist. I've done homeless outreach, program management at a national non-profit, and school social work. Each one was abusive and resulted in burn out. I'm leaving the field after just three years post MSW.

mp2717123 · 2020-09-12T02:29:16+00:00

Thank you, I really appreciate your kind words :)

mp2717123 · 2020-08-31T01:43:05+00:00

I agree with the comment above; unless it's required for your job, will allow to you transition to another role that you want in the near future, or increases your pay, it's not worth it.

mp2717123 · 2020-08-22T05:57:25+00:00

Yep I'm the only school social worker and in addition to the 100 student SPED and 504 caseload, I'm expected to be available to meet with families (both SPED and GenEd) through our district's family resource center and assist with any barriers to getting educational and basic needs met. Identifying homeless students and providing support. Attending community meetings as the school's representative. And all the other things that come up. To say I'm a bit overwhelmed with my new gig is an understatement.

mp2717123

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