Is it time, or sour boss?
I've been with my current company going on 2 years. During the interview, I was told by my boss - also a working mom - that the position was salaried and had flexible working arrangements if a child was sick or school was closed to where I could work from home. I've taken advantage of that offer twice the whole almost 2 years I've work there: I've shown up to work sick myself, drug myself in when my boss demanded I show up to a team meeting while still COVID contagious, found babysitters when school was closed, etc.
The two times I could not was both when my own child was sick and was told to stay away from school for 48 hours. Those two times were the only times I called in prior to yesterday.
Recently, I found out I was pregnant. I have worked through morning sickness/all day nausea, I work on days where I have doctor's appointments and labs, only to leave for the appointment and come right back to the workplace.
I had to call out for one day this week because school is closed due to the ice storm. It doesn't help that I love over an hour one way from the location of work. I didn't think it was a big deal since I rarely call out. But yesterday afternoon, I was pulled into a phone call with my boss who said for the whole year of 2026 I am being given only 4 more PTO days. I'm a bit shocked given that, again, this isn't a track record for me and this wasn't mentioned before. I'm set to give birth in August and I'll be back around Nov-Dec '26. I just don't see how that is realistic with a newborn coming who'll be going into daycare for me to go back to work to only be granted four PTO days. I recall my first born being sick the whole first year of daycare - and that company I worked for at the time I had accrued 5 weeks vacation and two or three weeks sick time.
Is this unrealistic for me to be surprised by this? Should I start looking elsewhere once baby comes?
Posted Jan 27, 2026, 11:33 AM UTC