Meta Employee Says She Was Fired Weeks Before Maternity Leave: A pregnant employee at Meta has gone viral after revealing she was laid off just two weeks before her maternity leave was set to begin. The woman, who said she was 34 weeks pregnant, shared her experience online while seeking advice about severance pay and maternity benefits.
Viral Post Shares Her Shock Over The Decision: In her post, the employee admitted she believed her situation might protect her from layoffs. “Woohoo, 2 weeks from going on maternity leave, got laid off by Meta today,” she wrote. She later added, “I knew layoffs were a thing, but for some naive reason I thought being a person of colour, a woman, and being 34 weeks pregnant was going to offer me a little bit of protection.”
Employee Asked Internet For Advice About Benefits: The California-based employee also turned to social media for guidance regarding her pay and maternity coverage after termination. “Without telling me to hire a lawyer, does anyone know if I can collect full biweekly paychecks until my full termination date of July 22 AND collect maternity benefits starting June 1?” she asked in the now-viral post.
She Later Shared Tips For Others Facing Similar Situations: The employee later updated her message with suggestions that could help others navigate layoffs during parental leave. “Run your severance documents through Claude with your Mat Leave / Pat Leave benefits information and Due Date and ask it to help you draft an email to HR with your specific needs,” she wrote. She also noted that “California is definitely one of the better ones” for maternity protections.
Social Media Users Reacted With Mixed Emotions: The story sparked widespread discussion across platforms like LinkedIn and Reddit, where many users shared their own experiences with layoffs. One user wrote, “It’s shitty to be laid off while on mat leave. Don’t think that makes you entitled. Capitalism s*cks.” Another commented about workplace documentation and legal concerns during company layoffs.
