Woman in agony while seven months pregnant made redundant after calling in sick
Katie Cope was seven months pregnant and in extreme pain when she decided to call in sick.
The expectant mum, from Ashton in Greater Manchester, had been struggling with pelvic issues, using crutches to walk and that morning could hardly stand so phoned her boss and explained she couldn't come in to work.
All seemed fine, until she received a phone call from HR. Katie, who had just returned from the doctors, was told that unfortunately she was being made redundant.
“My first instinct was shock; I wasn’t ready for it,” she told the Manchester Evening News. “I didn’t know what was going to happen.
“Then it was panic because I didn’t know what options I had. Then it was anger and frustration that it happened. You go into survival mode.
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Katie with her son Jude (Nicola Knott)
She has now set up her own successful business“At the time, I was definitely stressed. I wanted to make sure my child was healthy.”
Katie, who was employed in the events industry at the time, had not been working for the company long when she got the call.
She knew the business was in financial difficulty but had no idea bosses were laying off staff in a bid to cut costs.
And because she’d only recently started working for the business, she was only set to receive 18 days' worth of pay.
“The HR team said it was due to a downturn in business,” Katie continued. “I hadn’t worked for the company long enough so I didn’t qualify for redundancy pay.
“I didn’t know my job was at risk. I knew the company was going through issues, but I had no conversations or consultations.
“I didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye to my colleagues – they just thought I was off sick.”
Unemployed with a baby on the way, Katie, who has one other child, knew she had to put a plan in place quickly.
She sat down with a pen and paper and wrote down all the options she had – including finding another job and starting her own business.
“It was a massive shock to the system,” she added. “My midwife was keeping an eye on me and making sure I was okay. She knew I had been made redundant.
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“I also went to Citizen’s Advice to see what my options were. They said I could take them to court but it could take me six months and I might not get the results I wanted.
Katie had just been at the doctors when she got the call to say she'd lost her job (stock image) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)“I could have gone and found another job but it was unlikely anyone would take a pregnant woman on.
“I had the other option of starting a business. Way back in school, I’d done an entrepreneurial course where you learn how to run a business and it always intrigued me.
“I thought, you know what? Let’s see what happens.”
Just five days after losing her job in April 2019, Katie launched her own company, Keppel Leopard Creative, offering graphic design services for small businesses.
The launch was a success – and incredibly, Katie made a profit in her very first year of trading.
And, after reading about the struggles women face when it comes to growing their businesses, she decided to offer her designs to female entrepreneurs only.
“At the end of the year, I was in profit which is unusual for a small business,” Katie added.
“Because quite a lot of my stuff was online and I didn’t have any costs like getting staff or an office.
“There’s definitely been some times where I’ve thought, let’s just call it a day – especially with the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and home-schooling two kids.
“But every time I have that tiny thought in my head, I think, what if you regret it?
“I didn’t think I had setting up a business in me. I am proud of myself.”
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