Sarah Brazier on LinkedIn
The story:
After Gong, I took some time to decide what I wanted to do. Sales transformed my life, and I knew I wanted to find an opportunity that would set me up for another 5+ year run selling at an amazing company.
I had a very specific check list of what I wanted, and finally, with some elbow grease, found that organization. It checked every box. I multi-threaded my way through their business, spent hours refining my final presentation, and, when I got the call immediately following my final round interview offering me a job, was ecstatic.
The hiring manager told me he was beyond impressed with what I’d presented. Said I was the best final round interview to date. Wanted to get me in next week, if possible. I said, “Great – sounds amazing, let’s figure out how to make this happen.”
Over the next few days, We agreed to a start date. We agreed to an OTE. We agreed to a signing bonus. We agreed to stock options.
One thing we did was schedule a call to speak with the recruiter around company benefits, and any additional questions I might have. And I did have questions. Because what I hadn’t mentioned to anyone for fear of jeopardizing the opportunity was that I was a lil’ bitty bit pregnant.
When I chatted with the recruiter next, I asked, casually, what their maternity leave policy was.
Two days later, I received a voicemail from the hiring manager. “The company is rescinding your offer,” followed by an email, “Hi Sarah, Just tried to get a hold of you live and left you a voicemail. Iām following up with an email to advise that the Company has decided to rescind its verbal offer of employment given on March 8th, 2024 and that offer is no longer open for acceptance. We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. Best,” and yes, that is a copy + paste of the email, and yes, they really did refer to their company as “the Company.” And no, I wasn’t applying to work for the CIA.
When I asked multiple people why, I was given the runaround. No one had a reason, just a, “Oh, sorry about that. I’ll get back to you.” When I shared with my inner circle what happened, they all came to the same conclusion: “It’s because you asked about maternity leave. They know.”
I talked to a lawyer. He thought I had a case, but the effort, the likelihood of winning, and the sheer hurt I was experiencing made me ultimately say, “no.” I was crushed. It was so unjust. So unfair. A whiff of pregnancy had made me “unfit” to sell.
Welcome, Sarah, to the world of corporate 2024, where employees are assets, not humans. Ah, and good luck with Dimmo! You did the right thing! Way to go, girl!!