Fresno employers probably know that discrimination based on pregnancy is unlawful. Unfortunately, this means that some employers who treat pregnant employees differently try to hide their violations.
With that in mind, California employees who are expecting need to be aware of some subtle warning signs that they are being victimized. Many of these signs of pregnancy discrimination are the same for other types of discrimination as well.
For example, pregnant workers should be alert if they suddenly receive additional criticism of their work. While it is certainly not wrong and is even expected for employers to evaluate their employee’s work, if what was formerly acceptable work suddenly becomes a target of criticism when an employee is pregnant, it could be an attempt to make discrimination look legitimate.
Another warning sign is when an employee suddenly gets left off email chains or out of meetings that she could attend. While it would be natural for an employee not to attend a meeting while she is expected to be on leave, it is not appropriate for an employer to reduce an otherwise healthy employee’s workload simply because she is expecting.
Unfortunately, instead of following the law, many employers may try to hide pregnancy discrimination by developing a paper trail that makes it look like they were following the law. If a Fresno employee suspects she has been discriminated against because of her pregnancy, she should consider contacting an experienced employment law attorney to determine whether she may have a case against her employer.