Legal Protection For Workers

  1. Home
  2.  » 
  3. Pregnancy Discrimination
  4.  » Your rights as a pregnant worker

Your rights as a pregnant worker

On Behalf of | Feb 13, 2023 | Pregnancy Discrimination

Pregnancy can interfere with a lot of aspects of your life including your job. Between medical appointments, bodily changes and general pregnancy-related needs, it is less likely that you can continue to work at full capacity.

Knowing your rights can help you protect yourself against discrimination. Regardless of your condition, you deserve fair and equal treatment at your job.

What discrimination looks like

Overworking yourself while pregnant could cause health-related complications that jeopardize the safety and well-being of yourself and your unborn child. Working for someone who refuses to accommodate your needs equates to discrimination.

An employer who refuses to give you longer or more frequent breaks, for example, is a big red flag. Other signs of discrimination include refusing to promote you because of your pregnancy, not allowing you to take time off for medical appointments and denying you permission to modify your responsibilities.

Your response to discrimination

You have protections under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, if you are pregnant, your employer should provide medical benefits, allow you maternity leave and modify your responsibilities to prevent strain and stress.

If you suffer discrimination in the workplace, it could interfere with your pregnancy and your career. At any sign of mistreatment, you should contact the human resource department and request an investigation. Keep records of all of your experiences and all of your communication for your protection. If your employer refuses to take action, you should seek assistance from someone in authority.

Categories

Archives

RSS Feed