Pregnant Women in the Workplace
Posted by Spaycial on July 27, 2009
With sexual discrimination and harassment being such big issues, there is a lot of concern with how pregnant women are treated in the workplace.
Therre are certain things that are okay, and other things that aren’t. Often there is a fine line between the two, and as the manager or business owner, you will need to tread very carefully in order to ensure that you don’t make a fatal misstep.
For instance, there is a fine line between telling a pregnant woman that she can’t have excessive time off, and not letting her have time off at all. But how do you know the difference? Well, it’s reasonable for her to need time off for her prenatal care appointments, but not so reasonable if she’s calling in sick every day. Morning sickness is a real problem for many women, but if she’s getting so sick that she can’t do her job at all anymore, it is perfectly reasonable for you to talk to her about it.
Likewise, pregnant women can be expected to stick to the dress code, but you shouldn’t expect a pregnant employee not to show at all. In a business casual environment, a tasteful maternity skirt or maternity dress is perfectly acceptable and respectful.
Walking that line between what’s appropriate and what isn’t can be very difficult, so if you have any doubts, be sure to consult a lawyer. It’s better to pay the lawyer’s fee and be sure, than to inadvertently make a mistake and pay for a lawsuit instead.