Pregnancy Discrimination AttorneyIt is important to have a congenial atmosphere at work place. No organization can run successfully without them. There are so many discriminations that are prevalent at the work place, including discriminations on the age, gender, race and pregnancy of the employees. Pregnancy is a stage where the working woman might feel that she is unable to work and might ask for a pregnancy leave until the childbirth. But there are some organizations which either quit such employees or force them to quit by denying them leaves. One of the discrimination factors faced by women at the work place is the phase of their pregnancy. It is illegal to discriminate a woman employee because of her pregnancy. No woman employee should be discriminated by her employer because of her pregnancy, childbirth, or any other related medical issues. It is also against law if the employer discards an employee because she is pregnant or intends to become pregnant. According to the law, there are some rules and regulations that have to be followed by every employer towards the pregnant employee. Some of the key role includes that if the employee has been advised a less strenuous job, then the employer has to reduce her workload and give her less burdened job. An employer must provide up to four months disability leave for pregnant women. There are various reasons for which the pregnant woman needs maternity leave, including prenatal care, morning sickness, doctor-prescribed bed rest, childbirth and post-natal care. This law also states that the employee will be absorbed back on the same job position after maternity leave. The law safeguards the rights of pregnant working women who are discriminated by their employers at the work place. Therefore, the employers are ordered by the court of law to treat pregnant women as equal as other employees of the organizations. Under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), there are certain conditions which are termed as illegal on the part of the employer. These terms are: 1) The employer cannot deny hiring or firing an employee on the factor that she is pregnant or is planning to become pregnant. 2) The employer cannot discriminate against pregnant women because she is not able to deliver the equal output as other employees of the organization. 3) The employer is denying maternity leave to the employee. 4) The employer cannot discriminate against a pregnant and unmarried employee. 5) The employers should make alternate provision for such job openings where pregnancy-related absence is compensated. Therefore, the women employees should not fear or feel threatened at the hand of the employers who have denied their leave and are not cooperating at the work place. If you feel that you are undergoing discrimination because of your pregnancy, then don't feel down. Continue with your job and simultaneously make a record of your work, job reviews and performance sheet. If possible, make a grievance to the union representative or human resources department. The victim can also take help of women's' commission or civil rights group. |