If you have decided to expand your family, you may feel excited about your new pregnancy. At the same time, you may have concerns about how this will affect your current employment situation.
According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of a current pregnancy, past pregnancy or potential pregnancy. If you are currently pregnant, take note of any of the following signs that occur while you are at work.
Comments about keeping up with your work
Your employer may make subtle jokes or comments about your ability to keep up with your current duties and maintain your production output after you announce your pregnancy. Do not ignore these comments and pay attention if they become more prevalent or antagonistic.
Lack of reasonable accommodations
Your employer must make reasonable accommodations to help you continue to complete your job while you are pregnant. If your employer resists accommodating your needs or does not allow for them completely, this could be a sign of pregnancy discrimination in the workplace.
Sudden reduction of job duties
If your employer suddenly changes your role and takes away some of the duties previously assigned to you, this could be an indicator of discrimination. Your employer may try to argue later on that you could not complete your job as needed when either terminating you or demoting you.
Any other signs of unfair treatment while you are pregnant can be symptoms that workplace discrimination has occurred. Take note of any instances of mistreatment and take legal action to protect your interests.
