If you have recently told your employer that you are pregnant, and notice a change in the way you are being treated, you may need to take steps to protect yourself if your employer decides to make up a reason to terminate your employment. It is discriminatory behavior to be judged for pregnancy, and employers are not allowed to fire you simply because they are afraid you may not return to work after the baby is born. Here are some steps you can take to protect your job after informing your employer you are expecting.
Ask For A Change In Roles
If your job involves tasks that are not safe for a pregnant woman to perform, and your employer threatens to terminate you because you can no longer perform your functions properly, ask if it is possible to have a temporary transfer to another department. You do not have to do acts that can harm you or your baby in order to keep your job.
Most jobs will be accommodating if asked to change duties temporarily. If you have a doctor's note explaining that you cannot continue doing the tasks while pregnant, your employer will need to make arrangements to move you to other duties in the interim.
Taking Time Off Of Work
If you need to take time off of work due to morning sickness or another pregnancy-related ailment, you may need to bring doctor's notes to your employer as proof that you are unable to continue working when you have this condition. If your take substantial time off of work, your employer may try to use this against you and terminate you for not being able to be there regularly.
Explain to your employer the intensity of your sickness if this pertains to you. You may be able to file for temporary disability or obtain time from the Family Medical Leave Act to cover the time off.
Hiring An Attorney
If you feel that you are being judged and treated badly simply because you are now pregnant, you may want to hire an employment attorney, such as Timothy P O'Brien, to take a look into the behavior your employer is displaying toward you. No one should feel that their job is threatened due to their pregnancy. If you feel you are being discriminated against due to your condition, you may need a lawyer to defend you should your employee try to fire you.
Keep records of your work times and performance records. If you are all of a sudden finding that your employer is nit-picking performance day by day, they may be trying to build a fake case against you so they do not get in trouble for firing you. If you feel something is suspicious, hire an attorney to help you decide if you should file charges against your employer.
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