The working females need to know one thing straight, getting pregnant or being pregnant is not your fault and there are certain rights at the workplace that are there to protect you. If your employer has over 15 employees, then know that you are fully protected against discrimination and harassment against pregnancy at work under federal law. If you are pregnant, you have the right to work adjustments so that it can become a bit easy for you to perform your duties without having to worry about your health.
You must understand your workplace right if you are pregnant or become pregnant while you are working. Knowing these rights will not only give you peace of mind while your life transforms and the baby comes, but also gives you certain security. In this article, you will be able to know your certain workplace rights and if you feel that you have been ever stopped in any situation, you can call up a pregnancy discrimination lawyers Los Angeles and understand what they can do for you.
You cannot get fired if you are pregnant
According to the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, your employer is not allowed to fire you or discriminate against you if you are pregnant, become pregnant, was pregnant, had an abortion or considering one, and having a medical condition associated with the pregnancy. All of this means that you cannot be fired from your job or denied a promotion or raise that you deserve.
You cannot be harassed based on your pregnancy
Your employer or co-worker cannot harass you for being pregnant at any level as it is not allowed under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. If any of the harassment situations occur, you can immediately report it to your employer or the human resources department or consult pregnancy discrimination lawyers Los Angeles. When you report any kind of harassment, your employer is required to take action to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.
Maternity leaves according to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
According to FMLA, the employees are eligible to take a job-protected 12-week leave which does not require to be paid. The employer might require you to take other leaves including sick leave or short-term disability leave or paid time off etc. To be eligible for the FMLA leave, the employee must have been employed with the company for the past 12 months and should have worked for 12,50 hours during the tenure of 12 months.
Understanding the Federal rights
According to the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, an employer with over 15 employees cannot discriminate against a pregnant employee that included discrimination based on firing, hiring, pay hike, assignments, training, benefits, and promotions. An employer or the supervisor cannot prohibit a pregnant employee from, for instance, traveling to a work-related project or conference just because she is pregnant. If you are pregnant, and your manager gave you the same reason for not recommending you for promotion, then it is wrong and against the act. Your manager or employer cannot assign you a job that is less desirable to your profile. If any of this happens, it is completely illegal.
Talk to pregnancy discrimination lawyers Los Angeles
It is quite understandable that being pregnant is not an easy thing. A woman goes through a lot of changes daily including physical and emotional. But that does not mean that she is medically unfit to do her job.
If you are pregnant or to become pregnant, know that there are rights that can protect you from every kind of discrimination at the workplace. And the best way to know more about your rights is by talking to a good pregnancy discrimination lawyer who can make you understand the intricacies of it. Along with that, the lawyer will be able to help you if by chance you become a victim of discrimination and guide you through the entire process and show you the right path.
The only thing you need to remember is that you have the entire legal system by your side to protect you from all kinds of pregnancy discrimination at the workplace.
