Expecting a child can often come with conflicting emotions. You may feel excited about being pregnant after trying to conceive, but you may also feel nervous about the adventure that motherhood will be. Though these feelings are natural, if someone in your workplace makes you feel uncomfortable about your pregnancy or insinuates that it could affect your employment, you may have even greater feelings of anxiety.
As an expectant Florida mother, understanding the employment laws that protect you in the workplace may be of great use to you. By knowing what employers are not allowed to do in terms of treating you unfairly due to your pregnancy, you may have a better chance of standing up against pregnancy discrimination.
How can you know if you have been mistreated?
Unfortunately, it is not always obvious when an employer may be treating a pregnant worker or new mother in an illegal manner. However, if you can answer yes to any of the following questions, your employer has likely violated the Pregnancy Discrimination Act:
- Did your employer try to get you to leave your job early or force you to take leave early even though you were still capable of performing your duties?
- Did your employer fire you, demote you, or deny you promotion or favorable assignments because of your pregnancy?
- Did your employer try to deny you any benefits or privileges that non-pregnant workers have?
- Did your employer assume that you could not perform your work duties because of your pregnancy despite your ability to do so?
- Did your employer attempt to keep you out of risky or potentially hazardous work conditions for the sake of your unborn child without your request or permission?
- Did your employer deny you reasonable accommodation when your pregnancy resulted in difficulties carrying out your typical work-related duties?
While this list covers a number of serious work scenarios in which your employer could discriminate against you due to your pregnancy, it is not an exhaustive list. You may face other situations in which your employer violates the law and treats you in an unfair manner due to your expectant motherhood. If you believe that this has happened during your pregnancy or even after giving birth, you may have reason to explore your legal options for addressing the situation and pursuing any compensation that may apply to your case.
