Pregnancy discrimination question
I am working for an airline and doing operational job. I found out I am pregnant at my 7th week. My doctor gave me a docs note for my employer to do light job only as I always feel a pain in my lower abdomen and because I am in a critical situation now. No strenuous job such as running, no long standing, etc. However, my manager did not mind and told me that he cannot promise me that no stress in our work. We spoke and told me that he would let me do desk job during my pregnancy only. But until now no changes. I swapped days off with my colleague as I am not feeling well today. Still thinking about the operations coz nobody will work for my part. My manager was upset with it and telling me that last minute change is not acceptable and swapping days off. Swapping days off is normal in my workplace. The important thing is to find somebody to cover for you. then, now he told me instead of swapping, I should have taken a sick leave. I did the swapping because I was thinking of my job and the manpower for the night. Basically, I already took care of the coverage for the night. He is always torturing me emotionally and I’m stressed. He has to understand that I am pregnant and I cannot plan when I feel sick and not. If he continuously do this, can I sue him?
FYI, I always exceed the expectations in my responsibilities at work. It’s just I am pregnant now and he is giving me a hard time because he is a difficult person as I started to contradict his wrong decisions because he do not have a word. He changes and forgets what he decided a week ago.
Answer: If it is written in your company policy that it is allow to swap shifts, even at the last moment, then you were OK to do so. Is it written in you company policy that you have to take a sick day instead of have someone cover for you? I highly doubt it. This needs to be brought to the attention of HR, but good lord, document it first! Click here to learn how to document problems at work.
Here is what the EEOC says about pregnancy discrimination.
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2 Responses to Pregnancy discrimination question
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You may be protected by pregnancy discrimination laws including the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (of which the PDA is a part), FMLA and, depending on the nature of your pregnancy, the Americans with Disabilities Act. Your state may offer additional protections. I would recommend that you contact an attorney in your area that specializes in employment law. A good resource is the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), which you can find at http://www.nela.org. Best of luck.
It really depends on where you live. If you live in Canada there are laws that allow a pregnant women to ask for reasonable accommodation in the work place if your work is unsafe for your baby and does not cause undue hardship to the employer.
I know how you feel my employer made me go up on ladders and was always making very rude remarks about me being pregnant. I took her to the labour board then found another job where they refused to accommodate because I had very bad back pain from bending all day. All my employer had to do was let me work on the other side of the store where I didn’t have to bend so much. They said they couldn’t do it so I said I would go to the labour board because I wasn’t able to walk after a day at work. They immediately changed their mind.
So find out what rights you have in your area.