Many women are hesitant at first to approach their employer - for fear of revealing their plans to get pregnant. Pregnancy at the workplace is a touchy issue, as it may affect your work performance, and then there is the question of how to handle your maternity leave.
Rest assured, we share your concern. There is no need for us to reveal this information to your employer - so we don't. Our letter of introduction simply states that there are benefit programs of interest to you.
The Law Is On Your Side
There are federal and state laws in place to protect your rights.
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) applies to employers with 15 or more employees and requires
covered employers to treat women affected by pregnancy, childbirth,
or related medical conditions in the same manner as other applicants
or employees with temporary disabilities.
The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a leave law, and it requires covered
employers to give eligible pregnant employees unpaid leaves of up to
12 workweeks during any 12-month period. An employee can
take FMLA leave if she is unable to work because she has a serious
health condition related to her pregnancy. The FMLA regulations
state that any period of incapacity due to pregnancy, as well as
prenatal care visits, is a serious health condition.
In addition,
once the employee is able to return to work after giving birth, she
can take any remaining FMLA leave to care for her newborn child (up
to a total of 12 weeks of leave in a 12-month period).
