Pregnancy is often one of the most wonderful times in a woman’s life, but it’s also one that can mean medical appointments, possible sickness and other things that can make attending work as per your normal schedule more difficult. Once the baby is born, the woman will need to take time off to heal and may want more time off to bond with her baby.
In Florida, a woman has specific legal rights when it comes to her pregnancy. She is able to request leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, which provides employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for medical care during the pregnancy and after the birth of the baby. In some cases, an employee may also have paid time off or vacation time that they can use for time off.
Discrimination and retaliation are forbidden
In the United States, it is against the law for an employer to discriminate against a woman because she is pregnant. This is based on the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which covers pregnancy, childbirth and all related conditions.
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act also protects women by requiring covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnancy-related conditions. Leave from work is one of the accommodations that is sometimes possible under this act.
Employers are also prohibited from retaliating against employees because they are pregnant, request reasonable accommodations or take allowed leave because of their pregnancy. This means that employees must not face any negative employment actions just because of engaging in those protected activities.
Termination is possible in some cases
Termination of their employment is still possible in some cases, but those reasons can’t be dependent on any protected action. It’s still possible for the employer to terminate the employee if she broke company rules, but only if termination is the same consequence that anyone else would face if they broke the same rule. The termination can occur while she’s on leave, but the leave or pregnancy can’t be the reason.
If a woman believes that she was terminated because of her pregnancy or any protected reason, she should seek assistance to determine what options she has. These may depend on the reason for the termination and the manner in which it was handled.