728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
Get Pregnancy Information
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Life Circumstances and Challenges During Pregnancy › Pregnancy-friendly Workplaces

Pregnancy-friendly Workplaces

From the Labor Force to the Labor Room and Beyond

By Becky Lane

Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  

What's in It for Them?

So what's in it for the employers? Why put all the extra money, time and resources into creating an environment where expectant parents and new families can thrive?

"At SAS we realized long ago that we would lose high-achieving, experienced employees if they weren't able to balance having a baby with their jobs, so we became a pregnancy-friendly workplace," Thomas says. "We've been working ever since to improve what we offer to employees – male and female – who are expecting. We find that it has a bottom-line benefit in making us an employer of choice, and helping us retain our people when they have children."

Ultimately, businesses benefit "bar none, [by having] a happier, healthier and more productive woman and team in general, hands down," Karydes says. "I'm absolutely certain that I would not have stayed at my company as long as I did (and I was very happy where I was) if it didn't have the resources available to me as a new mother. I also feel that I worked harder than I ever had after having my children because I prioritized better and was more focused at what I needed to get done within the timeframe I had (no more lolly gagging!)."

Travis agrees. "If an employer treats you well and gives you flexibility when you have new kids and your kids are young, they will go a long way toward creating long-term associates," she says. "People will stay in a job that gives them flexibility indefinitely because it allows them to create a better work-life balance. And a person that has good balance is a better associate, a better mom and a better partner to their spouse. It just works out best all around."

Pregnancy Discrimination and the Workplace

The U.S. government has legislation in place that protects a pregnant woman's rights in the workplace. Called the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, it's an amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

It says that women who are pregnant and experiencing related pregnancy conditions must be treated in the same manner as other employees with similar limitations or abilities. Health insurance policies must be the same for pregnant women as for employees who have an illness or disability. Employers must allow pregnant women the same rights for job security, benefits or seniority; vacation accruement; and more during a pregnancy-related absence (such as bed rest) as for a sick or disabled employee.

For more information, including how to file a charge of employment discrimination, visit the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Web site at www.eeoc.gov/facts/fs-preg.html.


Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  

Want to see more?

Comments

There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to add a comment.

Post As:
Enter your comment below:
Title
Comment Text
CAPTCHA
Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection.