No, it isn’t. Continue reading
Articles Posted in Pregnancy
Here’s something you might not have known about the new federal pregnancy accommodation law.
Yesterday, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency tasked with enforcing the new Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), released proposed regulations for public comments. 275 pages of them.
But I only needed the first eight or so to realize that the PWFA, which requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to a worker’s known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, has a few pitfalls for unwary employers. Continue reading
400,000 reasons not to have this pregnancy policy in your workplace
Yesterday, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced (here) that an employer will fork over $400,000, split among 11 women, stemming from a written policy that violates both the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Continue reading
This employee apparently doesn’t understand how pregnancy discrimination works
I won’t bury the lede. Here’s the takeaway from this post. If an employer doesn’t know that an employee is pregnant, it can’t possibly discriminate against her because she is pregnant. Continue reading
Protections for pregnant workers and new moms are coming as part of new federal government funding
Last week, while many of you were in your offices with the doors closed, pretending to work before the holiday break, the Senate and House passed an omnibus spending package incorporating two separate pieces of legislation to protect pregnant workers and new moms. Continue reading
If you’re new to HR, check out this new EEOC pregnancy and pregnancy-related disability discrimination resource

Credit: Office of Commissioner Andrea R. Lucas
Late last week, as I enjoyed the FisherBroyles partner retreat (responsibly-ish) in Nashville, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released a new resource on pregnancy discrimination.
Spoiler alert: The Dallas Cowboys won’t make the playoffs this season resource doesn’t contain any game-changing new information about pregnancy and pregnancy-related disability discrimination. However, as the title of this post indicates, the EEOC has provided an excellent primer for less experienced HR professionals and those who could use a little refresher on the basics. Continue reading
I’ve got free educational resources for new mothers in the workplace (and their employers)
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a series of August events highlighting the importance of maternal health and workplace protections for expectant and new mothers to mark National Breastfeeding Month. Continue reading
Is it legal to fire someone for getting an abortion?
Yesterday, we covered whether the Family and Medical Leave Act allows women who have an abortion to obtain leave for a serious health condition.
Today, we’ll talk about the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), which amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit employers from taking adverse employment actions “because of or on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.” Continue reading
Now, the CDC strongly recommends urgent action to vaccinate pregnant women. But, what about accommodations?

pregnant woman by Adrien Coquet from the Noun Project
Days Since Last COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Post: One Zero. Continue reading