While being pregnant comes with exciting changes, that does not mean your workplace has a right to create unwarranted changes.
Washington State has statutes in place to ensure your rights while pregnant. Unfortunately, the signs of discrimination do not always come in the form of lost wages or getting fired.
1. Comments about your performance ability
Depending on your situation and job duties, you may not require special accommodations. Even if you do down the road, your employer must provide reasonable restroom breaks, allow for more sitting and limit the amount of weight you have to lift. While you do not need them, jokes about your ability to keep up the pace or not performing well may have an underlying meaning, such as setting the stage for a dismissal due to performance.
2. Questions about your condition
During pregnancy, you can expect many people to ask how you are feeling. Although normal, especially as you enter the third trimester, consistent questioning by an employer may indicate a hidden agenda.
3. Changes to your workload
After making the announcement, you likely carried on with your workload without much ado. If you have not asked for any special accommodations but suddenly notice changes to your schedule or job duties while others in a similar condition continue as usual, it may mean discrimination.
As you navigate a pregnancy, you have plenty on your plate. While you may appreciate the concern from others, too much and too often can create undue stress. Sometimes, an employer may use the situation they created to lay the groundwork for firing you.