EEOC Issued Fact Sheet for Small Businesses on Pregnancy

Dallas, United States, 08/03/2014 / SubmitMyPR /

Keith Clouse, a Dallas employment lawyer, highlights the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Fact Sheet for Small Businesses on pregnancy. This Fact Sheet covers the requirements of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and of the Americans with Disabilities Act as it applies to women with pregnancy-related disabilities. Unfortunately, small employers often run afoul of these laws simply because they do not understand the laws’ requirements.

Under the PDA, an employer may not harass a woman because of her pregnancy or treat a woman affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions differently than other employees or applicants. The Fact Sheet provides examples of actions that could be considered discriminatory or harassing.

The Fact Sheet next addresses an employer’s obligations under the ADA. While pregnancy itself is not a disability, an employer may not discriminate against an employee whose pregnancy-related impairment is a disability under the ADA. An employer must also provide an employee with a reasonable accommodation if the employee needs the accommodation because of a pregnancy-related disability and the accommodation would not result in significant difficulty or expense for the employer.

This article is presented by the Dallas employment lawyers at Clouse Dunn LLP. To speak to Mr. Clouse about the PDA or the ADA, send an email to [email protected] or call (214) 239-2705.