The U.S. is infamous for offering few federal protections and resources to pregnant workers, with paid maternity leave still up for debate. But the U.S. is making an effort to protect pregnant workers from losing their jobs — and employers need to be ready.
Under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, or PWFA, signed into law by President Biden on Dec. 29, 2022, employers with at least 15 employees will be required to provide reasonable accommodations to workers with known limitations due to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions. Starting June 27, employees can file charges of discrimination to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission if their employer fails to be compliant with the PWFA.
If employers do not want to risk fines and lawsuits this summer and beyond, they should take extra care to review the PWFA and prepare the accommodations their employees need to be productive, but comfortable, underlines Seth Turner, co-founder and chief strategy officer at AbsenseSoft, a platform for leave and accommodation management.
Read more: 4 ways to support working moms
"The EEOC is taking complaints on day one," says Turner. "There's no grace period built in, so employers have to be ready. It may seem challenging, but accommodations do allow employees to do their best work."
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