With September drawing to a close, many retailers have begun the process of hiring for the holiday season. This means that major retailers will be hiring thousands of temporary employees to handle the influx of merchandise and shoppers. More than just Black Friday, retailers depend on the holiday season to shore up their balance books. With that, they need additional employees to achieve their goals.
For many people, taking on a part-time job with a retailer for the holiday season can mean extra presents and a financial cushion to start off the next year. However many potential employees are pregnant and fear that employers will refuse to hire them. While this may be true, employees who are expecting should know that they have rights when they accept a job offer.
As such, this post will focus on a couple of things pregnant employees and job seekers should know about.
Know the size of your company – Knowing the size of your company can help you understand whether federal anti-pregnancy discrimination laws may apply. These laws apply to companies that have 50 or more employees. So chances are that the employer you work for will be covered under these laws.
Don’t be afraid to ask for time off – Part of going through a pregnancy involves dealing with the nausea, aches and pains. Also, you will likely need time to attend prenatal appointments. Because of this, it is important to speak up about your need for time off, and you should not be afraid of being fired because of it.
If you have additional questions about your rights as a pregnant employee, an experienced employment law attorney can help.