Pregnancy is a significant life event, but many women face workplace challenges because of their status as new mothers. Spotting the early warning signs of mistreatment is crucial in allowing you to take proper steps to protect your career.
Common signs of maternity discrimination
It is not uncommon for some employers to make assumptions about a new mother’s availability, commitment or workplace responsibilities after returning from leave. Discriminatory employers might use different tactics to mistreat or terminate female employees after their pregnancy. Signs of post-pregnancy workplace discrimination and retaliation could include:
- Being passed over for a promotion: An employee who consistently met expectations is overlooked for a promotion after returning from maternity leave, while less qualified colleagues receive that opportunity.
- Removing an employee from important projects: Reassigning major projects, clients or leadership opportunities to other colleagues without consulting the affected employee.
- Exclusion from meetings: Being left out of strategic discussions, meetings, training opportunities or networking events that were previously attended by the employee.
- Demotion: An employer reducing the new mother’s duties or authority after pregnancy leave, in the guise of helping them balance work and family responsibilities.
- Poor performance reviews: A new mother with a good performance record starts getting unexplained criticism, negative evaluations and vague allegations of poor performance.
A piece of negative feedback or a stressful shift in the office can sometimes be just a coincidence. If you suspect unfair treatment after returning from pregnancy leave, keeping detailed records of workplace events might help you understand the situation and protect your rights.
Protect your career
Being a victim of pregnancy discrimination at the workplace can be an oppressive and stressful experience. But no employee has to navigate through these challenges alone. If you are experiencing unfair treatment, seeking legal guidance early could help you understand your rights and hold employers accountable.