Protecting Pregnant Women and Their Contributions To The Workforce

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 makes it illegal to force pregnant employees to resign from their jobs. The act also makes pregnancy a disability thereby prohibiting employers from denying medical benefits to pregnant women. It forces employers to evaluate pregnant women on their performance to do the job.

If a woman goes on maternity leave, they must be guaranteed their original position upon returning. For an example, let's use the scene from the NBC hit show Friends. In this part of the episode, Rachel was already on maternity leave after giving birth to her daughter. She had two weeks left on maternity leave, and decided to pay a visit to her employer. Upon walking in to her office, she notices someone else working at her desk and working on a major project. The employee that was filling in said that if it wasn't for him, this division would have been shut down. This would be an example of an insensitive and threatening statement towards the incumbent employee. She was getting the impression that the company may be forcing her out. She decided to end her maternity leave earlier than expected to alleviate fear of losing her job. This is a very common situation that pregnant women experience on the job.

There are two alternatives when dealing with a pregnant employee. The first alternative is to utilize a temporary employee, which is hiring professionals for projects without have the obligation to keep the person once the job is done. Using temporary employees adds flexibility to your existing workforce.

When using temporary employees, the employer must make the temp aware that this position is only temporary and that the assignment will terminate at a definite date, such as when the incumbent employee returns from maternity leave. Policies should also be in place and enforced so that the temp does not alter the workspace of the incumbent employee in any way, shape, or form. Typically employees that fill in for the incumbent in this type of situation will place the incumbent's belongings into a box and shove it into the corner on the floor. You do not want to give any appearance that you are trying to squeeze out the incumbent from her job. Not only is this in violation of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, but this can also cause a hostile work environment, which is one of the two types of sexual harassment as defined by the EEOC.

The second alternative is to set up the position using telecommuting. This should be the preferred alternative. As soon as the employee announces that she is pregnant, the employer should offer her the opportunity to work from her home in a more relaxed environment. The employer and the employee should work together to set up procedures that would allow her to continue performing her job duties from her home.

The employee will be happy since she will be able to keep receiving a paycheck and will be assured on not losing her job. If this employee is one of your top performing employees, then the employer should do everything that is possible to want to keep this employee on your staff. It is best for both the employer and employee to start planning a telecommuting assignment as soon as the employee announces that she is pregnant. You would want to create a seamless transition from the traditional workplace to the alternative workplace. For the employer, it presents to the community that this company cares about its employees. It also presents that this company has a family friendly environment. The telecommuting alternative provides a win-win situation for both employer and employee.

In times of hyper-competition and employees leaving an organization for bigger and better opportunities, timing and sincerity of such activities are crucial in trying to prevent a key employee from leaving. If you are an employer who is trying to keep your good workers from leaving, then go that extra mile to show them that they are valued contributors of your organization. The benefits in the long term will surely outweigh the costs.

An Engagement Ring Won't Bring You Soup When You're Sick

Many women, including me, have been groomed for marriage from the
moment we emerged from the womb. After my daughters were born, I can't tell
you how many people told my husband, "Hey, that's two weddings you have
to pay for, Buddy."

(His response? "I'm really more concerned about paying for their
educations.")

I probably don't have to tell you that the pressure intensifies once a
girl's friends start getting married. Then, all of a sudden, every
well-meaning aunt, brother-in-law, and clerk at the 7-11 want to know when
she's going to find a man and follow suit.

What often happens next is that a nice young woman starts feeling the
heat. She gets desperate. She focuses less on what she wants out of life
and more on the size of the diamond she wants in her engagement ring.
Instead of enjoying dates and really getting to know a guy, she only
wants to know whether he's the man who'll make all her little girl dreams
come true by asking her to marry him.

Eventually, somebody shows up with a ring, and she starts auditioning
wedding bands. She obsesses over whether the hunter green tablecloth is
superior to the buttercup yellow for the reception. She plans a
honeymoon with the strategic precision of a military invasion.

But she's neglected to do the most important thing, which is to ask
herself if she really wants to spend the rest of her life with the guy in
question.

Lest you think I exaggerate, a very good friend of mine spent Saturday
night crying because her husband (the one who came with the 2-carat
diamond in a platinum setting, the college degree, the well-paying job,
and the 4-bedroom house) would not allow her to go out with the girls,
even though he knew she'd had plans to do so for five weeks. Turns out,
he didn't feel like watching their four children, even though he
regularly leaves her with them to go away for weekends with his pals.

Another friend who fell for the fairy tale and woke up in the dungeon
recently got divorced. Her husband also provided a blinding gemstone and
an excellent salary. He came from a "good family" and the right
religious background. He kept a photo of my friend on his desk at his
prestigious firm, where she was not allowed to visit because he feared she
would embarrass him (trust me, she wouldn't). He complained that her
breasts were distracting and insisted she have them surgically reduced. He
informed her that if she gained a single pound over 125, their marriage
was over.

If you think these examples are extreme, I'm sorry to say they really
aren't. Go to dinner in a family restaurant on a Friday or Saturday
night and witness all the married couples who don't even talk to each
other.

You don't want to end up like these people.

To make sure you don't, take your time when you're dating someone.
After a while, if your relationship seems to be heading somewhere, ask
questions that matter: Does the guy want children? More important, what are
his beliefs about the raising of children? Who takes care of household
chores? What are his feelings about infidelity? Does he believe
marriage is for life, or does he think it should last only as long as it's
fun?

You don't necessarily want to tie the guy to a chair and torture him
with Christina Aguilera records until he coughs up the answers, but you
do want to ask him. Casually. One question at a time. Get to know a guy
before you start fantasizing about floating up an aisle in a big white
dress.

One of the great things about being single is that your world is full
of possibilities. You're free to come and go as you please. You never
want to find yourself crying your eyes out, trapped with a pack of
screaming children because you married some loser who won't let you out of
the house.

It's your life. You deserve to spend it with a man who respects that
and makes you truly happy. He's out there, so hold out for him.