Women get fired just after their maternity leave or face maternity-related issues. While this is not what every woman experience when returning to work as a new mother, it might not be a surprise to some. Many things can change around the organization while you are away. Also, the changes in treatment as a new mother that you expect to get in the workplace might be so subtle that you cannot just speak out.
This doesn’t mean that the treatment is valid. The discrimination that new mothers face in the workplace is so serious that it can lead to demotion or redundancy. Knowing your rights as a new mother can help you through that phase. One of the first and best options a mother can take in case of workplace discrimination is speaking to a lawyer for employment.
Below are some of the rights that new mums have at work:
Rights of New Mothers in the Workplace
The law states that new mothers returning to work should be protected against discrimination. Here are important rights.
Non-Discrimination and Employment Protection
A woman’s employment should be protected during the pregnancy period, maternity leave, and when returning to work. Also, maternity should not be, under any circumstance, a source of employment discrimination.
As a new mother, you have the right to go back to work in an equivalent position or the same position paid at the same initial rate after your maternity leave. In case of any change in working position due to your pregnancy or being a new mother, you should get legal advice since you might have a case.
Maternity was given explicitly as prohibited grounds to discriminate against a woman. This means that any burden of trying to prove the reason for firing or dismissal unrelated to childbirth, nursing, or pregnancy, shall fall on the employer. It is not right for a woman to be treated less favorably by the employer or co-workers due to her reproductive function.
Health Protection
A workplace should be one of the safest places for all workers, women, and men, at all stages of life. It is important to have gender-specific interventions, especially for breastfeeding and pregnant workers. Also, protective measures need to be restricted not based on stereotypes of the professional roles and ability a woman has in society but on maternity.
New mothers should not be subjected to perform duties that are unhealthy, harmful, or hazardous to their health and that of their newborn child. Therefore, ask for a risk assessment to protect yours and your child’s health. It is important to agree on the working hours that favor your mental and physical health to take care of your newborn (it is your right).
Childcare and Breastfeeding Arrangement in the Workplace
Breastfeeding is an important activity for the mother and the newborn. Therefore, the mother’s overall health should be protected, particularly where water can be unsafe (it will pose a great risk to the baby).
Supporting breastfeeding in the workplace is an integral part of maternity protection measures that could facilitate the health of the mother and baby. New mothers need assistance in their breastfeeding program even after returning to work.