LBmuskoka
Mother Friendly Employment
Posted on: 08/12/2011 06:06
An interesting development south of the border....
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The good news for working mothers is that ADAAA guidelines established in March by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission broaden the range of people considered by law to have a disability. For example, a woman who develops a pregnancy-related condition that prevents her from performing her job might be considered temporarily disabled and should be provided with reasonable accommodations, such as telecommuting or shorter hours.
Additionally, the workplace breastfeeding support provision within the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, states that employers shall provide reasonable, unpaid break time and a private, nonbathroom location for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year after the child’s birth. Employers with less than 50 employees are not subject to the requirement if it would cause “undue hardship,” according to the health care reform legislation signed into law in March 2010.
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The ADAAA regulations should help eliminate some of the stigmas associated with pregnancy, says Stephanie Davis, president of Employment Practices Solutions, a human resources consulting company based in Dallas. She says many women are subjected to discrimination related to pregnancy and motherhood and are treated differently.
Workforce Management (this is a subscription site so no link provided)
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I am long past having to worry about this particular workplace problem, but I am wondering if the Canadian work place has changed since the prehistoric days of my child rearing. I was rather fortunate to have a very understanding employer at the time and this was not an issue for me personally, but I know that it was a problem for others.
Modern women are squeezed between the devil and the deep blue sea, and there are no lifeboats out there in the form of public policies designed to help these women combine their roles as mothers and as workers.
Sylvia Ann Hewitt
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Comments
Dcn. Jae
Posted on: 08/12/2011 06:30
It all sounds good to me. What's the situation here in the GWN?
lastpointe
Posted on: 08/12/2011 11:33
well here you can take a year off for maternity leave so I doubt that an expressing room is in high demand.
As to getting sick leave due to pregnancy complications. It is my understanding that you are entitled to sick time or short term disability just like any other employee though I think that at 37 weeks the employer can switch that over to maternity leave.
When my girlfriend had twins in the usa 20 years ago she was given 3 weeks off work by her hospital and she used her 3 week vacation to extend that to 6 weeks. then back to work
i expect that has changed somewhat but not alot
LBmuskoka
Posted on: 08/13/2011 06:23
well here you can take a year off for maternity leave so I doubt that an expressing room is in high demand.
Ah, things have improved since my time. I was allowed six months and due to health issues one of those months was used when I was still pregnant - didn't qualify for disability benefits. So I did need an expressing room and my boss, bless him, provided his office.
Is it still EI that pays maternity benefits? I still remember waddling into an EI (back in those days it was still referred to as "unemployment insurance") office and filling out the forms.
All you new mother's really should be grateful to the invention of the internet ;-)
LB
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She never quite leaves her children at home, even when she doesn't take them along.
Margaret Culkin Banning