Hiring pregnant employee

Half HR

A day after a new PT employee was offered the job contingent upon background checks, she informed us she's pregnant. Any suggestions on how to handle this?

(I assume that we need to make sure that both she and the manager are aware of her rights. She won't be covered by FMLA, so if she needs to take maternity leave her job won't be guaranteed when she returns and she'll need to pay her own premiums while she's out. But there also can be no discrimination due to her pregnancy.)

Help!

Don D

You answered your own question in your parenthetical remarks. There's not much more to be said.

Cinderella

Handle what? Is the manager freaking out or something?

marc

I am not sure what kind of help you need since you answered your own question. You will need to look for temp help or to replace the job when the time comes, depending on any Washingto State Laws that may impact maternity or whether or not your company has LOA policies that she can utilize.

Half HR

I mostly just wanted to make sure I was on track with my assumptions. Thanks for the reassurance. If anyone thinks of anything more we should be doing, let me know.

Thanks,
Half HR

HR Seattle

Just a helpful hint. Washington state does have other laws that protect pregnant women in the workplace. They do not require that they be employed for any period of time to be eligible. They fall under the Maternity Disability Leave (Washington Law Against Discrimination). As long as you have 8 employees you are covered under this state requirement. It is quite extensive and is very broad in it's covereage. Check it out.

Half HR

Thanks for the info. Which law are you referring to?

I did a search and found RCW 49.78, but it defines an employee as a person employed continuously by the employer for the previous 52 weeks for at least 35 hrs/wk.

Is there another Washington law or leave act?

Thanks for your help.

-Half HR

LV

That's right. Review the Pregnancy discrimination Act.