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Pregnancy-friendly Workplaces

From the Labor Force to the Labor Room and Beyond

By Becky Lane

Some companies are not as 21st-century as others when it comes to considering the needs of expectant parents. If your employer does not already have pregnancy-friendly policies in place, there are some things you can do.

"I would research what other companies are doing in their city and cities comparable to your city and develop some ideas to present to the Human Resources department or your manager," Karydes says. "Most companies want to be competitive and attract top talent and would welcome suggestions. It might be that no one has bothered to recommend any ideas in the past but the company would be happy to promote a more pregnancy-friendly workplace."

What about if you are not yet employed with a company? How can you tell if they will be a pregnancy- and family-friendly employer?

Karydes hesitates to encourage women to ask outright about an employer's pregnancy policies "because I would wonder if sex discrimination would come into play (for example, if the hiring manager would wonder if the female candidate will become pregnant and then leave the company)," she says. "However, having said that ... I might go about asking about their overall benefits package and couch it within the context of your 401(k), sick time, maternity time, etc."

Want to see more?

• Job Hunting While Pregnant: Should You Hide Your Baby Bump?
• More Than a Job: Managing Your Career and Pregnancy
• Planning Ahead: A Maternity Leave Primer
• Check out our Article Library.
• Talk about it!