Managing pregnancy and maternity discrimination – Child’s play?

Did you know that women who are pregnant or returning to work after having a child are more likely to face discrimination than they were 10 years ago? While many HR departments are supportive, research has found that 20% of staff experience harassment or negative comments from colleagues or managers when pregnant or returning from maternity leave. What happens in your organisation?

New research carried out by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has found that:

• 11% of staff when pregnant or returning from maternity leave were dismissed, made compulsorily redundant where others in their workplace were not, or treated so poorly they felt they had to leave their jobs
• 20% of new mothers experienced harassment or negative comments from their colleagues or manager when pregnant or returning from maternity leave
• 10% of mothers said their manager discouraged them from attending antenatal appoints.

This was despite the fact that most employers say that they are firm supporters of staff during and after their pregnancies and find it easy to comply with the law.

The EHRC is concerned about these worrying levels of discrimination and disadvantage at work that women still face today. They have launched a new campaign showcasing useful guidance aimed at helping make pregnancy and maternity a positive experience for employers and employees. This includes short film case studies showcasing good practice and successful stories, as well as practical guidance in the form of useful infographics and quizzes you can take to test your own knowledge. They are also launching an online toolkit of guidance and good practice for employers.

You can access information about the research, the campaign and the good practice guides here

This month I have also alerted staff to new Acas guides on managing antenatal and adoption appointments. You can jump to this article here

We need to support team leaders and departmental heads to not see maternity leave as something that impacts negatively on service levels, but rather that, with the right approach, managing maternity creates retention and a loyal, motivated workforce.