This audio conference was recorded on Monday - March 9, 2009

Credits:

This program has been approved for 1.5 recertification credit hours toward PHR and SPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI homepage at www.hrci.org. The use of this seal is not an endorsement by HRCI of the quality of the program. It means that this program has met HRCI’s criteria to be pre-approved for recertification.

Description:

Between 1997 and 2007, the number of pregnancy bias claims filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission increased a staggering 140 percent.

In 2007, of the 5,587 charges filed, the agency resolved all but 608 of them - to the tune of $30 million on behalf of women claiming they were discriminated against in some way because of their pregnancies. This doesn’t include the money any of the remaining employers may have paid out following lengthy and expensive trials.

These numbers are a wake-up call for employers. Now is not the time to sit back and simply hope your pregnancy-related policies and practices are legally sound, especially when it comes to a returning mother’s right to additional leave and requests for accommodation. You may think you’re safe – but so did many of the employers involved in the 5,587 bias charges discussed above.

Order this in-depth audio conference recording about your legal obligations concerning pregnancy in the workplace.

Speaker(s):

Christopher W. Olmsted, Esq., is a partner in the San Diego office of California-based law firm Barker Olmsted & Barnier, PLC. His employment law compliance and litigation experience spans the full range of labor and employment issues, from discrimination and harassment complaints and wage and hour claims to family and medical leave disputes and whistleblower actions. Olmsted has represented clients in state and federal jury and bench trials, as well as in judicial and contractual arbitrations and administrative law hearings. A frequent speaker and trainer on employment law topics, he earned his law degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

Our expert – an experienced employment law attorney – will cover:

• The interplay among the federal laws that govern pregnancy-related rights
• Reducing the risk of pregnancy discrimination claims by knowing what you can and can’t say legally about leave when an employee says she’s pregnant or is trying to get pregnant
• Whether you can inquire into what type of leave a worker will take following the baby’s birth
• How to handle a woman’s request to be relieved of duties that could harm the developing fetus, and other light-duty accommodation considerations
• When a new mother may qualify for intermittent FMLA leave
• The type of certification you may request regarding the care of a newborn child
• When infertility may be considered a disability under the ADA
• Reinstatement and job restoration following the birth of a child
• Paid leave benefits, including vacation and sick pay to which a new mother may be entitled