jobseeking and pregnant

[sbear]

I live in Michigan, I'm 12 weeks pregnant, and searching for a job. Am I required to tell potential employers that I'm pregnant? If they hire me and find out later, which they obviously will, can they fire me? Will they have to give me time off for scheduled dr. appointments, or can I be punished for that?

[LConnell]

The following are the answers to your questions:

1) "Am I required to tell potential employers that I'm pregnant?"
No, you are not required to inform prospective or current employees that you are pregnant.

2) "If they hire me and find out later, which they obviously will, can they fire me?"
Federal law prevents employers who have 15 or more employees from firing a woman because she is pregnant. Some, but not all, states take that protection down to smaller employers.

3) "Will they have to give me time off for scheduled dr. appointments, or can I be punished for that?"
If you have worked 1,250 hours for an employer in the past year AND the employer has at least 50 employees in a 75 mile radius, you can apply for family medical leave. Family medical leave can provide for intermittent and continuous leave for up to 12 weeks in a year. However, since it doesn't sound like you have started with an employer just yet, it is assumed that you cannot meet the qualifications for FMLA. Therefore, you can be subject to disciplinary actions for excessive absenteeism.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[Sue]

Originally Posted by sbear

I live in Michigan, I'm 12 weeks pregnant, and searching for a job. Am I required to tell potential employers that I'm pregnant? If they hire me and find out later, which they obviously will, can they fire me? Will they have to give me time off for scheduled dr. appointments, or can I be punished for that?

All good questions!

No, you don't need to tell potential employers that you are pregnant.
I was hired on when I was 12 weeks pregnant back in 1993.

It took a little nerve to tell my boss, but since I did not show til well into my fifth month, it gave me time to approach him after about 3 weeks on the job.

You may be met with some surprised looks, but you are not doing anything wrong and cannot be fired or "punished" for being pregnant.

Check on their sick leave and doctor leave policy to make sure they do allow for absences for "normal' stuff at the doctor and do not regularly fire people for being absent too much. In that case they could fire you without it being discriminatory based on your pregnancy as long as you are not treated any more harshly than other employees.

Congratulations!

Let me know if you have further questions.

Sue