Congratulations On Your Pregnancy: You’re Fired!

Most California employers understand that overall productivity and profitability in the workplace tends to soar when workers are in safe environments, offered competitive wages and treated fairly in the workplace. Still, plenty of workers suffer from adverse events every year, including wrongful terminations, bullying and multiple forms of discrimination by their employers.

While certain topics pertain to men and women alike, some seem to affect one group more than the other. For instance, can you imagine being a woman who excitedly shares news at work that you are expecting a baby? Many people smile and share in your joy, including your boss, who shakes your hand in congratulations. Next thing you know, you’re in your boss’s office and you are unjustifiably, permanently relieved of your duties.

Is that legal?

A justifiable termination from your work position while pregnant is obviously possible, so long as your boss hasn’t broken any laws in doing so. However, firing you because you’re pregnant is definitely against the law.

How to protect your rights

With the roller-coaster economy of recent years, you may be like millions of others across the nation who greatly depend on every cent of their incomes to make ends meet. Unexpectedly losing your job could place you and your family at risk for financial disaster. It’s bad enough losing a job under any circumstances, much less when you know your boss did something illegal. Taking the following steps may help rectify the situation:

• Seek clarification: There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking your boss to clarify his or her reasons for firing you.
• Resist urge to retaliate: Yelling at your boss, writing a nasty letter or otherwise acting negatively toward him or her will likely only make your situation worse. It is best to avoid retaliation.
• Call a lawyer: Experienced employment attorneys address these types of situations often. Generally speaking, immediately reaching out for support often proves beneficial in the long run.

Having a baby is typically an exciting, joyful experience, not grounds for termination of employment. It’s understandable that wrongfully losing your job would cause tremendous emotional upset in addition to any financial hardship you suffer in the process. While there is a way to right such situations, it is often complicated and stressful. Many others who have been where you are now have allowed experienced California attorneys to act on their behalves in court, not only to alleviate stress but to obtain as swift and positive of outcomes as possible.