Being laid off is stressful for anyone. But for pregnant women in corporate workplaces, the situation can be especially difficult. They often need more support, such as flexible work hours, longer maternity leave, comfortable workspaces, and mental health help.
A 2023 CIPD survey found that many women find employer support extremely important when dealing with pregnancy-related challenges. In such testing phase of life, a layoff can be tough.
A woman in the US shared her experience anonymously on Team Blind, explaining that she is now taking her former employer to court after being laid off during her pregnancy.
What does she explain in her post?
“I was laid off 2 years and now I am suing employer in federal court. It’s very tough but worth it. Because honestly, I don’t think I am doing it only for myself,” she explained in the post. She said that when she was let go, she was the only woman and the only pregnant employee on her team. She had already started her FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) process for maternity leave.
She continued in her post, “To be honest, it’s more legitimate than my round. 2 years ago, I was the only female in my team and the only pregnant one. I had already started my FMLA case for maternity leave. There is no discussion except on Blind. No WARN. I found out later that my manager started to write me up on the same day I reported my pregnancy. They ignored it.”
She believes she was unfairly targeted because she was pregnant. Before filing a lawsuit, she tried talking to a lawyer and even contacted the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission), but she said neither approach helped. “I hope the truth can come out. I don’t know why a simple pregnancy case would need to go this far. Why do they do what they do?”
‘I hope that you win big’
Netizens came in with full support for her decision. On Team Blind, a user wrote, “I hope that you win big with your case!!! Please don’t give up when it gets tough :-). ” Another added, “You are brave, I’m rooting for you.” “The company may spend millions to throw away the case as it can set precedence. If you win, you can write a book and help all of us wrongfully laid off people,” added another netizen.
“Please please be a business case lesson on how basic humanity and following the law is required,” praised a user. “You have no idea how WARN works huh. I doubt you’ll win,” doubted a user. “Do you need any financial support? Happy to help a little,” wrote a user.
(This story is based on a post shared by a social media user. The details, opinions, and statements quoted herein belong solely to the original poster and do not reflect the views of Financialexpress.com. We have not independently verified the claims.)