The EEOC charged in a lawsuit that Symphony of Jolient documented its pregnancy disclosure requirement as a written policy, while not requiring other workers to disclose their medical information. The requirement is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the EEOC noted.
The nursing facility also required its pregnant employees to obtain a doctor’s note stating they were allowed to work without restrictions even if they did not ask for accommodations, according to the suit. If a worker had been at the nursing home for less than one year and had a restriction, they were fired and tagged as “ineligible for rehire,” the EEOC charged.
"Pregnant women are frequently subjected to harmful, paternalistic stereotypes," EEOC Regional Attorney Gregory Gochanour said in a statement. "Pregnancy is no reason for an employer to assume that an employee cannot continue to work, nor is it a blank check for employers to seek invasive medical information or to subject pregnant employees to less favorable employment conditions than their non-pregnant co-workers.”