Here at Pregnancy Sickness Support, we speak to sufferers every day about not only the physical and mental effects of Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), but also the effects this has on their employment status.
To enable us to help support you better, we asked Lucy Williams, HR Consultant and Director of The Little HR Department, to give our team a more in-depth insight into all things legal when it comes to pregnancy related sickness.
The key message to take away is that you are protected by the law. You have a legal protection as a pregnant employee, and as such, should not be discriminated against for any pregnancy related sickness. That being said, we’re not naïve. Sadly, we know that discrimination can and does still happen, so we asked Lucy what tips she’d give to those sufferers facing work placed pregnancy challenges.
The first thing is to know your rights. Once you tell your employer that you are pregnant, you are protected, and you can request that this knowledge be kept confidential where possible. The Equality Act protects you from discrimination based on protected characteristics (including pregnancy and maternity.) And The Health and Safety at Work Act serves to protect the health, safety and welfare of all employees (including new and expectant mothers.)
Antenatal appointments should be permitted as paid time off, and any pregnancy related sickness leave should be recorded as such (including on GP fit notes) and cannot be included in general absence numbers.
As the only UK registered charity providing emotional and practical expertise for Hyperemesis Gravidarum, we are able to support you with detailed HG and pregnancy advice, and general guidance about your legal rights, but we can also guide you to other specialist legal resources such as ACAS, Citizens Advice and Pregnant Then Screwed.
We’ve also put together a handy download containing 8 key facts about HG and employment, which can be viewed here.
Our team are ready to listen, call our helpline on 0800 055 4361, or complete a contact form and we’ll be in touch.
