Happy Ice Cream Day, Training Tools and More
Asana Recovery Weekly Team Update July 11, 2023
Training Tools
What to Know About the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which went into effect June 27, aims to “make room for pregnancy on the job.”
Despite the passage of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act 40 years ago, some women still endure job situations where they are forced to choose between keeping their job or having a healthy pregnancy. According to the National Women’s Law Center, “the PDA guaranteed the right not to be treated adversely because of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, and the right to be treated at least as well as other employees ‘not so affected but similar in their ability or inability to work.’”
Many women, even in highly demanding physical jobs, are able to continue working through pregnancy with temporary modifications. But many employers have refused “to accommodate workers with medical needs arising out of pregnancy even when they routinely accommodated other physical limitations.”
What Does the PWFA Do?
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) (H.R. 1065/S. 1486) requires employers to make the same sorts of accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires employers to make for disabilities. Here are some of the requirements the act sets:
The PWFA would require employers to make reasonable accommodations for employees who have limitations stemming from pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the employer. For example:
An employer might be required to modify a no-food-or-drink policy for a pregnant employee who experiences painful or potentially dangerous uterine contractions when she does not regularly drink water.
An employer might be required to provide a stool to a pregnant cashier who was experiencing leg pain and swelling from standing for long periods of time.
An employer might be required to reassign heavy lifting duties to other employees for some portion of an employee’s pregnancy.
An employer might be required to provide an available light-duty position to a pregnant police officer who was temporarily unable to go on patrol because no bulletproof vest would fit her.
The PWFA would prohibit employers from discriminating against employees because they need this sort of reasonable accommodation. In other words, an employer would not be allowed to fire a pregnant employee to avoid making any job modifications, or to retaliate against an employee who had asked for an accommodation.
The PWFA would prohibit employers from forcing a pregnant employee to take paid or unpaid leave when another reasonable accommodation would allow the employee to continue to work. While the employee would remain free to choose to use any leave available to her, she would not be forced off the job and onto leave against her will.
In short, the PWFA requires reasonable accommodation for employees who need it, based on a framework employers are already familiar with because of the ADA’s requirements.
New Employee Spotlight
Kasey Freeman
Kasey Freeman joined Asana Recovery as a Behavioral Health Technician because of her own struggles with addiction and recovery. Three things that make her happy are her husband, her daughters, and her sobriety.
Always trying to be kind, Kasey says, “I have good energy. I genuinely care about people and their well-being.”
Kasey enjoys fishing, playing softball, and cooking for other people. She loves spending time with family and friends.
With her parents, her husband, and her two “beautiful daughters” in Oklahoma, Kasey misses her family very much. However, “they understand me and support me in my recovery journey,” she says.
Happy Ice Cream Day & Other Celebrations
Some of us have been waiting all year and finally…the Orange County Fair is back! Bring your sunscreen and your sense of fun (and maybe the kids, too) from July 14 to August 16. Find out all the info about the OC Fair.
Pull out the ice cream scoop and get your scooping arm stretched out because July 16 is National Ice Cream Day! (As if we ever need a reason for ice cream.)
Trivia
Question: Who is the “Father of Ice Cream”?
Contact HR with your response for the chance to win a gift card!
Answer to last week’s trivia: The Fourth of July holiday commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Last week’s winner was: Sabrina J.