Yesterday we learned about recent Department of Labor (DOL) guidelines concerning pregnant employees. Today we’ll hear some of the guidelines provided by the Job Accommodation Network (JAN).
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JAN’s guide provides helpful advice for dealing with issues such as:
Fatigue:
- Reduce or eliminate physical exertion and workplace stress.
- Schedule periodic rest breaks away from the workstation.
- Modify policy to allow eating/drinking at workstation.
- Provide antifatigue matting on the floor if standing.
- Implement ergonomic workstation design.
- Provide a private rest area to lie down during breaks.
Attendance:
- Allow flexible schedules, reduced work schedules, or flexible use of leave time.
- Modify attendance policy.
- Provide a straight shift instead of rotating shifts.
- Provide a day shift.
- Allow the employee to work from home.
Standing:
- Provide a stool, lean stool, or task chair.
- Provide adjustable workstations to alternate between standing and sitting.
- Allow frequent, short breaks to walk around.
- Provide antifatigue matting on the floor.
- Limit standing time.
- Temporarily modify duties.
Nursing/Pumping:
- Allow reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk each time the employee has need to do so.
- Provide a private place, other than a restroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used to express breast milk.
- Allow periodic rest breaks away from the workstation.
- Provide access to a refrigerator and a secure place to store expressed milk.
- Allow to travel with a cooler.
- Allow work from home.
- Allow a flexible schedule.
For more information and tips on accommodation of other pregnancy-related issues, such as nausea, restroom use, parking, ergonomics, and more, go to JAN’s website.