Pregnancy discrimination is hard to prepare for and to spot. And, it can be subtle, because most employers don’t just come out and say what they’re doing. Here are 6 signs that you’re facing discrimination at work due to your pregnancy:
- You get criticized more. Were you a successful employee before you got pregnant, and now are getting more negative feedback? This may be a sign of trouble.
- No raise. If you’d been talking about a raise with your boss or with HR before you revealed your pregnancy, and that convo is now all of a sudden dropped, it might be because you are pregnant.
- Talk of you being promoted stops. Have you realized that a promotion you’d been moving toward isn’t talked about anymore, that can mean you may be being discriminated against.
- No more invites to events outside of work. If your coworkers are meeting up socially outside of work, and you don’t get invited but everyone else in your role or position is, you should take note.
- An empty email inbox. Has the number of new emails in your inbox taken a nosedive? If before you announced your pregnancy you were included on work-related emails but don’t anymore, it may be a sign of workplace exclusion.
- A blank schedule. Disappearing meeting invites may be a red flag. Keep in mind that some of the meetings may be happening during your maternity leave. But it’s a sign of trouble if there are meetings you’d normally go to, and you’re suddenly not invited.
Some these “signs” could just be people trying to help you out while you’re pregnant. So when you notice them, have a low-key convo with the co-worker (or boss) involved. If a casual talk doesn’t help, you might need to talk to HR or to your manager.