Missing work at the office

You are a dental hygienist and work part-time at a local dentist office. You are pregnant but haven’t told anyone at work yet. During the first few months of your pregnancy, you experience severe morning sickness. After a visit to emergency, you are admitted to the hospital where you are given medication and fluids for a few days. You miss a few days of work while you are in the hospital. You tell the office manager that you are pregnant and that your doctor requires you to stay off work to recover, missing two additional workdays. When you return to work, the office manager fires you. The office manager says they are concerned you will get sick again and cannot afford to reschedule and inconvenience the clinic’s patients, so they are ending your employment.

• Are you experiencing discrimination under the Code?

  Yes, you are experiencing discrimination under the Code. You lost your job at the dental office when you missed work due to an illness caused by your pregnancy. Pregnancy is one aspect of sex, a part of your identity protected by the Code. Your employer decides to end your employment without talking to you about accommodation. You are not asked to share information about your illness, if it is expected to continue throughout your pregnancy or your doctor’s recommendations for any accommodation in the workplace.

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