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????親愛的安妮：我是一名高級軟件開發工程師，已經有一個女兒，最近剛剛發現自己又懷上了二胎。這當然是喜事，但問題在于，我的第一次懷孕狀況百出，要臥床休息多周（無法去辦公室上班）。幸運的是，當時的老板很有同情心，公司沒什么要緊事的話我可以大多數時間在家工作。 ????但這一次我換了一家公司，老板和團隊成員都是單身男士，當為數不多的女同事因懷孕生產休假的時候，這些男士，委婉地說，一直都不太能適應。我該現在就告訴老板，我可能不得不休假一段時間嗎？或者我應該觀望一下？一方面，我不想讓別人認為我在隱瞞什么，希望盡早告訴老板，以便他能制定應急方案。另一方面，由于擔心可能會帶來不利影響，我又有些猶豫要不要說。您有什么建議？——D.I.O. ????親愛的D.I.O.：首先說聲恭喜！其次，希望你的公司規模在15人以上。原因是，如果這樣的話，你將受1978年通過的聯邦《懷孕歧視法案》（Pregnancy Discrimination Act）的保護，可以免受那些不利“影響”的困擾。律師湯姆?斯皮格爾表示：“了解自己的權利是關鍵。”斯皮格爾的新書《懷孕等于失業！保護職場父母和其他護理工作者》（You're Pregnant? You're Fired!: Protecting Mothers, Fathers, and Other Caregivers in the Workplace.）即將發行。 ????斯皮格爾表示，在大多數設有法務部的大公司，管理者至少會大致明白，他們不能因為員工懷孕而采取任何不利措施，包括解聘或降職。但即便如此，在過去十年里，每年上訴到美國公平就業機會委員會（Equal Employment Opportunity Commission）的懷孕歧視案件數量一直在增加，從2010年開始有小幅減少，從4,029起減少到去年的3,541起。 ????斯皮格爾推測，該類案件的普遍性“可能是因為職場女性越來越多，而且更多人會推遲生育，直到她們在職場上達到足夠的高度，這導致風險也變得更高。”他補充道，在男性主導的行業（如軟件開發等），“基層管理人員可能并不熟悉該類法律。” ???? |
????Dear Annie:I am a senior software developer with one daughter, and I just found out I'm expecting a second child. This is great news, of course, but the problem is, my first pregnancy was very complicated, requiring several weeks of bed rest (i.e., absence from the office). Luckily, my boss back then was sympathetic, and I could work from home most of the time without any major problem. ????This time, though, I'm working for a different company, and my boss and teammates are all single men who have not been very accommodating, to put it mildly, when the few other women here have taken pregnancy leave, maternity leave, etc. Should I tell my boss now that I might have to be out for a while? Or should I wait and see? On the one hand, I don't want to seem as if I'm hiding anything, and I do want to give him enough advance notice to come up with a Plan B. On the other hand, I hesitate to bring this up, in case there are repercussions. Your thoughts? -- Due in October ????Dear D.I.O.:First, congratulations! And second, here's hoping you work for a company that has 15 or more employees because, if so, the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 protects you from most of the ominous-sounding "repercussions" you refer to. "Knowing your rights is key," says Tom Spiggle, an attorney and author of the forthcoming book, You're Pregnant? You're Fired!: Protecting Mothers, Fathers, and Other Caregivers in the Workplace. ????At most big companies with vigilant legal departments, he notes, managers are at least vaguely aware that they can't take any adverse action, including firing or demoting you, just because you're expecting. Even so, the number of pregnancy discrimination cases filed with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has been rising for the past decade or so, falling slightly since 2010, from 4,029 to 3,541 last year. ????The prevalence of these cases, Spiggle speculates, is "probably because there are more women in the workplace, and more of them are delaying childbearing until they're farther along in their careers, so the stakes are higher." He adds that, in predominantly male businesses (like software development, for example), "front-line supervisors may not be too familiar with the law."???????? |
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