Pregnancy is Now a Protected Class Under NJ Law
Jun 18, 2015 | Written by: | Share
New Jersey recently enacted the Pregnant Worker’s Fairness Act (ANJPWFA) as an amendment to the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD). This amendment explicitly prohibits discrimination based on pregnancy and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant employees in the workplace, when the accommodation is recommended by the employee’s physician.
Like the other sections of the LAD , the NJPWFA does not require an employer to provide any accommodation that will cause an undue hardship on the employer’s business operation. Examples of generally reasonable accommodations are more frequent bathroom breaks, breaks for increased water intake, periodic rest, assistance with manual labor, job restructuring or modified work schedules, and temporary transfers to less strenuous or hazardous work.
Employers should be aware of this recent change to the law and act accordingly when requests are made by pregnant employees for accommodations.
For further information about this new law, how it may affect your business and other employment-related issues, contact Deborah Rosenthal, Esq. at Gebhardt & Kiefer, PC at 908-735-5161 or via email.