- Be aware that you may have to suspend a pregnant employee for health and safety reasons.
- Carry out routine risk assessments in order to assess any health and safety risks to employees (or their babies/unborn babies) where they are pregnant, have recently given birth or are breastfeeding.
- As soon as it is known that an employee is pregnant, arrange to meet her to discuss her job duties and working environment and whether any measures need to be taken to protect her health and safety.
- Seek advice from an occupational doctor and/or the employee’s GP regarding any recommendations in respect of the employee’s health and well-being during her pregnancy.
- Take all necessary steps to ensure that an employee who is pregnant or breastfeeding, or who has recently given birth, is not required to perform any work that could place her health or safety at risk.
- Where an employee who is pregnant or has recently given birth is employed on night work be prepared to adjust her working hours or shift pattern if this is recommended by a medical adviser.
- Review whether an employee’s job duties can be altered, or whether she can be transferred to suitable alternative work in order to ensure that she does not perform any work that might present a risk to her health or safety during pregnancy.
- Ensure that any alternative work offered to an employee during pregnancy is suitable and appropriate for her to do in the circumstances and is on terms and conditions not substantially less favourable than those of her normal job.
- If alternative work is not available or would not remove or reduce the risks to the employee, place her on paid suspension until the commencement of her maternity leave.
More resources from XpertHR on this topic include:
- How to manage pregnant employees and handle maternity leave
- How to respond to an employee’s notification that she is pregnant
- How to deal with requests for time off for antenatal care
- How to deal with an employee who has a miscarriage or stillbirth or whose baby dies after birth
- How to deal with the holiday entitlement of an employee taking maternity leave
- How to stay in touch with employees on maternity leave
- How to deal with keeping-in-touch days during maternity leave
- How to take disciplinary action against an employee during pregnancy or maternity leave
- How to deal with maternity pay, salary sacrifice and childcare vouchers
- How to deal with requests to return from maternity leave on a part-time basis
- How to deal with the situation where an employee becomes pregnant again while on maternity leave
- How to ensure employees’ smooth reintroduction to the workplace on their return from maternity leave
Practical Guidance for all HR Professionals
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Pregnancy and maternity rights content on XpertHR
- Pregnancy and maternity rights from the XpertHR employment law manual
- Health and safety of specific vulnerable people from the XpertHR employment law manual
- Line manager briefing on basic maternity rights
- Line manager briefing on maternity rights that apply in specific situations
- Model company maternity policy
- Model policy on employees breastfeeding/expressing milk
- Model letter inviting a new or expectant mother to a meeting to discuss removing or reducing health and safety risks
- Model letter offering suitable alternative work during pregnancy
- Model letter offering suitable alternative work to an employee who is breastfeeding
- Model letter suspending a pregnant employee or new mother on health and safety grounds
