Vermont’s Pregnancy Accommodation Poster Is Now Available

A few months ago, we reported on Vermont’s new pregnancy accommodation law—An Act Relating to Accommodations for Pregnant Employees—which went into effect on January 1, 2018. The poster has just been released by the state’s Department of Labor, and we will be sending the updated Vermont poster out to customers very soon.

What Employers & Employees Need to Know

Under the law, an employer is required to provide reasonable accommodation for an employee’s pregnancy-related condition once a request has been made by an employee.

A pregnancy-related condition is defined in the law as a limitation of an employee’s ability to perform the functions of a job due to pregnancy, childbirth, or a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth.

Examples of pregnancy-related accommodations in the workplace include:

• Additional bathroom, water, or rest breaks
• Time off for medical appointments
• A private and clean space for expressing milk or breastfeeding
• Assistance with certain duties, such as heavy lifting or manual labor
• Time off to recover from medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth

An employer who ignores a request from an employee for an accommodation, or retaliates against or fires an employee for such a request, may face damages and civil penalties.

However, an employer may decline a reasonable accommodation if it would constitute an undue hardship; for example, if it would be too expensive or impossible to execute.

We Can Help You Stay in Compliance

If you have not already done so, we encourage you to order our 1-Year Compliance Plan, so that you will automatically receive the updated Vermont poster as soon as it is ready. And because we provide free poster updates for mandatory changes, no matter how many occur during the 12-month period, you will never have to worry about being in compliance!