Washington DC Creates Pregnant Workers Poster and Updates Unemployment Poster; New DC Labor Law Posters Required

The latest required changes to the Washington, DC labor law poster are on the Protecting Pregnant Workers and Unemployment Compensation posters.

First, DC has created a new poster based on the Protecting Pregnant Workers Fairness Act that went into effect in March of 2015. This new notice describes reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions. The notice defines reasonable accommodation as “one that does not require significant difficulty in the operation of the employer’s business or significant expense for the employer, with consideration to factors such as the size of the business, its financial resources, and the nature and structure of the business.” It also states that the “employer must engage in good faith and in a timely and interactive process to determine the accommodations.”

The Protecting Pregnant Workers poster also lists prohibited actions that cannot be taken by an employer. These prohibited actions consist of refusing an accommodation (unless it would cause significant hardship or expense to the business), taking adverse action against an employee for requesting an accommodation, denying employment opportunities to pregnant workers, and requiring an employee to take leave if reasonable accommodation can be provided. Additionally, it states that an employer may require an employee to provide certification from a health care provider indicating that a reasonable accommodation is advisable.

If an employee believes that an employer has wrongfully denied reasonable accommodation, or that she has been discriminated against, the notice provides contact information for the DC Office of Human Rights so that a complaint may be filed. Lastly, the new poster must be posted in both English and Spanish.

In addition to the new Protecting Pregnant Workers poster, there has been an update to the Unemployment Compensation poster. The updated notice includes new hours of operation for regional job centers.

We are publishing an updated DC poster with these latest changes. For more information about the Washington, DC labor law poster, or to learn more about our OneSystem with free automatic updates, go to the Poster Compliance Center Washington, DC labor law poster page or call 1-800-322-3636.