Update to New York City’s Pregnancy Rights Poster

“Start spreading the news…” New York City’s Human Rights Commission just released an update to its pregnancy rights in the workplace poster. The updated poster, now titled Pregnancy Accommodations at Work, includes additional details of the NYC Human Rights Law that employers and employees in “the city that never sleeps” need to know.

What’s Changing in NYC?

For Employers

The poster now states that the NYC Human Rights law requires all employers with four or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions. The intent of the accommodations is to enable employees to continue working and/or return to work quickly, while still having a healthy pregnancy.

While the poster had previously been a required workplace posting, a new language on the poster states that employers must post it in the workplace, and that it may also be used to satisfy the requirement of providing employees with written notice of their rights under the law.

Employers are now required to provide a clear policy and protocol for employees to request reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions. Plus, employers must work promptly with pregnant employees to agree on these accommodations.

Among other requirements of the law, the updated poster states that employers are prohibited from asking employees for proof of pregnancy when accommodations are requested. However, an employer may ask an employee for a doctor’s note only under the following conditions:

  • When the accommodations involve time away from the workplace
  • When the accommodations aren’t otherwise prohibited by city, state, or federal law (including the NYC Earned Sick Time Act)

For Employees

The poster outlines additional accommodations for employees who want to continue working. These examples include, but are not limited to:

  • Breaks to eat or drink
  • A new seat or fan in the employee’s workspace
  • Assistance with physically demanding tasks
  • Schedule adjustments
  • A non-bathroom space for expressing breast milk

Employees whose requests for reasonable accommodation have been ignored or else denied without an appropriate alternative are now encouraged to call the NYC Human Rights Commission to report the situation. The Commission has provided a new phone number for this purpose.

Compliance Made Easy

If you order our City/County Poster 1-Year Plan, you will automatically receive the updated New York City poster as soon as it becomes available. And because we provide free updates for mandatory changes, no matter how many occur within the 12-month period, you can always count on us to keep you in compliance!