Maternity Leave Laws helps employers comply with federal pregnancy discrimination law and state maternity leave laws. Find out when an employee is entitled to pregnancy disability leave with this new report from Business Management Daily, publisher of The HR Specialist and HR Specialist: Employment Law. Don’t forget to look at our sample maternity leave policy so you don’t end up facing a potential pregnancy discrimination case of your own!

It’s important to know what you must do—and what you can’t do (or say)—under federal anti-discrimination and maternity leave laws. Plus, it’s vital to double-check state maternity leave statutes, which may provide more liberal leave benefits.

While no federal law requires you to provide paid maternity leave, most employers must comply with the pregnancy discrimination law and FMLA maternity leave regulations.

Here are 7 guidelines on how best to comply with maternity leave laws, plus a sample maternity leave policy you can adapt for your own organization.

Maternity Leave Laws: Guideline #1

Pregnancy discrimination law

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) prohibits discrimination against employees and applicants on the basis of “pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions.” Any employer that’s subject to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (i.e., has 15 or more employees) must comply with the PDA.

The pregnancy discrimination law requires you to treat pregnant employees the same as other employees on the basis of their ability or inability to work. That means you must provide the same accommodations for an expectant worker that you do for any employees unable to perform their regular duties.

Learn about other key PDA provisions in Business Management Daily's free special report Maternity Leave Laws.

Maternity Leave Laws: Guideline #2

Pregnancy discrimination cases

You will lose a pregnancy discrimination case unless you can clearly prove that the reasons for not hiring or for discharging the plaintiff were unrelated to her pregnancy.

Cases in point:

1. A sales manager for a telecommunications company secured a lucrative contract in Eastern Europe under which she would be paid a percentage of all sales. But before the products were shipped, she announced she was pregnant. She was terminated almost immediately with no reason given. She sued under the federal pregnancy discrimination law Title VII and several state laws. A jury awarded her $98,364. The employer lost the appeal. (Houben v. Telular Corp., 7th Cir.)

Caution: Singling out pregnant employees for any reason can lead to a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit. If supervisors make little jokes about pregnancy and childbirth, rein them in.