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Pregnancy 'not effectively dealt with' by SME bosses

Published On 30 March 2007 at 09:37:26

The managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) need to do more to make sure pregnant members of staff are treated fairly, a new report says.

According to figures published by Netmums and the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), just 40 per cent of mothers think their bosses properly know how to manage pregnant members of staff.

Similarly, one in six women said that they were not treated well by their managers while pregnant and a quarter though they were poorly looked after when they returned from maternity leave.

After a two-year study, the EOC concluded that SMEs faced particular difficulties dealing with pregnant staff as they lacked the infrastructure to deal with the situation.

"If we fail to tackle the knowledge gap surrounding the rights of pregnant women and new parents at work we run the risk of seeing these women drop out of the workforce altogether," warned Jenny Watson, chair of the EOC.

"Those who have been unfairly treated whilst pregnant suffer financially and emotionally and are far less likely to return to their jobs."

Ms Watson added that the loss of staff member who thought their pregnancy was badly managed "costs employers millions in recruitment and training and causes significant damage to Britain's economic productivity".

The new Work and Families legislation comes into force on April 6th and will mean that SMEs have to make sure they allow workers the correct amount of leave to cover pregnancy.

 

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