Comprehensive new guidance for protecting pregnant, postpartum, and lactating employees has been issued by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General and Division on Civil Rights–creating an important model for state agencies nationwide. WorkLife Law is honored to have contributed to this guidance, providing feedback on early drafts and sharing insights gained from our decades of experience helping pregnant and postpartum workers secure their rights.
WorkLife Law’s expertise, based on our experiences supporting callers to our free legal helpline, helped ensure the NJ guidance addresses the most pressing issues faced by pregnant workers today. For example, the guidance tackles critical issues such as long delays in receiving medically necessary workplace changes, which puts workers’ health and pregnancies at risk.
“This guidance is groundbreaking in its practicality,” said Liz Morris, Co-Director of Worklife Law. “It explicitly protects workers from burdensome documentation requirements that many employers impose. A simple doctor’s note should be sufficient – employers should not second-guess medical decisions made between pregnant workers and their healthcare providers.”
The comprehensive document serves dual purposes: it helps workers and their advocates understand legal rights and also provides employers with a clear roadmap for meeting their obligations under the law.
Beyond its immediate impact in New Jersey, this guidance sets a powerful precedent for securing reproductive justice in workplaces nationwide. WorkLife Law looks forward to sharing this model with partners across the country as an example of what is possible when states prioritize the health and wellbeing of pregnant and postpartum workers.