Did T-Mobile commit pregnancy discrimination?
After its employee Kristi Rifkin became pregnant, a Nashville T-Mobile call center where she worked started requiring her to sign in and out with a time clock when she went to the restroom, as reported by ABC News. During her pregnancy, Rifkin was told by her doctor to drink a lot of water, and the result was frequent visits to the bathroom at work.
The T-Mobile call center allows its employees a 30 minute lunch along with two 15 minute breaks, but Rifkin's supervisor felt her bathroom breaks were cutting into her productivity, so he requested a doctor's note.
Rifkin complied and confirmed everything with human resources, but then the employer took things one step further by requiring its pregnant worker to clock in and out for these breaks. Soon, Rifkin had to use vacation time just to go to the bathroom.
Although it was an unfortunate and seemingly unfair request, employers are not actually required by law to let their employees go to the restroom. However, an employer still has to use caution because according to Workplace Fairness, treating a pregnant worker differently than any other temporarily disabled employee is illegal. Thus, if T-Mobile was not giving Rifkin the necessary allowance to deal with what the law considers a temporary disability, she could sue.
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