Each month, our Advocacy Committee answers your questions about the AD 10 policies (aka, your terms and conditions of employment.)

Andrew Boden

Hello, I'm Andrew Boden, APSA's Executive Director and an advocate on our Advocacy Committee. I'm answering your questions related to our AD 10 policies. Questions? Submit them anonymously here. These questions will be answered in a future monthly advocacy corner issue. For an immediate answer, please contact us.

I am going on maternity leave, and this is my second pregnancy. My boss isn’t making things easy during the transition. She is cold and hostile towards me as my time to take my leave gets closer. During my first maternity leave, my boss would ask me to do some work tasks and answer emails. What should I do?

Taking maternity leave is a legally, job-protected leave. As far as completing work tasks while on maternity—you shouldn't complete work tasks and objectives; you are on leave. You can read more on SFU's policies for APSA members in maternity and parental leave in policy AD 10.08 section 9.01.

Just as a workplace can't discriminate against a pregnant woman when hiring, a supervisor shouldn't create a hostile work environment due to your pregnancy and your pending maternity leave.

Your pregnancy and your having a child should be a beautiful time in your life, and it shouldn’t be greeted with coldness and hostility. You should be able to focus on your and your child’s needs and develop a loving bond.

If I were speaking to your boss, I would explain some of the key points of gender discrimination at work. Gender and family status are also protected under the Human Rights Code and are part of our No Discrimination policy.

As far as next steps, I would recommend that you document what is happening to you and consult us for further advice.

 

Further Resources:

https://www.justiceeducation.ca/legal-help/working/when-you%E2%80%99re-not-working/pregnant-you-have-rights