Decreasing your work hours after having a baby

Attorney Lisa Pierson Weinberger explains how employers are not required to allow you to decrease your hours after having a baby, and shares advice for women on how to negotiate a decrease in hours
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Decreasing your work hours after having a baby

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Women who want to change their roles and responsibilities or work hours after their babies are born can be fired if it cannot be accomplished and still meet their employer's needs. So while your employer is required to offer a protected time off and reinstatement to your prior position, they are not required to offer you a new position with new terms of employment simply because you've become a parent. So even though there's no legal obligation for employers to accommodate flexible or part time arrangements many employers will do so if that means retaining a valued employee. So what I always recommend to women who want to work less when they become parents is to approach human resources or your boss well in advance of you anticipated return to work date with a thought out proposal of what it is that you want and how you will still be able to get your job done. And I found that when women do that and approach this issue in a professional manner their chances of success are greatly increased.

Attorney Lisa Pierson Weinberger explains how employers are not required to allow you to decrease your hours after having a baby, and shares advice for women on how to negotiate a decrease in hours

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Lisa Pierson Weinberger

Attorney

Lisa Pierson Weinberger is the founder of Mom, Esq., a legal practice dedicated to helping parents understand and maximize their maternity leave benefits, have peace of mind when hiring employees in their homes, and find a good work/life balance when they return to the workplace after having a baby.  Prior to founding Mom, Esq., Lisa spent seven years working at the entertainment law firm of Greenberg Glusker working as an employment lawyer with many of Hollywood's A-List celebrities.  She counseled on matters related to large domestic staffs, advising on the hiring process, backgrounds checks, wage and hour issues, counseling, discipline and terminations, and preparing employment applications, offer letters and a variety of agreements including employment, confidentiality, arbitration, severance and release agreements. Lisa has a Bachelors in Psychology, with Honors, from Washington University in St. Louis, and a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law where she served on the UCLA Law Review.

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Transcription: 
Women who want to change their roles and responsibilities or work hours after their babies are born can be fired if it cannot be accomplished and still meet their employer's needs. So while your employer is required to offer a protected time off and reinstatement to your prior position, they are not required to offer you a new position with new terms of employment simply because you've become a parent. So even though there's no legal obligation for employers to accommodate flexible or part time arrangements many employers will do so if that means retaining a valued employee. So what I always recommend to women who want to work less when they become parents is to approach human resources or your boss well in advance of you anticipated return to work date with a thought out proposal of what it is that you want and how you will still be able to get your job done. And I found that when women do that and approach this issue in a professional manner their chances of success are greatly increased.