Glossary

Term · California: Leave, Money, and Paperwork

reasonable accommodation

Also: workplace accommodation, pregnancy accommodation

A change at work, such as more breaks, a stool, or water nearby, that lets a pregnant worker keep doing the job. Federal and California law generally require employers to provide it unless it causes undue hardship.

In plain words

A reasonable accommodation is a change to the work or the workplace that helps a pregnant worker keep working safely. Examples include extra bathroom breaks, water, a chair or stool, a lighter load, or a schedule change. Federal law covers employers with 15 or more workers. They must consider these requests and grant them unless doing so causes . California's rules cover employers with five or more workers, and they also include transfers and leave. Some changes, such as breaks and water, should usually be granted without a doctor's note. Some mothers hold off on asking because they fear losing their job. Requests can be made to an employer in writing. The state's civil rights office can explain your rights if a request is refused.

The deeper version

The concept comes from disability law and is extended to pregnancy by the (1978) and the (effective June 27, 2023). The EEOC final rule (April 2024) names predictable accommodations, including breaks, water, seating, standing, and bathroom access, that ordinarily should be granted without supporting documentation. An employer may deny an accommodation that causes undue hardship, meaning significant difficulty or expense. California's pregnancy regulations (2 CCR 11035 and following) impose a parallel duty and also cover transfers and . The evidence base is mostly descriptive, drawn from employment surveys and agency charge data. The open debate concerns whether documentation requirements should apply to predictable needs at all.

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Sources

  • U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — Final rule implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (April 2024)
  • California Civil Rights Department — Pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions regulations (2 CCR 11035)

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