Pregnancy and Maternity Workplace Protections

Your key rights

Risk Assessment: Your employer must carry out a workplace risk assessment once they know you are pregnant. If risks are identified, they must adjust your conditions, offer alternative work, or suspend you on full pay.

Time Off for Antenatal Care: You have the right to paid time off for all antenatal appointments. Your employer cannot refuse this. Partners have the right to unpaid time off for up to two antenatal appointments.

Protection from Dismissal: You cannot be dismissed or made redundant because of your pregnancy. If redundancies occur during maternity leave, you have priority for suitable alternative roles.

Right to Return: Same job after first 26 weeks. Same or suitable alternative after weeks 27-52.

Flexible Working: All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one. Your employer must deal with your request reasonably.

Holiday Accrual: You continue to accrue annual leave throughout all 52 weeks of maternity leave.

If things go wrong

• Raise it with your employer first (informally, then through grievance procedures)
• Contact ACAS for free advice: 0300 123 1100
• Contact Maternity Action helpline: 0808 802 0029
• Time limits for tribunal claims: usually 3 months minus 1 day from the act complained about

Key things to know

• Pregnancy discrimination is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010
• No minimum length of service needed for most protections
• Keep records of everything - emails, conversations, dates
• These rights apply regardless of hours worked or contract type