"The Decision Is Perfectly Legal": HR Rejects Candidate Because She's 7 Months Pregnant

Hiring pregnant people can present some difficulties for employers. One major concern is the potential absences. Pregnant individuals may need to take time off for prenatal appointments or to deal with morning sickness or other similar issues. This can disrupt the workflow of a business, especially if we're talking about a critical role — exactly what Reddit user Thrwwy was looking to fill.

So when one of her colleagues recommended a pregnant woman for the position, the HR manager found herself in a really tough spot. She wanted to find a solution that was best for both the candidate and the company but eventually ended up becoming the enemy of all. Unsure of how she handled it, the recruiter made a post on the popular subreddit 'Am I the [Jerk]?', asking its members to evaluate her actions. Here's what she wrote.

According to a 2015 report by the Pew Research Center, working while pregnant is becoming increasingly common. In the late 1960s, for example, just about 40% of women worked full-time during their first pregnancies, but by 2008 that figure rose to almost 60%. The report also said that eight in ten women (82%) worked until they were within one month of their due date.

However, finding a job while pregnant is a different thing. Legally speaking, there is no duty to tell potential employers that you're expecting a baby. Heck, if you want, you can just arrive at the interview room a month away from your due date and not say a word about it. But that might not be the most effective strategy for succeeding if you actually get hired. So kudos to this applicant for being upfront.

Employers may not discriminate against job applicants due to pregnancy either. But that being said, going through the application process while pregnant can be tricky. If you managed to get a group of hiring managers to speak candidly, it's likely that many would agree with the author of this post.

After all, compared to an applicant who has no need for extended periods of time off work, hiring a pregnant person will rarely look like the best business decision. This tension between what the law requires and what a prospective employer may be looking for can create problems for pregnant job hunters. But Lisa Guerin, the co-author of Dealing With Problem Employees: How to Manage Performance & Personal Issues in the Workplace, says that it's very hard to prove discrimination in the hiring process.

"This is because potential employers aren't required to tell applicants why they weren't hired (or who was hired instead)," Guerin writes. "Besides, you are likely much more interested in getting a job than building up a lawsuit against a potential employer."