Maternity leave

Pregnancy and work environment

The working environment for pregnant employees, the unborn child during pregnancy and employees who are still breastfeeding when they return from maternity leave must also be safeguarded. On this page you can read more about the rules and find advice and tools for making the statutory pregnancy workplace assessment.

Studies show that pregnant women want to stay at work for as long as possible, but that many find that it's too late to discuss considerations and necessary adjustments at work.

Pregnancy is not an illness. As a natural part of pregnancy, many women will experience pain and discomfort associated with normal bodily changes during pregnancy. Some pregnant women call in sick due to these discomforts, which not only affect the pregnant woman herself, but also the workplace. There are several factors that contribute to the discomfort. In some cases, it's due to stressful working conditions - conditions that can perhaps be easily adjusted or changed.

When an employee at AAU becomes pregnant, a pregnancy assessment must be made. This must be done to ensure the working environment for the employee and the unborn child during pregnancy. The legislation also applies to employees who are still breastfeeding when they return from maternity leave. The pregnancy workplace assessment is required by law and focuses on the risks at work that may affect the pregnancy. The workplace assessment is also an opportunity to discuss how the workplace can retain the pregnant woman and create a meaningful framework and continued development for the employee. This includes discussing how the work can be organised to prevent discomfort and identify whether there are any tasks the pregnant woman should not perform.

Tools

Tips for the pregnancy-APV conversation

Before the conversation

Print the workplace assessment form for your area
Read the Danish Working Environment Authority's guidance on pregnant and breastfeeding women's working environment. Mark the risk factors that you need to talk about - e.g. lifting/walking/standing, cold, chemical substances, etc.
Make sure you have plenty of time for the interview - it's time well spent
Consider whether it makes sense to interview your work environment representative.

During the conversation

Follow the workplace assessment guide and use the Danish Working Environment Authority's guide as a supplement to the questions
Many risks can be identified in some areas. Look for opportunities to organise work in such a way that the pregnant woman does not feel deprived of all essential and meaningful tasks - a lot can be solved by changing the organisation or scheduling. Get support from the Working Environment Section if necessary.

After the conversation

Agree on how and when to follow up on the conversation
Inform and involve colleagues for whom the changes will have an impact
After maternity leave, some women experience returning to different and fewer tasks, less responsibility, worsening working conditions or poorer relationships with their manager. Therefore, pay special attention to aligning expectations during the first period after returning to work in relation to these themes.

Rules related to pregnancy and work environment

Rules for the pregnant employee/co-parent

You must inform your employer no later than 3 months before your due date that you are pregnant and when you intend to go on maternity leave. However, for the health and safety of you and your child, it's a good idea to inform your employer of your pregnancy as early as possible.

If you are a co-parent, you must inform us no later than 4 weeks before your due date if you want to take 2 weeks of parental leave immediately after giving birth. If you later want to take parental leave with the child, you must inform your employer no later than 8 weeks after the birth.

On the other hand, there is a rule that you must tell your employer within 8 weeks of giving birth when you intend to return to work.

Rules for the workplace

When the workplace/manager is aware that an employee is pregnant, he/she must ensure that a workplace assessment is carried out regarding whether the employee was exposed to exposures that could jeopardise the pregnancy.

If the employer assesses that a risk will have a negative impact on pregnancy or breastfeeding, he/she must do the following:

Provide technical measures or changes to the workplace, or if this is not sufficient or possible
Change the planning and organisation of work, or if this is not sufficient or possible
Transfer the pregnant or breastfeeding employee to other tasks, or if this is not sufficient or possible
Decide that the pregnant or breastfeeding employee may not engage in the work in question.

Chemical-biological work and pregnancy

If the pregnant woman is exposed to special substances or chemicals, it is important that the workplace assessment guide prepared by the occupational health section is supplemented with specific questions regarding these hazards.
Consider whether there is a need to involve the occupational medicine clinic or one of the occupational health section's specialists.

Occupational medicine clinicE-mail: arbmed@rn.dk
Tel: 97 66 41 00
Telephone hours:
Monday-Thursday 8-15
Friday 10-14

Inspiration:

See the Danish Working Environment Authority's Guide for pregnant and breastfeeding women

Find dialogue tools, information about laws and regulations etc. on BFA's page ‘Pregnant with a job’

Contact

If you have any questions please contact

HR-Support Team

HR-Support@adm.aau.dk

HR Salary

HR-loen@adm.aau.dk

More news

Pregnancy and work environment

Tools

Tips for the pregnancy-APV conversation

Before the conversation

During the conversation

After the conversation

Rules related to pregnancy and work environment

Rules for the pregnant employee/co-parent

Rules for the workplace

Chemical-biological work and pregnancy

Occupational medicine clinicE-mail: arbmed@rn.dk
Tel: 97 66 41 00
Telephone hours:
Monday-Thursday 8-15
Friday 10-14

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