It’s Usually a Bad Idea to Fire an Employee Who is 8 Months Pregnant

The title of this post is a bit strong. There are, on occasion, times where it might make sense to fire an employee who is very, very pregnant. Maybe she was caught stealing. Maybe she punched out her supervisor. Maybe she’s botching her job so badly that customers and co-workers are in an uproar and the situation cannot wait.

But ordinarily, taking action against an employee in the middle of her pregnancy–even for a good reason–creates all sorts of wrong impressions, and is highly likely to draw a lawsuit. Even if there is a good reason to take action, it is almost always advisable to wait.