Reporting a Pregnancy

A Guide for Pregnant Women and their Supervisors

Zeichnung © Tim Schuster

Guide for pregnant women

I am pregnant / breastfeed my child
How can I avoid workplace-specific hazards?

Your unborn or newborn child enjoys special protection. As your employer, the University of Konstanz is obliged to provide this protection in accordance with the Maternity Protection Act. Therefore, it may be necessary that you are no longer allowed to perform certain activities during pregnancy and afterwards during breastfeeding.

Whether this is the case is determined by a so-called risk assessment, which ideally has already been carried out by your direct superior.

Initially, however, it is your responsibility to report the pregnancy. Various bodies and persons are involved in the process to support you. This is a good thing, because it is about your well-being and that of your child.


Important:

As soon as your supervisor becomes aware of your pregnancy, special measures are required to protect your unborn child, regardless of the further registration process. The measures result from the risk assessment.

step by step

Step 1: Reporting to the personnel department

Regardless of who you've already talked to about your pregnancy: In any case, please inform the Human Resources department or the contact person responsible for your area in the Human Resources department as soon as possible. You are welcome to contact us by telephone or e-mail.

You will now receive mail from the Human Resources department, including a "leaflet for expectant and breastfeeding mothers" with important information on maternity protection. Your direct supervisor receives a notification form from the regional council.

Step 2: Fill in the registration form

Your supervisor checks the risk assessment and specifies it for your workplace. Then, together with you, the registration form of the regional council will be filled out.

The registration form must contain important information about your workplace and working conditions, including information from the risk assessment.

Important:

If the risk assessment has not yet been prepared or is incomplete, now it's the time. Your supervisor(s) should do so as soon as possible. You are welcome to point this out to them. The safety engineers of the Office for Occupational Safety (extension -3033) and the company physician's office (extension -2668) will be happy to assist your supervisor(s) in this.

Step 3: Forwarding the registration form

Your supervisor will forward the completed and signed form to the Human Resources Department. Nothing more needs to be done for you now.

HR sends the registration form to the regional council, which is responsible as the supervisory authority.

Zeichnung © Tim Schuster

Guide for supervisors

My co-worker is pregnant / breastfeeding her child -
How do I prevent workplace-specific hazards?

The unborn or newborn child of your employee enjoys special protection. The University of Konstanz as employer and you as supervisor are obliged to provide this protection in accordance with the Maternity Protection Act. Therefore, it may be necessary that certain activities may no longer be performed during pregnancy and subsequently during breastfeeding.

Whether this is the case is determined by the so-called risk assessment, which you, as a direct superior, ideally have already carried out for the jobs in your area. If not, you will find the relevant forms and assistance on the occupational safety website.


Initially, however, it is the responsibility of your employee to report the pregnancy. To support you and your employee, various departments and persons are involved in the process. This is a good thing, because it is all about the well-being of your employee and her child.

step by step

Step 1: Take protective measures as soon as you become aware of your pregnancy.

As soon as you become aware of your employee's pregnancy, special measures are required to protect the unborn child, regardless of the further reporting process. The measures result from the risk assessment.

Important:

If the risk assessment has not yet been carried out or is incomplete, it should be done as soon as possible. Documentation on the risk assessment can be found on the AGU website. The safety engineers of the Office for Occupational Safety (extension -3033) and/or the company doctor's office (extension -2668) will be happy to assist you.

Step 2: Fill in the registration form

You may be the first contact person for your employee. Ask her if she has already informed the Human Resources department about the pregnancy. If not, ask your employee to do so as soon as possible.

Once your employee knows that she is pregnant, the HR department sends important information to your employee and to you. You will receive a registration form from the regional council. You may only be informed of your employee's pregnancy via the Human Resources department.

Please check the risk assessment and specify or supplement it according to the workplace / activities of your employee. Then fill in the registration form of the regional council together with your employee. The registration form must contain important information about the workplace and working conditions. Ideally, you have already made the most important entries in the risk assessment and can include them in the registration form.

Step 3: Forwarding the notification form

Send the completed and signed form and a copy of the completed risk assessment to Human Resources immediately, within one week at the latest. Pay close attention to the situation of pregnant women and react to developments if necessary.

The Human Resources Department will send the registration form to the Regional Council, which is the competent supervisory authority. The risk assessment remains in the Human Resources Department for any queries the Regional Council may have.

Step 4: Retention of the risk assessment

Please keep your copy of the risk assessment in a safe place. The occupational health and safety folder is a good place to do this. This not only serves as documentation but will also help you in the future with further pregnancies in your work area to be able to take the necessary measures simply and quickly.