From BZ/dpa
Even if pregnancy is a happy event, expectant mothers do not always want to share the news immediately. What then applies in the workplace.
Whether it’s the concern that something will go wrong after all, or the desire to tell friends and family the good news first: pregnant women may not necessarily want to confide in their employer right away. But how long can expectant mothers actually wait?
The Maternity Protection Act (Section 15) states that pregnant women should inform their employer as soon as they know about the pregnancy.
“However, that does not mean that they have to,” says Nathalie Oberthür, a specialist lawyer for labor law. Women can choose to wait until the end of the third month or even longer. In theory, they wouldn’t have to disclose the pregnancy at all.
However, there is one special case: If the employer gives notice to the employee, she must tell him within two weeks that she is pregnant. Because in this case, the special protection against dismissal during pregnancy applies.
By the way: If verbal information about the pregnancy is not sufficient for the employer, he can request a medical certificate or a certificate from a midwife or a midwife as proof of the pregnancy and the expected date of delivery.
However, the employer must then bear the costs for this certificate himself.