The "knowledge gap" of small businesses surrounding the rights of pregnant women costs employers around £126 million a year in recruitment and 30,000 women their jobs, according to a new study.
The two-year investigation was led by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) in conjunction with Netmums and found that only four in ten mothers think their bosses understand how to handle pregnant staff.
Moreover, one in six mothers claimed they were not treated well by their employer while pregnant and one in four was treated poorly on their return to work, the survey found.
With new maternity rights due to come into force on April 1st, the clock is ticking for small businesses to understand the rights of pregnant women.
Jenny Watson, chair of the EOC, said: "Women are now nearly half the workforce. If we fail to tackle the knowledge gap surrounding the rights of pregnant women and new parents at work we run the risk of seeing these women drop out of the workforce altogether."
She warned: "This costs employers millions in recruitment and training and causes significant damage to Britain's economic productivity."
