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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | M a y 2 0 2 3 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 11 Washington Trust Wealth Management® is a registered trademark of The Washington Trust Company, which has licensed its use to its parent, affiliates, and subsidiaries, including Washington Trust Advisors, Inc. Investment products are offered through Washington Trust Wealth Management. Non-deposit investment products are: not deposits; not FDIC insured; not insured by any federal government agency; not guaranteed by the Bank; may go down in value. Long-term planning for you. For them. For everyone to come. 800.582.1076 Gov. Ned Lamont and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz disparity." While many of the employers Hawks-Ladds represents are not thrilled about the added regulation, he believes they are genuinely committed to shrinking the pay gap and making their workplaces more welcoming to women. "I think people don't like to be over regulated, but they will accept that amount of regulation that is necessary to fix a problem," he said. "I think the pay gap between men and women has been a problem and people realize that." Perhaps the most vexing problem faced by women in the workplace is balancing family with work during pregnancy and aer giving birth. Gary Phelan, a labor lawyer and partner at Stratford-based Mitchell & Sheahan who specializes in representing employees, said that pregnancy-related cases are one of the most common sex discrimination complaints he sees. "It tends to happen at two points, soon aer disclosing the pregnancy or shortly before the return from maternity leave," said Phelan, who is also an adjunct labor law professor at Quinnipiac University School of Law. "If they're still working, it's some sort of criticism of performance." Bysiewicz said that pregnancy and childcare are among the biggest challenges companies face making their workplaces more equitable for women. Key to addressing the problem is affordable childcare for any woman who wants to work, she said. Gov. Ned Lamont and Bysiewicz are exploring ways for the state to do that. Bysiewicz had particular praise for companies like German pharmaceutical firm Boehringer Ingelheim in Ridgefield that have onsite daycare centers for employees. "We've got to figure out what we need to do to make sure any woman who wants to work has the ability to do it and has the tools she needs for success," she said. Unfortunately, it's inevitable that some women will continue to face discrimination in the workplace. Phelan's advice if that occurs: "Tell other people about it," he said. "at's number one. Number two: take notes. Write down what happened just so there's some sort of evidence to support it. ird, you may want to consider consulting an attorney." n Gary Phelan Joshua A. Hawks-Ladds

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