4 Things to Know About Leaves of Absence and Wrongful Termination
Have
you ever wondered what would happen if you became very ill suddenly and
couldn't go to work? What if your child or spouse became ill or he or
she was severely injured in an accident; would you have to take off work
for the duration of their recovery? Suppose your doctor told you that
you were in need of surgery as soon as possible? Perhaps one of your
parents was in a recent accident, would your boss give you time off to
care for them? What if your husband or wife was injured while on active
duty in the armed forces, could you get time off to help him or her?
What if you were temporarily disabled but you could come back to work,
does your boss need to accommodate you?
When
an employee needs to take time off from work for certain reasons, it
leaves the employee vulnerable to possible violations of their employee
rights by their employer. There are laws in California that regulate
employee leaves and the way in which employers must respond to an
employee requesting and/or taking a leave. Not all employers follow
these laws nor do they implement them into their policies. This is
where issues arise for the employee which may lead to the need for an
Employment Lawyer. An Employment Lawyer is a type of attorney who has
experience in employment law on the employee side. This means the
Employment Lawyer represents employees against their employers in
particular leave of absence cases.
- Termination? Wrongful? Wrongful termination?
An
employee may run into issues at work once they request for a leave,
take a leave, or return from a leave. When and if this occurs, certain
employee rights may be violated and legal action may need to be taken.
The
word "terminated" in employment law is just a fancy word for being
canned, fired, or getting sacked. It is a word usually used to
characterize the way in which an employee was taken out of their
employment as opposed to quitting, being let go, or a position being
eliminated altogether. Termination is usually the result of an employee
not conducting themselves in a professional manner such as being late or
not producing satisfactory work product.
Where
does the "wrongful" come into play? Every state in America has its own
laws regarding employment. In California, all employees are considered
"at-will" employees. This means that all employees can be fired from
their position for any reason or even for no reason at all except if it
is for an illegal reason. Employers can decide at their own will to get
rid of an employee when it suits them as long as they do not decide to
do so because of the particular employee's race, age, gender, sexual
orientation, disability, medical condition, or if an employee makes a
complaint concerning illegal/unlawful activity being exercised at the
workplace. If an employer decides to terminate an employee based on one
of those mentioned reasons, that may be considered a wrongful reason.
If
an employee is terminated but the employee believes it is because they
requested a leave, took a leave, or returned from a leave, he or she may
be a victim of wrongful termination.
If
an employee is terminated but it is based on what the law considers a
wrongful reason, this may be identified as "wrongful termination". It
is wrongful because it is based on an illegal reason. If an employee
believes that he or she was wrongfully terminated because they were
fired for an illegal reason, then he or she should contact an Employment
Lawyer in their area.
- Failure to comply with accommodation request
Sometimes
an employee may be cleared to work after taking a medical leave but
only under certain conditions and/or restrictions. If an employee
returns to work after taking an approved leave, they may ask for certain
accommodations from their employer in which their employer needs to
comply with as long as the request(s) are/is reasonable. For example, an
employee may request to work during certain hours or perhaps shorter
shifts. If an employer fails to meet an employee's reasonable
request(s), the employee may have a case against their employer for
failing to comply with their disability needs.
- Time is relevant
How
much time can an employee take off for a leave of absence? Depending
on the circumstances, technically an employee is permitted to take up to
12 weeks for a recognized leave of absence. There are other factors
involved in deciphering how much time an employee is entitled to, but it
is a determination that usually an Employment Lawyer would be able to
make.
- Communication is key
If
an employee needs to take a leave, keeping open communication with
their employer is key. An employee should keep their employer informed
of when he or she will need to take a leave, how long he or she expects
to be out of work, and should their circumstances change, they should
inform their employer as soon as possible. Normally during this time,
an employee is on unpaid leave unless their employment contract says
otherwise. Where an employee would need more time in addition to the 12
weeks, he or she may contact their employer and inform them of this need
in the form of an accommodation request. This request would likely need
to include a doctor's recommendation of the additional time off. Keep
in mind however that after the original 12 weeks is up, there are
certain laws that do not obligate the employer to restore the employee's
same position back to him or her upon their return.
In conclusion, disability leave
and wrongful termination are complex areas of the law, which is why it
would be useful to contact an Employment Lawyer. An Employment Lawyer
who offers a free consultation with no up-front costs is the best kind
of legal professional to contact. Each employment case is unique in its
circumstances and facts, therefore an Employment Lawyer would be useful in the sense that they could tell a particular employee whether or not they have a case worth pursuing.