Can I ask my employee for a doctor’s note if they are absent due to a sick child?

Get Legal Help Today

Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Can I ask my employee for a doctor’s note if they are absent due to a sick child?

Asked on July 11, 2015 under Employment Labor Law, North Carolina

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 8 years ago | Contributor

Yes, you legally may: employers may require employees to document the reasons that they miss work. Be sure that you apply this policy even-handedly (e.g. ask all employees, male or female, if they take time out to care for a sick relative and--preferably--if they miss work for their own illness): you don't want to inadvertantly be seen as discriminating against women if, say, you ask a working mother to prove her child's illness, but don't ask a male employee to prove an illness keeping him out of work. While companies can have any policies they like about sick time, etc., it is important to be even-handed in those policies.


IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.

Get Legal Help Today

Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption