Can my employer demand I come into work if I’ve told them that I can’t?

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Can my employer demand I come into work if I’ve told them that I can’t?

I spoke with my boss via messenger 4 hours before the start of my scheduled shift to tell her that I would be unable to work the shift. I explained that my father was sick and so I had to stay home with him. She told me that I would just have to figure something out because she could not cover my shift, so I either had to be at work or find someone to work for me. Is that legal?

Asked on July 13, 2017 under Employment Labor Law, Georgia

Answers:

M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 6 years ago | Contributor

Unless you were eligible to use PTO (i.e. sick leave or vacation time), you had no legal excuse for being absent from your job. Accordingly, while unfair, your employer's action was legal. That is so long as your treatment did not constitute some form of legally actionable discrimination (i.e. it was due solely to your race, religion, gender, disability, etc.) or it violated the terms of a union agreement/employment contract.


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