Could I be terminated from employment for taking 2 weeks off per doctor recommendation if I’m not yet eligible?
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Could I be terminated from employment for taking 2 weeks off per doctor recommendation if I’m not yet eligible?
I am a rapid cycling bipolar having a nervous breakdown. My doctor recommended 2 weeks off work and wrote a letter for that. I have only been employed 5 months and am not eligible for time off yet. Can they fire me?
Asked on December 16, 2012 under Employment Labor Law, Massachusetts
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Yes you can lose your job over this. PTO (i.e. vacation time and sick days) are a discretionary benefit that may or may not be offered by an employer. To the extent that it is given an employer can mandate just when and why such time is taken by an employee.
Additionally, an employee can be fired for any reason or no reason at all; this includes taking time off without permission even it it is as per a doctor's orders.
The fact is that in an employment at will arrangement, an employer can set the terms and conditions of the workplace much as it sees fit. So unless some form of legally actionable discrimination is involved in your situation (and it does not appear to be) or discharging you under the circumstances would violate company policy or the terms of an employment/union agreement, your termination would be legal.
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