by Andrea
(NC)
Over the course of the past two years I have had several health issues which were of course not planned. As a responsible employee I went to the doctor and received a note each time to document what was going on. Can I be fired for too many absences due to health related issues that a doctor has written me out for?
Yes, you can be fired for that.
But it does not mean that you cannot use those doctor notes to prove that your absences should not be considered to be MISCONDUCT.
Beyond this though, I wonder why FMLA wasn’t requested or offered as an option to protect your job.
When people don’t mention this .. my first thought is that they work for a fairly small employer who isn’t affected by needing to comply with the Family Medical Leave Act .. but I know this is not always the case .. sometimes it happens that an employer wouldn’t tell you that it is an option .. just so you don’t know.
Intermittent FMLA can provide up to 12 weeks of job protection each year, when it is your health that is the issue.