What is y recourse if I was stabbed in the chest outside of work which resulted in hospital stay and now I’m being harassed and bullied by one of my bosses for needing time off?
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What is y recourse if I was stabbed in the chest outside of work which resulted in hospital stay and now I’m being harassed and bullied by one of my bosses for needing time off?
I was stabbed in the chest on a Friday night, off of work, which resulted in me being sent to a hospital for overnight stay. Now I am being harassed and bullied by my boss for needing the allowed time off to heal properly for the punctured lung that resulted from the injury. The wound itself is through my left pec muscle which one between the ribs and into my lung. This was only 2 weeks ago. I have been recievig harassment from a boss,in regards, to taking days off from work in order to allow the wound to heal properly. I’m trying to figure out if this is against laws and what the actions against me really are as far as a legal stance.
Asked on December 2, 2017 under Employment Labor Law, Nebraska
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 6 years ago | Contributor
You are only legally entitled to time off from work for medical reasons if:
1) You have and use sufficient paid time off (PTO) days, like sick or vacation days, which you earned or accrued for your time off; or
2) Your employer is covered by the Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which means it has at least 50 employees within a 75-mile radius, you are eligible for FMLA leave (worked there at least one year; worked at least 1,250 hours in the past year), and you use FMLA leave (which is unpaid, by the way) for your absence.
That's it: except when using PTO or FMLA, you have no right to miss work for medical reasons, and your employer may "harass" you about when you are coming back--or terminate you for not coming back to work when they want.
If you are using FMLA leave and they are harassing you about using it, contact the department of labor to file a complaint. If you use PTO for all your absences and they retaliate against you for using it, you could sue them.
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