So I just found out that my sister was fired earlier in the week for basically having a sick kid. My sister was dental assistant and had been working at this specific office for a couple years. So apparently my nephew (who's 5 years old) got really sick earlier with a fever of either 103 or 103.5 degrees Fahrenheit (don't remember which) and had to stay home from school. So my sister, being a single parent (my nephew's dad died of an overdose a few years ago), took two days off of work to to take care of him. She planned on going back to work on the third day despite my nephew not being better but she got a text from another employee saying that another assistant had been contacted and was going to cover her hours that day if my nephew was still sick and she wanted to stay home. Thusly, because everything had already been worked out, my sister decided to stay home and take care of my nephew. Then when my sister went back to work, the head of the dental assistants said that the text on the third day had been a test to see how dedicated my sister was to her job, that by taking this time off she was screwing over the office and that she was no longer employed. My sister started debating with this person over the ridiculousness of this decision. My sister: He is a five year old kid and kids get sick every once and awhile. This is the first time he's been sick all year and the only time I've taken off. Him: Yes, but this same situation happened last year too. My sister: I'm a single mother with a child with a really bad fever who had to stay home from school. I needed to be there to take care of him. Him: You should have given him to your sister, a friend or Kevin (her deceased mother's second husband to whom my nephew has no relation) to watch. You could have brought him to work with you, left him in the running car and checked on him every once and a while. This idiot told my sister she should have brought her fever stricken son to work and left him in the fucking car...And the part about her screwing over the office is bs too. They have six dental assistants and four chairs, so there would be at least two people available to cover her hours when she took off. I mean honestly, firing her for taking three days off to take care of her 5 year old son? This person utterly disgusts me. I was just curious to see what other people thought about this.
That seems like wrongful termination. She has vacation and sick days. Honestly she could have a lawsuit against them.
That boss just sounds like a crazy tyrant. Hope things work out soon for your sister. I agree with Mlpguy88. She should check into that.
It's likely not a wrongful termination, but it depends on the state. Most states are "at-will" states, which means that the employer can employ or fire anyone at will (i.e., without notice, reason, or recourse.) So legal action for that sort of thing would be very difficult to win. Of course, that doesn't change the fact that the manager is an asshole. Federal employment law does state that an employer may not discriminate against someone based on familial status, so, for example, during an employment interview, they can't ask you if you have young children. But they can ask things like "Do you have anything that would make it difficult for you to reliably come to work", and they absolutely have the right to expect that employees will be completely reliable and come to work without taking days off... which is why many employers don't want to hire single parents. Most employers are pretty lenient with single parents (or parents in general) but as your sister found out, some are not. Probably better for her to just focus on finding a job with a better work environment than on what a turd her previous employer was
If she's full time and her employer has more than 50 employees she's protected by the family and medical leave act.
Your sister's boss is beyond an idiot. You cannot put a 5 year old in a car so you can work, especially if the child is sick and has a high fever. That is not only a legal issue (I suppose that depends on where you live though) but it is also a major safety issue. Unfortunately, Chip is right. Chances are she won't be able to sue but it all depends on where she lives. The whole situation is beyond ridiculous. It is terrible that a single mother lost her job but, on the bright side, at least she doesn't have to work for someone with that level of incompetence anymore. I hope everything works out for her
Thats is just wrong in multiple ways. That man is ridiculous! You don't just leave 5 year old children in cars.... idiot.
