There may come a time in your career that you need to take time off from work due to a personal medical condition, temporary disability or pregnancy. When this happens, if you meet the eligibility requirements, you can take the time needed from work and return to your job as if nothing has changed.
Thanks to the Family and Medical Leave Act, employees who have been employed by their employer for 12 months or more, worked a minimum of 1,250 hours and their employer has a minimum of 50 people on staff can get an unpaid leave of no more than 12 weeks. While employees who have met this criteria can legally take leave, employers may find it upsetting and decide to retaliate against the employee.
With this particular act, not all employees are protected if their employer decides to retaliate. For example, a person who is a government employee may find themselves protected by the FMLA, but other employees may not. If you find yourself unsure of whether or not FMLA protects you, you can speak to your employer or an attorney about this issue. Getting the correct information will allow you to be sure that your job will be waiting for you when you return from leave.
If you plan to request leave or have taken leave for medical reasons and your employer has retaliated against you, a FMLA attorney at the Employment Law Office of John H. Haskin & Associates, LLC may be able to assist you. If you can legally take medical leave, you deserve to take the time off to recuperate so you can perform your job to the best of your abilities.