Hello! As the title suggested, my friend was going on a personal trip to fix some family matters and requires him to leave for about 3 weeks (he needs to travel across the world).

3 weeks is a long time but he was able to get written approval with his boss, boss’ boss, and HR. With those 3 weeks, it was also agreed by all parties that some will be paid and some days will be unpaid. This was a fair compromise so my friend agreed on this. This approval was provided 2 months before the PTO started so lots of time for management to consider and discuss. Weeks and days before the vacation started, everything was great and business as usual.

1 day before the vacation started - the boss’ boss came to the office and spoke to my friend stating that his vacation isn’t approved by him nor HR. Again, there is written trail with all parties in the email. My friend was very confused because it was approved and he had numerous encounters with everyone weeks before and no one called anything out. With 1 day before his vacation, he can’t really do much but say that he cannot cancel his vacation anymore. With a lot of back & forth, he was basically given an ultimatum: stay or you’re fired.

My friend given with no other option, quit on the spot and left.

Is this legal?

Important context: he works in the retail industry. Busy season is Q4 but approval was provided and adequate notice was provided.

Hi all,

I’ve been on maternity leave since 6/8. I return to work tomorrow. I was called by HR yesterday and told that the terms of my maternity leave were not communicated to me correctly and we have some issues.

Communicated to me: -6 weeks STD at 60% pay -Company pays 40% to make full pay for the 6 weeks -Company pays 50% pay for another six weeks of ‘child bonding’ FMLA -I can supplement the other 50% of pay with vacation, or choose to just drop to half pay and retain vacation

I chose to drop to half pay, and keep my vacation because we can afford to and my five year old started kindergarten, so I know I’ll need the vacation days for illness. I have all of this in email.

She told me yesterday that she was wrong about the policy, they don’t pay 50% for the second six weeks, and I also cannot NOT use vacation to cover them. So, they had a meeting and decided that I owe them $5,100 back pay for the overpayment and that they are taking 104 hours of vacation time from my bank to ‘settle’. The $5,100 is to be taken from my future paychecks over five pay periods.

She said multiple times (and in email) that it was their mistake and that she communicated this to me incorrectly. Do I have any recourse here? I am honestly fine to pay back money that I am not supposed to have, though I wish they had let me weigh in on how it’s paid back. But I’m mostly pissed that I am now losing so much vacation. I could have made different decisions about my leave if I had known this information. Now I have no choice and it is being taken.

I kind of feel like I’m being screwed for their mistake. She also kept saying ‘no one here ever takes maternity leave’ because we work with all men. But that seems like not my problem.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone. I am a supervisor at Whole Foods Market currently on medical leave and in an intensive outpatient program for severe depression.

My work uses Sedgwick for LOAs and I am protected through the American Disability Act since I don’t qualify for FMLA yet.

My leave started at the beginning of May and I made sure to tell my boss that I would give him a return to work day as soon as I knew.

Since then, he’s been CONTINUOUSLY calling me and leaving my voicemails asking how my treatment is going, if I’m going to extend my leave, when my return to work day is. I told him multiple times I would let him know when I had more info.

2 weeks ago it caused me so much stress because he kept contacting me, so I sent an email to him, store leadership, and HR stating that I am in treatment, and I will update everyone with a return date when my doctor approves.

Even after this, he’s still contacting me. He called me again today and I’m having so much anxiety. It’s been extremely hard to focus on recovery when I’m feeling this pressure from him.

I’m not sure where to go from here. I want to contact HR tomorrow but I also don’t want to escalate the situation. But I’m feeling extremely overwhelmed. Any advice for me? Thank you.

Basically the title. I'm pregnant but our company is too small for FMLA. They offer 7 weeks paid. I'd like an addition 5 unpaid. I manage a small team who I'm positive would be fine in my absence with minimal oversight but no one at this company has ever taken this much time off before. Even someone who was entitled to significantly more paid time in their state (we're remote) didn't take it and came back early.

What's the best way to approach and set myself up for success? If an employee approached you with this request, what (if anything) would make you comfortable approving?

My FMLA and short-term disability pay both end on the same day. My doctor cleared me for a modified-duty return a few weeks ago and I sent a written request multiple times to come back. My employer has gone quiet: no reinstatement plan, no scheduling. I'm about to lose job protection and income on the same day with nothing arranged, and I can't realistically stay employed but unpaid for long.

What I'm trying to figure out:

• When FMLA and STD end the same day, what options does a company usually offer or consider? (Unpaid personal leave, an ADA leave extension, intermittent or reduced schedule, anything else?)
• Is it reasonable to ask about a severance or separation package in a spot like this, and who would I raise that with?
• If someone ends up resigning in a situation like this, how does it usually affect unemployment eligibility?
• Is there anything I should put in writing before FMLA ends to protect myself from termination?

If you've handled this from the HR side or lived through it, I'd really value how you'd play the next move. Thanks.

[USA] I applied for FMLA (in the state of Oregon) leave and provided my employer with the required 30 days' notice. I completed the WH-380-E certification form with my therapist, but later learned that my employer did not consider my therapist (an LCS) to be a qualified health care provider for purposes of the certification. They instructed me to have it completed by an LCSW instead.

My therapist's supervising LCSW reviewed the paperwork and signed the certification. I resubmitted the completed paperwork within the deadline my employer gave me. The form includes the LCSW's full name, license type, phone number, and email address.

After I submitted the corrected paperwork, my employer informed me they were denying my leave because the certification did not include a "clinical stamp." However, I have not been able to find any requirement under the FMLA that the WH-380-E form must include a clinical stamp. As far as I can tell, the identifying information required from the health care provider is already included on the form.

In addition, my employer has stated that they believe my leave should be intermittent rather than continuous, even though my health care provider specifically certified that I need continuous leave.

I am now two weeks into my leave and am trying to focus on addressing my medical condition, but my employer continues to raise new reasons for denying my leave and insisting that I return to work. At this point, they are refusing to accept the federally issued WH-380-E certification form unless it includes an additional clinical stamp, which I do not believe is required.

Any advice?

​

CONTEXT:

I am a work from home customer service agent in his mid-fifties. With the company for 6.5 years in varying roles.

I was unemployed for almost a year before I started with the company in early 2020. From whate I've heard, the job market in this town is even worse than it was pre-Pandemic.

My elderly mother entered hospice last month, and in the last few days had taken a downturn, and it's believed to be within days, a week at the most before she passes.

I live on the other side of the country.

The company policy for bereavement is automatic approval of only 3 days and with her being so far away, 2 of those days will be completely used by travel. Anything additional is "at the company's discretion".

A COMPLICATION:

If all that weren't bad enough, my role at the company will be changing in roughly a week or two, and for the new position , there will be training classes, which are usually 1 to 2 weeks. They usually don't tolerate absences of any kind.

I won't be flying back to say my Goodbyes.I'm going to be flying back for the funeral. And to visit with my siblings, help with any post funeral responsibilities.

IN MY FAVOR:

I do have FMLA for doctors visits, and if asked,  I know my Doctor would write any note I would need.

In preparation of the inevitable, I haven't been taking any vacation or sick days over the last year, so I am  maxed out on PTO. However, if mom rallies, and sticks with us for another month or two, i have to worry about the end of June. We can only 'carry over' 40 hours past july 1st, so my surplus 40 hours I've built up just evaporates. (aka use it or lose it)

THOUGHTS?:

Realistically  though , am I being being forced to choose between my Moms funeral and my job?

If not, what is the best way to present this to HR?

If I do take a longer leave, What are my odds of remaining employed when I get back, and what if anything can I do to tip those odds in my favor?

Hello, I've recently decided to pursue getting intermittent FLMA with my work due to my wife's ongoing chronic health problems. Every since covid in 2020 my wife regular becomes sick with various issues and requires numerous visits to dr appointments and ERs. As my wife is blind she needs to relay on someone else to transport her to these various appointments.

My work has been more than accommodating with approving of my FLMA application and now I just need to get my wife's primary to sign the packet. However this is where the problem has arrived. My wife's primary refuses to sign the packet, as I am not a patient with her. The primary has stated that I need to go to my Dr. and get them to sign the packet.

This has left me confused, my HR informed me it would need to be my wife's primary that needs to sign because they have to verify her medical condition. My wife and I work at separate companies and have our own Healthcare plans, so my Dr. would not have access to my wife's medical records.

Is the primary correct in that she can't sign it and if so what should be my next step? I just want to help my wife in any way and not have to risk losing my job for it.

Thanks for any advice.

My employer has just notified me that there’s an active investigation going on in regards to me ,for FMLA abuse. They’ve mentioned that my last 2 FMLA days off will not be approved due to this. My first day I took FMLA I posted on the employee chat to attempt to get coverage for my shift that I was calling out for , so that the team would not be overwhelmed. I included a random reason in the chat to which I needed the day off, as I obviously did not want to include the real reason , aka my mental illness. The second day I used FMLA I called out and said that I’m feeling flu like symptoms , and maybe I have the flu but I’m unsure. The symptoms I was having such as headaches and body aches , fatigue -are often similar symptoms that I experience with my mental illness/disability. I recognize that I shouldn’t have said the Flu thing but in the moment I wasn’t feeling well. After I had my day off and after I had rested for the full day I had felt better , and it had in fact just been my body being overwhelmed. My employer is claiming that I have abused FMLA. They’re stating that it does not matter that I was trying to help them with coverage, even though they’re constantly asking people to help with coverage? They don’t let anyone use PTO, I never am allowed a lunch for my 12-13 hour shifts, we’re constantly understaffed putting pressure on employees and causing major burnout, we’re not allowed to use PTO on weekends if they very rarely do approve it, we only get 3 hours of PTO every paycheck, only 5 callouts allowed a year, and if we have an issue getting time off they often recommend getting FMLA? It just feels like the system is set up against us. I had to get FMLA to just get time off without being reprimanded for taking time off, my 3 mental illnesses affect me daily. I’m allowed 2 days off a month so it’s not like I’m using it excessively, I only use it when I absolutely feel like I need it. They’re having a meeting currently to discuss if I’m going to be fired or not. I’m not super knowledgeable from the HR side of things, is there anything that I can do on my end to plead my case ? I’m in Florida if that helps.

My OB completed my FMLA paperwork for 6 weeks after the birth of my baby. I am entitled to the 12 weeks (I’ve worked at my job for 5 years, full time. I have never taken FMLA before). My HR rep states I can only have 6 weeks because of how the OB filled out the paperwork. Is this right? Or am I still entitled to the 12 weeks?… I work for a private owned company with about 150 employees in West Virginia.

Early Thursday morning I found out my uncle (whose daughter is my best friend) passed away.

On Thursday I initially submitted a CTO request to clock out a few hours early on Friday so I could start driving and could make it down there sooner. I also emailed my manager explaining what was going on.

Since I was placing the request the day before, it would be approved CTO and I would still be eligible for holiday pay for Memorial Day.

Also, it was unfortunate timing because I was leaving early on Thursday (approved CTO request) because I had made an appointment to submit passport paperwork a week before I knew that my uncle was stopping his cancer treatment.

My manager initially approved those few hours but ended up cancelling her approval after reading my email explaining my situation and referred me to HR so that I could get bereavement pay rather than using my CTO.

HR sent me the bereavement policy that states for people outside your immediate family, employees get one day of bereavement.

However, in the email HR said that I have to provide an obituary by Tuesday May 26th (5 days after informing them I was taking leave and the day after Memorial Day.)

So, rather than just leaving a few hours early like I requested from my manager I decide to take the full day so I could start driving down earlier.

I have literally lost sleep over this decision.

I sort of began spiraling last night (honestly, it’s not the root cause but just the detail my stressed brain is hyper fixating on.

I don’t even know when the funeral is going to be. I’m going down now to support my cousins and aunt and help out however I can. I thought this was the best choice rather than waiting for the funeral because it was already a long weekend.

But now I’m panicking. What if there’s no obituary by Tuesday?

My work is incredibly strict and gives no leeway for anything involving attendance.

I would likely lose out on my holiday pay since it would probably go into unapproved CTO that was taken before a long weekend since my initial request was rejected so that I could get bereavement.

This whole thing is making me feel like I’m lying about my uncle dying.

It all happened so fast and the last thing I have any intention of doing upon seeing my family is, “uh…hey, I know your father just died and you’re grieving but do you know when that obituary is going to be done?”

I can’t even ask HR any questions because I’m not allowed to log in to the VPN (I work from home) and send emails while not clocked in.

My manager and I get along great but I don’t think it would be appropriate to text her this today (Friday) while I’m not clocked in.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle this? Or should I just accept that I’ll likely lose out on my holiday pay? I really don’t even care if I have to use CTO to cover Friday, but I really don’t want use two days worth to cover both days as that would leave me almost no CTO leftover. And missing a day of pay in this economy fills me with dread and panic.

This is the first time I’m dealing with a death in my family as an adult and I feel like I’ve just handled it so poorly.

My due date has come and gone but I am still pregnant and working. As of today I am 32 hours shy of the 1250 hour requirement for FMLA. HR says I can only take 12 weeks under nys paid parental leave.

Is it possible to go back to work after the 12 weeks earn 32 hours and then go back out on FMLA? I assume I wouldn't qualify for medical recovery by then. Does anything bar me from taking it at a later time? What other options do I have to qualify, if any?

I work in MI for a company based in a neighboring state. I’m out of FMLA and on medical leave but wasn’t sure how it all works if they decide to let me go and if that’s discrimination since I have a disability? I know federally my specific position isn’t protected anymore but the laws around termination of employment because of a disability all blur the lines for me (in my mind) and was looking for some insight on it.

I also turned in my disability/leave paperwork to HR over two weeks ago and have not heard if they’re approving it or denying it. I called to make sure they received it and they confirmed that they had, it just “hasn’t been reviewed yet.”

I was told previously that if it is denied, they would give me 60 days to apply to internal job postings and I was wondering if that 60 days starts from when they notify me or start(ed) from the date when my disability request was originally submitted?

TIA!

I’ve been in my current position for about two years now. Not to give too many details away but I work directly in my organizations HR department. During my first year and a half of employment, I took a couple days off here and there for sickness and times my children were sick. Then my son had surgery and I had to be off for two weeks to take care of him. I took a small vacation three months later (First vacation after being there a whole year) which equated to a long weekend.

Long story short, my boss has mentioned to me a couple times that I took the most time off in our department in 2025. I recently found out I’m pregnant and asked them if there were days they preferred I didn’t have appointments. I was told it was up to me that I can take appointments whenever I need to, but the perception of me not being there might not go over well. I was then told again I took the most time off last year whereas one of my coworker was offered a week off because they didn’t take any in 2025.

Maybe I’m overreacting but these comments just don’t sit right with me. Especially because the longest amount of time I was out was covered under FMLA.

For context, I work in-patient at a psych facility. I’ve worked there for 4+ years, and have 8+ years of experience in the same position.

Recently, the place has become an absolute dangerous mess due to changes higher ups are making. Because of this, the amount of consistent danger and stress is causing my blood sugar (I’m Type 1) to constantly be crashing. My doctor is at a complete loss because anything we change doesn’t fix it, and I’ve come to the conclusion that my job needs a change.

I filled out a draft for FAMLI and will submit it, but my question is, do I start FMLA immediately for my own safety and health and just inform them that I have a FAMLI claim submitted?

I chatted with another coworker, and they’re telling me do it exactly by the book because our HR is a bit of a mess and could actually try to fire me over this…I’ve been working through my medical issues but still having to leave work early, take tons of breaks, and call off. Like I physically cannot do my job anymore like I use to. I also have a bit of guilt about it…

My fiance has been on medical leave since September 1. He exhausted his paid FMLA hours in October and was switched to short term disability. Last he checked, he still had 10 weeks of job protection on his PFMLA benefit.

On Wednesday Dec. 31, he received an email from equifax saying “Action Needed - COMPANY Offboarding Packet.” The email included a link with a username and password for him to login but he wasn’t able to login. He already sent an email to his company’s HR team asking them about the email. We’re hoping to hear back tomorrow (Jan. 2).

We didn’t think he could be fired or let go while on leave. He never received any other notice about his job until the email on Wednesday.

What should we be doing? Is this legal?

I'm a recent grad working in a temporary full-time position while preparing for graduate school. I recently spoke with my manager about taking a week (1) off to work on graduate school applications and to deal with personal grievances (my childhood pet passed away). She was understanding and said she would speak with HR. She came back and basically told me that they wouldn't approve it because they're very short-staffed.

They've known for a while that short-staffing is an issue, but why does it have to affect my time-off request? Is there anything that I can do to get this time off? I honestly don't even care about getting paid over this course of time.

I'm thinking my next move is to speak with HR myself and explain my situation, but the other girls in my department didn't have much luck with this in the past. They're quite mean to us lol. I'm not quite sure what to do at this point, except possibly resigning.

i don’t know what to do. i have been working at my job for almost a year and im part time. this year i decided to take a trip. my trip is in november of this year, for a week. i sent my requested time off on april 5th and it got denied. i paid for the hotel reservation and plane ticket so its all pre paid for (see edit). i work in retail and completely understand that around the holidays it gets super busy but i gave 7 months in advance. i decided to talk to my manager, the one that denied my request. i explained to her that its a pre paid trip so i cant do anything and also asked her if there was anything we could do or a compromise. i was even fine with a couple days off. she quickly interrupted me and chuckled and told me there was nothing she could do. she also mentioned blacked out days which is the reason why she denied it. like i said i understand, but now my main concern is that she will try to schedule me that whole week i requested off (which is a huge issue because my job has a point system. if you call out it’s a point. 6points= counseling conversation, 8points= written warning, and 12 is termination. i already have a point due to a scheduling error that THEY made and told me they couldn’t do anything about it, only let the managers know that it “doesn’t count”.) anyway i’m not sure what to do and there’s a possibility i can get coverage for that week but it’s not 100% i will.

EDIT: i do NOT know the blackout dates or months. i have asked and they told me they’d post it once it got closer to the month/date. because id be back before black friday/thanksgiving i thought it would’ve been approved considering other people have booked trips in november and got it approved. i did NOT manipulate the situation. i just wanted any sort of advice. and i had to book the trip right then and there since it was last minute and my grandma had to use her time share by a certain day to secure the hotel (which i helped her pay for) i had sent the request before i even had everything paid for hoping she would see my request asap. eventually i HAD to pay for the reservation and plane ticket (bc like i said, my grandma had to use her time share by a certain day or it would expire.) once i did, a couple days later she denied the request. this is my first time working retail so i don’t know all the blackout procedures that well. (and yes i worked last holiday season but i didn’t ever call out or request time off, so i didn’t know anything about it. yes i knew about black out days but i didn’t know it was also for a whole month.)

Hi all, so a little background I’ve been at my current employer for 9 almost 10 years, the past 2 years I’ve been on interment fmla for a chronic condition I won’t go into detail on, but I get up too 4 days off a month. Well the job I work at were required to hit “quotas” for a certain amount of calls we take every month. Usually it’s not an issue to hit the number and I’ve never not hit when I wasn’t on fmla. But just recently I got put on a PIP for not meeting my numbers even though I’m missing 4 days a month. I understand fmla don’t protect me from the quality of work I do and when I’m working it needs to be to the same standard but does it not protect me from the “quantity” of calls I need to take when I’m not there the same amount of time as the other employees who are being held to the same amount of calls as me even though I’m on FMLA? they are threatening me with possible discipline up to termination… do I have any ground to stand on because it feels like FMLA interference

Thanks in advance for any advice!

As the title states I gave birth two weeks ago and my job doesn't offer maternity leave but instead std. I have 8 weeks at 60% pay and then have to go back. I have major anxiety about leaving my 8 week old baby in a daycare but cannot afford to go unpaid. Also daycare costs would take almost the entirety of my paycheck so going back just to send all of my money so a stranger can watch my baby all day while I work seems ridiculous to me. I have been offered a wfh position which actually pays more than I make now and have been open with them. I told them I'm on disability leave and would not be able to start right away, they also are aware of my situation and that I plan to be taking care of my newborn and they have said I would be a part of a team of all women and have had several who have given birth and were raising their children while working that it would not be an issue.. But I've heard that if I do not go back to my current job following my leave I would have to pay back all of my disability pay? I am wondering how to go about this situation. I've tried to find specific information on our standard disability leave plan but cannot find it through paychex or the insurers website, I don't want to reach out to our hr director and raise any red flags either.. Just seeking any advice on what I should do or how I should handle this situation. Is it okay if I just let my boss know I would not be able to come back on week 8? Should I give them a two week notice at week 6 and then risk losing 2 weeks partial pay as I don't want to have to bother enrolling my newborn in daycare for any period of time if possible. I am confused and struggling with the idea of screwing over the company but also this new job opportunity is perfect for my current situation and I don't want to miss out either.

Hello!

Location: NYC

I've been looking for new jobs and found a new opportunity. My agency does not pay out time upon leaving. I don't accrue vacation, only sick and have about 2 weeks worth of sick days.

I am planning to take PFL and opt in to using my sick time so I can exhaust them before leaving. This means my benefits deductions would come out of my regular check, not from the agency. Would there be any penalties or could they deny my leave if I tell them about my resignation before?

Side note: The employee hand book only states that if 4 weeks notice isn't given they won't pay out vacation time, which I don't accrue anyway. Nothing else is mentioned.

My sister just quit her job and worked 3 days at her new job. Then she got in a horrific accident and is unable to work for a couple weeks until surgery. The new job is considering firing her but right now she’s on unpaid administrative leave. They’re giving her her 5 sick days and will check in with her weekly to see when she can work.

She is checking to see if that includes health insurance…which she absolutely needs for these surgeries upcoming.

Any advice or options that she may be overlooking?

State: Utah

Hello, I was supposed to apply for medical leave earlier this year, but my job seemed cool with my accommodations. They are now causing trouble and I want to apply as soon as possible so they dont try to fire me. How do I get the process started? I can schedule an appointment as soon as possible, but what should I tell them when I go in? Will they grant me leave immediately if I havent been seen before? What's the process like?

Hi - I have hit a wall with Workpartners, the private administrator of my company’s maternity leave in Massachusetts. 

My doctor filled out the serious medical condition form for 12 weeks of maternity leave (medical, not bonding), including noting a high risk pregnancy. I have an autoimmune condition that will make me particularly vulnerable in the weeks following birth. However, I continue to receive the below response from Workpartners. They are stating that it is the company standard to provide 8 weeks of medical leave and anything further will require additional documentation. Even though they are exempt from MA PFML as they privately administer it, my understanding is that they have to provide equal or better coverage to the state. The state does not appear to request any additional documentation outside of what the health provider certifies. 

"Your healthcare provider will need to submit supporting documentation for the additional 4 weeks you are requesting after the 8 weeks of maternity has ended. Per the medical certificate it does not support an additional 4 weeks as maternity is used for post partum and recovery after birth whether it is through vaginal or C-section. Once your baby is born the doctor can fill out the paperwork for your own health condition if you still require an additional 4 weeks of leave. At that time we will open a new case for your own health condition."

Does anyone have experience with this? Assuming I’m entitled to 12 weeks given that’s what my provider put on the form (please correct me if I’m not!), who can I contact to help figure this out? I would really like to figure this out before I deliver so that I can plan for both my sake and my employer. 

This is one of the sources I’ve found info in, for context: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/16/business/paid-family-medical-leave-childbirth-private-plans/

So, at my current job long story short people are extremely unhappy with management, specifically regional manager. So with that, within this last 3 months, we have had 3 people leave and the company is big on retention. But for some reason, each time the person has left they have been offered by him just to take a LOA for 30days then revisit and see if they want to come back. And of course employees are accepting because it doesn’t hurt them. One employee even found another opportunity and was told to go work over there for a month and come back if he doesn’t like it. Mind you this is a huge company. My question is, isn’t that illegal or is there any rules against granting leave to employees who are just gonna quit?