Once again my company is screwing me over (and I'm not even talking about the Federal Labor Laws that they have already violated). 

I'm scheduled to have surgery on December 18.  I am supposed to be out until January 11.  I saved the rest of my vacation time, so I could take off without worrying about not being paid in full.  If I had still been under my old boss, she would have just signed off on my leave and we'd have gone with that.

New boss gets involved and says that I should contact HR and go through *channels*.  So, that's what  I did.  Well, according to company policy (which I had absolutely no knowledge of), any time off for more than five days, the individual HAS to go on short term disability at 1/2 pay.   Doesn't make a damn bit of difference that I have the accrued leave to take.

:'(

Sue em.

   Potter

Shoulda just told um you were taking a 3 week cruise.  ;)

Racer1_NC wrote on Dec 10^th, 2009 at 6:40pm:

Shoulda just told um you were taking a 3 week cruise.  ;)

Well, if my old boss was still my boss, all the company would have known is that I was on vacation.

I'm waiting on an attorney to call me now.   Unfortunately, even if I file a lawsuit, I can be terminated and then I'm really screwed.  Shit, the stress is going to kill be long before I have to worry about surgery.

A letter ending in Esquire would seem appropriate.

Carolyn I'm sorry to hear this especially when you set aside time for this procedure.

I may be wrong but I think employers, because of the economic straights we're in, may have a tendency to feel as though they can abuse valuable, and proven, employees.

Giving you grief may be a tactic that some jackass-up-and-comer, that went to the latest management seminar, decides it's now time to show everybody how much of a true jackass he can be.

Some punk who is neither a grower or a shower.

Please disregard the above if you new boss is a female. Then again...maybe not.

Do what you think is right. We are who follow this credo seem to be getting fewer and fewer.

I pray all goes well.

Steve G

 

Yes Carolyn. companies are really putting the hammer to employees in this economy.  Why?  Because they can.  What used to be "policy" is now if it's not illegal to do so, we'll take the perks away, and what is illegal, we'll redefine to make it legal.

I have been so lucky. After 30 yrs teaching I began this year with 210 sick days. I broke my leg Sept. 13 an am still on leave recooperating from surgery.  I have worked many days over the years that I should have stayed home all because I was told I'd be paid for them when I retired. Well now that I can retire I found out the first 150 are a total loss and then they pay $25 /day for the remaining. At least I have the days to cover my accident but I sure wish someone had told me this change in policy.

Good luck with your leave time and most of all with your surgery.

Charlotte

At my company, we have to sign and return a piece of paper saying that we've received the new policy manual (or have access to it online). If your company doesn't have such a document, you may have a case.

You don't need this crap!!

Just remember......you will spend one night in the hospital...right... ;)

Brew wrote on Dec 10^th, 2009 at 11:31pm:

At my company, we have to sign and return a piece of paper saying that we've received the new policy manual (or have access to it online). If your company doesn't have such a document, you may have a case.

I don't know what my company has.   I work in the field and may see someone from my company maybe once or twice a year.  I looked all over our company website and found nothing.

I'm screwed, so I might as well suck it up and get over it.

Not sure you should roll over yet! No, you don't want to risk you job, but some steady pressure applied artfully wouldn't hurt.

I obviously don't know the people involved, but can you find an angle that works - like a sense of fairness? Persistence applied skillfully might pay off.

Best of luck.

Marc

Marc,
The biggest problem is that Louisiana is a *right to hire/right to fire* state.  In other words, I can be terminated without reason (even though the company has a written policy regarding this).  I've talked to HR until I'm blue in the face and got absolutely nowhere.

I am going to contact an attorney today to see if I have any recourse at all.  And now I'm real tempted to file two separate complaints with the labor board (and that would mean I would be terminated eventually anyway).  I know for a fact that they are in violation of two sections of the Federal labor law (I talked to the labor board way back and they told me that , "yes, I could file a complaint, but that would most likely mean I would be terminated".

Rock and a hard spot..........

Carolyn - are the disability benefits taxable income? I think maybe not, so your 50% income nets you a little more in not having to pay taxes on it. In the end, you would be able to use your vacation afterwards for some extended recovery period (you know, go back to work, and then put in for vacation soon again..)

Just a thought.

What a bunch of crap.  Sounds like a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo written to screw the little guy.  Has anyone at your company ever taken more than 5 days off?  If they were not required to file for disability, requiring you to do so really suxxxxxx.

Could you take a week then hobble in for a day then take another week and so on until you are recovered? If you could suck it up for a day here and there you could get around this policy but then again they probably would find a way to screw you over again. This sucks, so do they make people that go on a two week cruse file for disability as well and how the hell does that work?
If it was not so tough out there now they would not get away with this crap, karma can be a bitch and I hope it bights them in the ass for pulling crap like this on people trying to just make a living.

Christy,
Not sure about the disability payments, maybe not, at least I can hope so.  As far as the vacation time, I've just lost what I had coming for this year.  *Company policy* states that I cannot accrue time while out on short term disability (cannot use the shortened version, *std*, makes me think of sexually transmitted diseases).  We cannot roll over time either, if it's not taken by the end of the year, it's lost.

Brian,
Yeah, I've taken off for more than five days, but with my new over zealous supervisor, he jumped up and said that *I* should be doing certain things.  If it had been my old supervisor (who I have worked for over 6 years), she would have just signed off on my vacation time and left it at that.

Matt,
I wish I could go back after 1 week, but I can't even drive until one week is up.  I'm having a hysterectomy and an oopherectomy so even *hobbling* about is out of the question.  See my response to Brian. 

Oh, if I ever have the ability to quit this company, there will be a scathing and probably not so nice that will go to HR and corporate (not that they will care).

I will say this.  From this point on, I will do just enough to keep my job.  I will fulfill the basic job requirements and not do a damned thing more.  My new boss will find himself in a world of hurt because I've been doing shit that, although helps him, doesn't really do much for me.  IF they need somebody else to train new people (I've been the go to person for a long time, because I'm damned good with our handheld units). best hope they can do it, because this old girl won't be doing it (unless my old boss asks me personally).  Need technical help in the field?  Best call the help desk, because this help desk is closed.

Did I mention that I've had one 2% raise in all the almost 11 years that I've worked for this company?  Yeah, they have incentive programs, but you may wait a year to get paid and that's if you get paid at all.  So, from this point on, I'm a warm body fulfilling only the basic duties of the job.