We've Accepted Your Resignation: All About Protected Absences

Even employee-friendly California acknowledges that employers have a reasonable expectation that their employees will show up to work as promised, be on time, and will not have excessive absences. Indeed, tardiness and absenteeism can readily serve as legitimate employer defense to employee claims of unlawful termination. Absenteeism or tardies can also cause a denial of benefits with the Unemployment Development Department (“EDD”). However, not all absences are created equal. 

What type of absences and tardies are protected?

Some absences and tardies cannot form the basis of a termination at all. In-fact, depending on the reason for the underlying absence, employees who have been fired for missing too much work can sue for significant damages in a wrongful termination case. It all depends on the underlying reason for the employee’s absence or tardy, and whether or not the employer had reasonable notice. Numerous reasons can create a protected absence or tardy, including jury duty, the death of a family member, civil service obligations with the national guard, and parent-teacher conferences. However, medical reasons for the employee or for an employee’s family member are by far the most common type of protected absence. 

Medical-related absences can range from anything between the common cold and missing work because of cancer. Even if the underlying health condition does not qualify as a “disability” for purposes of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”) or a “serious medical condition” under the Family Medical Leave Act/ California Family Rights Act (“FMLA/ CFRA”) it can still be a protected absence for purposes of an unlawful termination. Moreover, there is not a specific legal cap on the total number of medical-related absences or tardies that can occur before they become unprotected, automatically allowing termination in all instances. The total number of protected absences and tardies depends on the circumstances of the employee, the employee’s position, and the size and resources of the employer.

Do I need to give my employer notice if I am late or absent?

Almost equally important as the purpose of the underlying absence, is that the employer has notice that the employee has taken an absence or is tardy for a protected reason. In other words, employers who have no clue why the employee is absent or late will not likely face legal liability for terminating an absentee employee, even if the underlying reasons for the absence were protected. For these reasons, it is often helpful for the employee to specifically and proactively inform the employer of any medical issues that are causing absences or tardiness. 

Moreover, legally adequate notice can take the form of a doctor’s note, a note or call from a spouse, or the employee herself. Notice does not have to be in writing, on a human resources department or company form, nor come from a doctor. Similarly, the employee is only required to give reasonable notice to the employer when they are absent or tardy for a protected purpose. Reasonable notice could be months ahead of time, for instance if the employee has a specific date for a surgery. Reasonable notice could also be no notice at all, for instance if the employee woke up violently sick. Lastly, under a legal concept called “constructive notice” an entire company or organization is deemed to be on notice if the employee’s lowest ranking supervisor was notified. 

Can my employer automatically fire me for missing a specific number of work days? 

No, not if any of the missed days are protected. An employment policy that disciplines or terminates an employee who has been absent or tardy a specific number of times is illegal if any of the underlying absences were for protected reasons. These policies are called, “no fault attendance policies.” Such policies are unlawful because they ignore that there are many situations where the employee cannot be punished for missing work. Despite being illegal for decades, no fault attendance policies are still prevalent. 

Can my employer say I resigned if I did not show up at work? 

Although decreasing in prevalence, employers will still frequently tell the employee that the employee has “resigned” if the employee did not show up to work, even if the absence was for a protected basis and the employee had no intention of quitting. This often is told to the employee in a letter from the employer that reads, in substance or affect, “We have accepted your resignation.” 

There is no legal authority in California for this practice. An employee’s involuntary termination, even if legally justified, does not become a voluntary resignation simply by the employer deeming it as such. Unfortunately, this practice is frequently used with the EDD in an effort to deny the employee unemployment benefits. Employers who engage in this practice risk exposure to both defamation and punitive damages.

Have you been fired for taking protected absences? Contact the Law Office of Brian Mathias. 

The Employment Law You've Never Heard Of: The CFRA

Most employees have never heard of one of California’s most important employment laws; the California Family Rights Act or CFRA (pronounced “cee-frah”.) The CFRA provides employees who have a serious health condition with up to twelve weeks of protected time off work, legally called a “protected leave of absence.” It also provides the employee with protected time off if a close family member has a serious health condition. The CFRA leave of absence may be taken in one large and continuous chunk, or may be taken several hours at a time called “intermittent leave.” 

While many employees have heard of CFRA’s federal counterpart, the FMLA or Family Medical Leave Act, CFRA provides employees with far greater protections. All California employees and employers should know the CFRA basics. 

How does the CFRA protect employees? 

The CFRA is a form of a protected leave of absence, meaning the right to take time away from work. It offers two types of protections to employees who are qualified to receive it. First, employees who take a CFRA leave are entitled to reinstatement at the end of their leave of absence. In other words, the employee has the right to get their job back. Second, the employee’s health care benefits must continue during the CFRA leave of absence. CFRA leave is unpaid and the employer does not have to pay the employee’s wages or salary during the leave.

What employers are covered by the CFRA? 

Unfortunately, not all employers are required to provide their employees with CFRA leaves of absence. Currently in 2020, only large employers with fifty or more employees must provide CFRA leave. However, as of January 1, 2021 this will be dramatically expanded and employers with just five or more employees must provide CFRA leave to their employees. Both part-time and full-time employees are included when determining whether the employer has the requisite number of employees. 

What employees are covered by the CFRA? 

Not all employees are covered by the CFRA. Even the employer has 50 or more employees (or five or more in 2021) the employee must meet certain criteria in order to be eligible. First, the employee must have been employed for one year or longer with the employer. Second, the employee must have worked at least 1,250 hours in the twelve months preceding the requested CFRA leave, or approximately 25 hours per week on average. Therefore, neither brand new employees nor employees who work only a minimal number of hours are covered under the CFRA. Currently employees must work at a location within a 75 mile radius of 50 or more other employees to be eligible for CFRA. However, this 75-mile radius requirement will be eliminated in year 2021, allowing remote employees or employees who do not work near a traditional company headquarters to be included within CFRA’s scope.

What types of medical conditions are covered under the CFRA? 

Assuming the employer and employee are both covered under the CFRA, the employee must have a “serious health condition” in order to qualify for a CFRA leave of absence. Unfortunately, the definition of a “serious health condition” is highly technical and is a common area of dispute and confusion. A serious health condition includes, but is not limited to: (1) inpatient care when at least an  overnight hospital stay is expected; (2) a period of incapacity of more than three consecutive days when ongoing medical treatment is required, and; (3) treatment for chronic medical conditions or permanent medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy. (2 CCR 11087 (r) & 2 CCR 11097.)  Many medical conditions arising from Covid-19/ Coronavirus also qualify as serious health conditions.

Because the definition of a serious health condition can be very technical, employees should carefully work with their doctors and health care providers when completing any CFRA paperwork. Similarly, employees should seek legal help when employers dismiss out of hand an employee’s request for CFRA leave on the basis that the medical condition is not serious; employers cannot play doctor in this way.

Lastly, if even if an employee does not have a serious health condition for purposes of the CFRA, the same employee may still be entitled to a leave of absence as a form of reasonable accommodation under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. 

What about the employee’s family members? 

The CFRA not only provides the employee with protected leave for the employee’s own serious health condition, but protected leave is also allowed if an employee’s family member has a serious health conditions. In other words, even if the employee is completely healthy, the employee may still receive CFRA leave to care for their sick family member.

Under the current state of the law, eligible family members include the employee’s children under 18 years old, parents, and spouse. However, beginning in 2021 eligible family members will include the employee’s children of any age, parents, grandparents, spouse, or sibling. Boyfriends, girlfriends, close friends, and housemates are not included as eligible family members.

How does an eligible employee get CFRA leave?

Employees who need time off work to care for their own medical conditions or for a sick family member should request CFRA leave from their employers. Employee’s may make this request verbally, but doing so in writing as soon as the need for leave is known is usually the best practice. The employee must state the reason for leave and that medical treatment is needed.  The employer is required to process the request quickly. In some situations, the employee may be requested to provide a medical certification, a type of doctor’s note, verifying the need for the leave. 

What happens if the CFRA leave is not granted? 

Because the CFRA is relatively unknown, legally complicated, and perceived as very burdensome and expensive by employers, CFRA violations are rather common, including violations that result in the employee’s termination of employment. Employers are prohibited from retaliating against employees who request or take CFRA leave. Employers are similarly prohibited from interfering with an employee who seeks to take a CFRA leave. Employers may be sued for violating the CFRA and employees may recover lost pay, lost benefits, human damages such as emotional distress, attorney’s fees, and even punitive damages.  Employees should consider contacting legal counsel proactively if their employer is refusing to grant a CFRA leave of absence. 

Do you have any questions about your CFRA rights? Contact the law office of Brian Mathias. 

California Protected Leaves of Absence: Sick Leave

California’s laws regarding medical leaves of absences can be tricky to understand. For starters, have you heard of the FMLA, CFRA, FEHA, PDL, HWHFA, PSL, or PFL?  Probably not, and even most California lawyers could not begin to tell you the difference between the legal abbreviations. Assuming you knew what the abbreviations meant, do you know which protected leave applies to large employers versus small employers? Or which type of leave allows a new father to take paternity leave? What about which type of leave provides you with the right to reinstatement?

This article provides and overview of California’s sick leave laws and is part of a series discussing each type of employment leave of absence. The article discussing California’s Baby Bonding leave may be viewed here and the article discussing California’s Pregnancy Disability Leave Law may be viewed here.

What is sick leave?

Sick leave is the least protective form of a medical leave of absence available to California employees, essentially requiring employers to provide just three days of paid sick leaves per year to employees who need to miss work for a medical reason. Unlike other forms of medical leave, sick leave does not require the employee to have disability or that the employee be seriously ill.

There are two forms of sick leave in California: Kin Care and sick leave under the Healthy Workplaces Healthy Families Act (HWHFA). Although Kin Care and the HWHFA are technically separate laws, they are most easily understood as one concept and are discussed together in this article.

What is the minimum amount of sick leave that must be offered?

Only after the enactment of the HWHFA in 2015 did California require employers to offer any sick leave to their employees. Now all private and public employers must offer a minimum of 24 hours worth of paid sick leave annually -the equivalent of just three work days. While many employers offer more than the 24 hour minimum, this is voluntary and is not legally required of the employer. All but very short term or very new  employees have the right to at least some sick leave under the HWHFA.

What can employees use sick leave for?

An employee does not actually need to be ill to take sick leave under the HWHFA; only a medical reason is required to use the leave. Routine medical appointments, medical diagnoses, check-ups, and any form of preventative care are all allowable reasons to take accrued sick leave. (Cal. Lab. Code § 246.5(1)).

Both the HWHFA and Kin Care allow employees to use their own accrued sick leave to care for the medical needs of certain family members. The legally recognized family  members include children, parents, grandparents, siblings, spouses, and Registered Domestic Partners. (Cal. Lab. Code § 245(4)(c)(1-7)). Not  included among the legally protected list of family members are in-laws, girlfriends, boyfriends, fiancés, nephews, nieces, cousins, housemates, partners, or pets. (Id.)

Sick leave may also be used by an employee who is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

What must an employee do to take sick leave?

Employees only need to submit a verbal or written request to take accrued sick leave. (Cal. Lab Code § 246.5 (a)). If the reason to take the paid sick leave is foreseeable, the employee is required to provide reasonable advance notification to the employer.  (Cal. Lab Code § 246(l)). If the reason for the sick leave is unforeseeable (i.e. a sudden illness) the employee is only required to provide notice for the leave as soon is reasonably possible. (Id). Employers cannot require the employee to find a substitute or replacement employee as a precondition of taking paid sick leave. (Cal. Lab Code § 246.5 (b)).

There no requirement that employees provide their employers with a doctor’s note to verify the reason for the sick leave. (Cal. Lab Code § 246.5 (a)). Employers who require employees to provide a doctor’s note or who pry into the reason for the leave can be sued for interfering with the employee’s right to use sick leave.

What are an employer’s obligations under California’s sick leave laws?

Employers are required to grant an employee’s request to take paid sick leave if the employee has accrued sick leave available and the absence is for a legally covered purpose.

Employers are also required to document the total amount of paid sick leave on the employee’s biweekly pay-stub (sometimes called a “wage statement”). (Cal. Lab. Code § 246(i)). Unlike vacation pay or paid time off, employers do not have to pay the employee the value of the unused sick leave when the employee is fired or quits.  

What are an employee’s legal rights under California’s sick leave laws?

In short, employers cannot give their employees a hard time for taking sick leave. Employers are prohibited from denying the employee the ability to use accrued sick leave, and are prohibited from firing, threatening to fire, demote, suspend or any manner discriminating against an employee for using or attempting to use sick leave.  If an employee is fired, suspended, or otherwise discriminated against within 30 days of complaining about an unlawful sick leave practice there is a rebuttable presumption that the firing/suspension was retaliatory. (Cal. Lab. Code § 246.5(2)).

Employees may sue their employers for violating California’s sick leave law requirements and may seek monetary damages for lost wages and benefits, emotional or psychological damages (called “general damages”), as well as attorney fees and costs.

Do you have questions about California’s sick leave laws? Contact the Law Office of Brian Mathias.