Employee reportedly died after company refused doctor’s note

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Work to live, don’t live to work.” However, most of us do not believe that work can cost us our lives.

One woman suffered brutal consequences after her daughter-in-law died at work when her company wouldn’t accept a doctor’s note.

When she tried to sue the company, her lawyer gave her discouraging advice: You can’t afford to fight the Commonwealth.

A 35-year veteran worker allegedly died on the job after her company refused to accept her doctor’s note for medical leave.

The daughter-in-law of a deceased employee shared her story on the End Abuse in the Workplace platform.

“My late sister-in-law worked at DDS for a long time and was highly respected and was ready to retire in a few months,” the woman wrote.

“She had some problems with attendance due to a serious illness and provided her employers with a doctor’s note stating that she was frail and needed to take periodic leave due to her condition.”

She worked for the company for over 35 years.

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Despite evidence of her deteriorating health, her company threatened to fire her if she did not continue working.

When she presented the doctor’s reports to her employers, she was reportedly told that she must continue to work or she would be fired.

“Lori was single and couldn’t afford to lose her job,” her sister explained. “She reported for third shift duty and was ordered to work alone, although she felt uncomfortable doing so.”

“She had a stroke and died on duty that evening after an argument with her boss.”

When the family tried to sue the company, they were unsuccessful, and lawyers noted that they could not afford to fight the Commonwealth.

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Just a year before her daughter-in-law’s death, a woman said a similar incident occurred when another employee’s doctor’s certificate was rejected and he was forced to work.

They also died at work.

“I cannot express my utter shock and disgust at a system I previously had great faith in when I learned that my sister died in the line of duty as a result of administrative harassment by an agency and institution that I trusted and held in high esteem. for more than 30 years,” the woman wrote.

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Unfortunately, the pressure employees face to report to work despite poor health is nothing new in the United States.

“When I worked at DMH (Department of Mental Health) as a peer counselor, I encountered with alarming consistency people reporting anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts due to disturbances and harassment in the workplace,” the woman wrote.

The SWNS survey of 2,000 Americans overall found that the average person works 84 hours a year feeling ill, with 47% admitting to feeling pressure to “get it done” rather than take sick leave.

Others may feel they have no choice but to work while they are sick or injured to make ends meet.

This is the harsh reality of the work culture that is harshly enforced in this country.

You are expected to put a bandage on any health problem you are facing and hold down the fort or lose your livelihood.

Employers are not required by law to accept a doctor’s note unless employees are protected by the FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act).

Under the FMLA, employees of covered employers may “take unpaid, job-protected leave for certain family and medical reasons, with continuation of group health coverage under the same conditions as if the employee had not taken the leave,” according to the US Department. labor.

However, not every employee is eligible for FMLA, even if unexpected health complications arise and they do not have enough sick days to cover those costs.

Although the woman is likely to be in the UK, she is calling on employees to fight back against lawmakers who continue to allow employers to force sick and injured employees to come to work and put their health at risk. The problems are not much different from those in the United States.

“As a DMH counselor, I have personally supported many victims who have reached out to emergency services and crisis stabilization units where I have worked,” she shared.

“If I didn’t have my personal experience, as well as experience working on the frontline in mental health, I would never have known that workplace bullying existed and, to be honest, I would probably have thought it was very bustle. nothing, and also that it would be too costly for the Commonwealth.”

“Today, after everything I have been through, I realize that it costs the Commonwealth too much to NOT prevent bullying in the workplace.”

By holding companies and employers accountable, she hopes tragedies like her daughter-in-law’s will soon become a thing of the past.

No job is worth sacrificing your life. In the company, you are simply a replaceable number.

However, your families and loved ones cannot say the same.

CONNECTED: The office is offering employees free cream cheese to help them cope with the death of a manager.

Megan Quinn is a YourTango writer who covers entertainment and news, self, love and relationships.