I’m on Medical Leave, Can I be Fired? Do I Have To Do Work?

The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is one of the most important protections for workers dealing with their own medical issues or the health issues of a family member.  It provides time off for medical care or recuperation and guarantees that you cannot be disciplined or terminated for taking the leave (if you need to get acquainted with the basic protections of the FMLA, here is a video presentation I made with all the info).  Unfortunately, while the FMLA does protect you from termination for taking medical leave, there still may be other grounds that an individual can be terminated even while on leave.  Additionally, many employers now require some amount of call-in or work done while on leave, but the contours of what exactly can be required are fuzzy.  Hit the link for a few cases that illustrate these aspects of the FMLA…