Is COVID-19 Putting Your Job At Risk?
COVID-19 is changing the way people interact both in and out of the office. But some employers are more understanding than others. Did you recently contract the coronavirus but are not getting the support you would expect from your employer? Are you being forced to work in unsafe conditions that might make you more vulnerable to the virus? If any of this sounds like your situation, don't despair. It might be possible to get your employer to change their tune, especially if a COVID-19 medical leave lawyer gets involved. Here's what you should do if your employer is pressuring you to work in a way that might make you or your co-workers feel unsafe.
Document What Is Said
If you are going to start a dispute with your employer over COVID-19, you should document everything in exactly the same way you would for any other kind of workplace problem. Whether you have the coronavirus yourself or you are scared of getting it from someone else who might have it, you would hope that your employer would have your back during these trying times. If this is not the case, you need to get down on paper exactly what your employer said to you, word for word. If there were any coworkers nearby who could serve as a witness to what was said, document their names and job titles as well.
Apply Pressure If You Can
This next step can be a bit delicate because you don't want to get yourself into more trouble with the boss if you technically still have a job. But if possible, see if you can get any coworkers to come to your defense. Is there an entire group of people who do not feel safe at work? Does the company as a whole believe it is unsafe or unreasonable to expect someone who was recently diagnosed with COVID-19 to come to work anyway? Find allies if you can, and let your employer know as a group that you are not OK with management's current policy.
Contact an Attorney If Needed
If you are requesting medical leave because of the coronavirus but your employer is not helping you out, you might have better luck with an attorney on your side. Sometimes just contacting an attorney is enough for your employer to suddenly see it your way. Attorneys have other tactics that could help you without requiring a lawsuit to be filed. For example, your attorney could threaten to go to the press about your manager not doing right by his or her employees during this difficult time. Whatever path you take, you'll have a much better chance of success with qualified legal counsel by your side.
Contact an attorney today for more information.
To learn more, contact a COVID-19 medical leave lawyer.