Can My Job Really Do This To Me?

A week into my new job my left foot was in serious pain, then to top it off I walk outside, slip on some ice, now I am in serious pain to the 2nd degree. I am rush to the ER and told that I have a stress facter on my left foot. I fax over the ER papers to my employer, I am fired right away! I ask for one of the available desk jobs they have and was turn down cold ( yes I have major computers skills). I am not sure what can be done since I have only been there a week. In case you are wondering what type of work i was doing, I am a nurse!

Yes I already have another job line up, I just really do not like how they handle things.

You have decided to quit the job -good !
But teach a lesson to your employers by writing a letter about their anti-employee and imperialistic style which is obnoxious !!

If you are a nurse, just find another job. Nurses are in high demand.

I live in Utah... and the laws in this state allow your employers action.... I hope you don't live here!!

Good luck, in any case :-)

It depends on if you are in an At Will State... these employers can do whatever they please when it comes to termination.

It is the awful truth. But in all reality, it's just them doing business. A boss has no real benefit to them in keeping an employee who is not there, they have to replace them so that things can continue moving along. It's not fair and they could care less about how anyone else pays their bills, as long as it's not their own lives at stake.

The trouble in working for the man.

Sorry about your foot though! Ouch! and then the job makes it a double Ouch!!

They CAN fire you (unless you had contract etc where they cant) BUT they STILL have to give you workers comp and pay dr bill because you WERE employed at time of injury...call an atty (personal injury ones are the big color ads in phone book) if need be

Yes they can fire you under those circumstances. They could have fired you without reason, even if you HADN'T had those problems. Sorry. Better luck on the new job.

Legally this is what happened: You were hired for a job that required you to be on your feet, when you had your fall the ER papers you faxed to the employer was a "request for an accommodation" (be assigned a desk job), the employer was under no legal obligation to grant your request and terminated you. Yes, it is all legal.

Could you file an EEOC/IDHR (Illinois Dept of Human Rights) complaint about this? Yes, but you would not win and you would wastes time & money pursuing this. Besides that, you were only there one week and in the probationary period, so your financial loss would be less than your legal fees.