There may be a time (or several) throughout your career where a family emergency arises and you have no choice but to leave work in the middle of the day to take care of the situation. While most employers will expect you to follow the protocol they’ve established for such situations, they will also be understanding of your need to miss work for unexpected events.
There will also be employers who are not empathetic to your plight no matter how serious or devastating the situation is. This can make you feel like you are stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand you have a family emergency that is weighing heavily on your mind and on the other hand you are at risk for losing your job.
Dealing with an unsympathetic employer can be frustrating but ultimately you have an allegiance to your family. You will need to make a tough decision but will need to be sure you do not burn any bridges on your way out the door. It will be necessary to speak directly with your employer or supervisor and be upfront about the situation and your need to attend to matters outside of work.
Remain polite even if they threaten your job stability at work. They will not be able to force you to stay but you can try negotiating a way to make up the time lost at work or to turn in the work that was due while you were gone. Employers often care mostly about the job and unfortunately are not concerned about matters of a personal nature.
While you can never predict when something affecting your family can happen, it is best to be prepared in advance when leaving work is likely to be a problem. Have backup family members in place to pick up sick children from school and be sure to understand your company’s policy on missing work due to family emergencies so you’ll know how you can make up for lost work hours at a later day.
If you have been hurt in an accident on the job or have lost a loved one due to a work-related accident, contact our law firm for a free consultation by calling toll free at 888-799-3918 or use our online contact form for more information.