Do most workplaces immediately terminate someone who is placed in a mental institution?

Question

As in, if you are admitted to a psych ward, even if only for 24 hours, do most workplaces immediately terminate you to prevent themselves from looking bad?

Answer 1

No, they don't, and in fact, they should not. Mental illess, along with most other serious illnesses, is considered a disability under the Americans with Disability Act (ADA.)

Companies with 50 or more employees should be offering a Family and Medical Leave under the coincidentally named Family and Medical Leave Act, a Federal law that provides employees with unpaid time off for their own serious illess among other reasons. Certain states also have leave laws which amend or supersede the Federal statute, so check your state's department of labor website for current info.

What they CAN use to terminate an employee under these conditions is their own attendance policy - excessive absenteeism, or not calling in, could give an employer grounds to terminate if it violates their policy.

Anyway, you need to get the help that you need regardless of what your employer does. If they want to terminate everyone in their workplace who suffers from some form of mental illness (depression, dementia, bipolarity, etc.), they'll likely be left with empty desks and vacant hallways.

Feel better.

Answer 2

I don't know where you come from, But here in Illinois the employer can terminate someone if they do not show up for work for 3 days. It is considered job abandonment. So if the patient is in the psych ward for 24 hours and the employer is not informed all they can do is reprimand him when they get back.

Answer 3

How would your employer know that you had been hospitalized? I don't believe that a medical condition is grounds for dismissal, unless you are absent without notice. If you did get fired, you should retain an attorney to fight it.