HR question: Stress and Short Term Disability

[Robinrs]

Could it have anything to do with that shooting and lockdown you had? Could that have affected her somehow? I would think a stressful situation would be pretty tough on someone, especially if you are pregnant.

She used this as the straw that broke the camel's back. ALL of us are suffering from that situation. His wife came up yesterday and we all went thru it again. This girl was not particularly close to the man but immediately starting talking about how his death affected her, like they were cut buddies . We all knew she was trying to find a way out of here, to use this is, imho, sad.

 

[crashbb]

She used this as the straw that broke the camel's back. ALL of us are suffering from that situation. His wife came up yesterday and we all went thru it again. This girl was not particularly close to the man but immediately starting talking about how his death affected her, like they were cut buddies . We all knew she was trying to find a way out of here, to use this is, imho, sad.

What happened to "every grieves differently"??

Many people would think it sad and weird that someone was posting on a Disney message board when a friend had just killed themselves and their building was in lock down. However, that worked for you, so that is good. Perhaps she doesn't have the same coping mechanisms that you used.

ETA - She may well be malingering jerk, but it isn't up to you or anyone of us to decide that. Or to decide how she should react to stress.

 

[MushyMushy]

She used this as the straw that broke the camel's back. ALL of us are suffering from that situation. His wife came up yesterday and we all went thru it again. This girl was not particularly close to the man but immediately starting talking about how his death affected her, like they were cut buddies . We all knew she was trying to find a way out of here, to use this is, imho, sad.

Although her grief and shock might not be the same grief and shock of people who were close to the man, that still doesn't mean it's not real or stressful for her.

I had a neighbor commit suicide about 10 years ago. We weren't close, but we spoke and smiled at each other. We lived within feet of each other. I was very much affected by his senseless death.

 

[hentob]

She used this as the straw that broke the camel's back.

Yeah. An office suicide sometimes can do that to people

 

[Robinrs]

Yeah. An office suicide sometimes can do that to people

Especially one that apparently didn't HAPPEN, right?

I know everyone grieves differently, but this girl has used a horrendous thing to further her agenda. She put in her paperwork that she WITNESSED IT. She was nowhere around.

She doesn't give a hoot about the guy,the situation or anything, just to find a way to get out of the job and get assistance. She called me yesterday and told me she can finally apply for WIC! And she was thrilled about it.

She also wanted to know if her bosses were upset because, bottom line, this is what she wanted. I don't care how much anyone is going thru, physically or mentally, but to use a circumstance to get vengeance is just sad.

 

[phorsenuf]

Especially one that apparently didn't HAPPEN, right?

I know everyone grieves differently, but this girl has used a horrendous thing to further her agenda. She put in her paperwork that she WITNESSED IT. She was nowhere around.

She doesn't give a hoot about the guy,the situation or anything, just to find a way to get out of the job and get assistance. She called me yesterday and told me she can finally apply for WIC! And she was thrilled about it.

She also wanted to know if her bosses were upset because, bottom line, this is what she wanted. I don't care how much anyone is going thru, physically or mentally, but to use a circumstance to get vengeance is just sad.

How do you know what she out in her paperwork? Are you HR?
Thing is regardless what you think, it doesn't matter. If she goes to a Dr and they confirm how she feels then so be it.
Just because the situation didn't effect you has no bearing on how she feels.

So what if she didn't know the guy. She was in a building, that was locked down because a despondent man had a gun. Those are the facts. If it stressed her out and put her over the edge then that's how it is. I don't think it's right for anyone to judge what may or may no effect people. The situation was obviously traumatic enough that the company brought in a grief counselor.

 

[Arielle22]

Leave is time off and short term disability is how you get paid for it. So her doctor could place her on leave but disability may not approve payment.

If she is covered under FML then she has 12 weeks leave when her job must be there when she returns. However disability only covers her until she is recovered from child birth (usually 6 weeks).

FML can run either a calendar year or a rolling year. If she has used up any of the 12 weeks then she has less time available. FMLA allows the employee to use leave but does not allow the company to mandate its use.

If she does not return when her Family Medical Leave expires then she can be termed in accordance with your company policies.

If she does not qualify for FML then she should be given the same amount of leave as any other similarly situated employee who is out for another reason.

Some states have a maternity law (MA for instance) which may come into play also.

Beyond the technical aspects, it is always frustrating when you think a coworker is playing the system and getting away with it. Many times they are not as smart as they think and it bites them in the end.

Is she anticipating coming back to work or does she want to stay home with the baby?

One final thing, your company can hire a temporary employee to cover the leave so the other employees don't have to pick up the extra work.