Imagine the scenarios that can and do arise in the workplace: An employee gives birth to a child but suffers complications, and the child sustains birth injuries requiring several surgeries. Or an employee injures his back while lifting file boxes and ruptures a disc; is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and needs time off to figure out her new normal; is in a car accident and needs time off for physical therapy for an extended period; or acknowledges he is an alcoholic and needs to enter a rehabilitation program.
What is an employer to do? For the past 20 years, employers have struggled to balance their legal obligations with the needs of the business and its employees. But the rules have changed.
