Manager who demanded doctor’s note on New Year’s Eve was not reasonable, EEOC says
Source: HR Dive ↗
A Family Dollar store manager demanded a pregnant worker produce a doctor’s note the same holiday evening she was told via phone to take a few days’ leave from work, a complaint alleged. The PWFA requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, absent an undue hardship. PWFA also protects workers from being fired for needing or requesting an accommodation, the agency said in a news release, and protects workers from interference with their PWFA rights. At her Jan. 3, 2025, appointment, the worker learned she had miscarried. The following day, the store manager created a document saying the worker had failed to notify the manager on duty that she would be late or absent from her shifts. On Jan. 6, 2025, Family Dollar determined that the worker was terminated for failing to communicate with the store manager and “abandoning her position.” “Firing a worker for requesting time off to address urgent pregnancy-related medical concerns is not only unlawful — it is indefensible,” Catherine Eschbach, acting general counsel of EEOC, said in a statement in the same release. “To add loss of family income to the tragic loss of a baby is incredibly stressful. The EEOC will not hesitate to take decisive action when employers violate these protections.” In EEOC v.
Family Dollar Stores of North Carolina, LLC , part of the case hinges on the manager’s requirement that the worker provide a doctor’s note. On Dec. 31, 2024, the afternoon the worker said she’d been referred to a high-risk clinic and needed time off work, the store manager said she needed the note “as soon as possible” to send to the district manager. The worker confirmed she’d requested the note and expected to receive it through her patient portal. While the store manager continued to press for the note on the evening of Dec. 31, 2024, the worker said the facility was closed for holiday, and the portal cautioned her it could take up to two business days to receive a response. She sent a screenshot of her confirmed Jan. 3, 2025, appointment, which was her only evidence of written communication, as she had received her doctor’s instructions via phone call. “While the law allows employers to seek medical documentation to support a pregnancy-related accommodation in some situations, they may only do so when it is reasonable under the circumstances,” Melinda Dugas, regional attorney for EEOC’s Charlotte district, said in the agency’s release.
Family Dollar did not respond to a request for comment by press time. EEOC has expanded on this element of the law in a guidance posted on its website. Other situations considered unreasonable include repeated requests for notes about a known condition, such as morning sickness, or requests for documentation when a situation is obvious, such as when an obviously pregnant worker requests a larger uniform. The plaintiff alleged that he repeatedly contacted Amazon’s HR staff to correct the error to no avail. The company unsuccessfully claimed that the agency’s information requests were overbroad and too indefinite, according to a Wisconsin federal judge. The plaintiff alleged that he repeatedly contacted Amazon’s HR staff to correct the error to no avail. The company unsuccessfully claimed that the agency’s information requests were overbroad and too indefinite, according to a Wisconsin federal judge.
⚡ Effects Interpreter
🌍World Economymedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Distant markets sometimes move on rumour before the facts even settle.
- ▶Global boardrooms tend to take notice when a story like this surfaces.
🏙️Local Economylow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Apprenticeships and training schemes in the sector could be affected too.
- ▶Careers in the industry could see fresh openings or closures.
🏦Rates & Bankslow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Savers might glance at their account rate — lenders adjust after big events.
- ▶Borrowing plans are usually safe from sudden shocks over something like this.
❤️Healthlow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Talking things through with family or friends can ease the load.
- ▶Stress levels in affected communities might tick up before they settle.
💷Wealthmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Retraining costs can be a hidden expense worth planning for early.
- ▶Redundancy pay, where it applies, is worth understanding in full.
🏠Housinglow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Local surveyors usually note that sentiment shifts before prices actually do.
- ▶Renters may see costs drift a little as landlords weigh their own bills.
🌍 Effects for your country
The U.S.'s central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The U.S.'s economy is growing at 2.3% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the U.S.'s own central bank rate closely. With the U.S.'s unemployment at 4.4%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the U.S. depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UK's central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UK's economy is growing at 0.8% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UK's own central bank rate closely. With the UK's unemployment at 5.6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UK depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
France's central bank rate currently stands at 2%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. France's economy is growing at 0.9% with inflation at 1.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track France's own central bank rate closely. With France's unemployment at 7.9%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is already under strain. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in France depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
Romania's central bank rate currently stands at 6.5%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. Romania's economy is growing at 0.7% with inflation at 7.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track Romania's own central bank rate closely. With Romania's unemployment at 6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in Romania depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UAE's central bank rate currently stands at 3.65%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UAE's economy is growing at 3.1% with inflation at 2.5%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UAE's own central bank rate closely. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UAE depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.