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‘I was on approved medical leave’: Gurgaon woman claims company fired her after accident
After suffering a serious accident, a Gurgaon woman claimed she was fired while on approved medical leave.
A 27-year-old woman has shared her experience of allegedly being fired while she was on approved medical leave after suffering a serious accident. Posting on Reddit, she claimed her employer first approved her leave but later sent her a termination email without any explanation.
She further alleged that the company later accused her of misconduct to avoid paying notice pay. Unsure about her legal options, she turned to the online community for advice.
Woman says she was fired while recovering from surgery
The woman wrote, “Terminated over email while on medical leave for a severed finger. Now the company is fabricating ‘misconduct’ to avoid notice pay. What are my options?”
She explained that after spending two months searching for a job, she finally joined a new company on July 1. However, she was only able to work for three days before a serious accident changed everything.
According to her post, she nearly severed the index finger on her left hand and also fractured the bone. She underwent emergency surgery and was placed on strict bed rest for two to three weeks.
While she was recovering, her reporting manager reportedly called her phone. Since she was heavily medicated, her emergency contact answered the call and informed the manager about the accident. The emergency contact then emailed the company with her medical reports, stating that doctors had advised complete bed rest.
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“The CGO replied to the email, approved the medical leave and wished me a speedy recovery,” she wrote.
Around eight to nine days later, she said she recovered faster than expected and informed HR and the management that she had been declared medically fit to return to work on July 15.
Instead of receiving confirmation about rejoining, she claimed she was met with silence. After following up with both her manager and HR, she found a termination letter in her inbox.
She alleged that the company later claimed she had been “refusing to learn the product” and “resisting talking to real clients”, accusations she strongly denied.
“Mind you, I was only at the company for three days and spent the rest of the time on approved medical leave. I immediately demanded proof of these claims, as they are entirely fabricated,” she wrote, adding that the company has since stopped responding to her.
Read the full story here.
Reddit users weigh in
An employment lawyer commented, “Employment lawyer here. It depends entirely on the terms of your employment, particularly your offer letter. Based on what you've shared, it looks like you could be entitled to at least one month's notice pay under the Shops and Establishments Act.”
Another user wrote, “Why would you even want to work for such an organisation? There is probably very little you can do, so I would suggest letting it go for your own peace of mind. Make sure to share your experience in the company's reviews to warn others. Focus on your recovery and finding another job.”
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A third person questioned the company's explanation, writing, “So you learnt about the product, prepared pitches and handled customer calls while you were on bed rest with a broken finger, and they still fired you?”
Another commenter shared a similar experience, saying, “The same thing happened to my friend. She contacted a lawyer, who sent a legal notice and filed a case. It was very helpful.”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
