DEE_UK

Ok, I just wanted to know whether anyone else has gone through this, or have known another Brit to go through something similar.

My sister back home is very very ill (cancer). Now although I was planning to go mid-July for two weeks, the severity of her condition was not known until recently. However, these past few days, I've been speaking to my brother, and sister is weakening. On Wednesday we should have a final prognosis, we've been roughly told its weeks/months, not years. However, no one can predict these things, and we don't know how long she shall suffer.

Tomorrow, I shall tell my Director at work, that I may need to shoot off by the end of the week. I will find out on Wednesday. "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst." In other words, I hope I do not need to go back so soon, but if I need to, we need to be prepared.

Although my Director is aware of the situation, and has been supportive even before I started, I don't know how she shall take it - because, I may be gone for 3 weeks, it may be 2 months, sister may make a drastic improvement, and I may be back within the month... No one knows right now. We do have HR policies like looking after a relative who is sick etc where you use your own sick leave and holidays (which unfortunately, I have not accrued enough - only been in this job for 2 months, on a H1B). I'm even prepared for unpaid leave. I mean, I am sure there work projects which I can do whilst back in England, but that needs discussing...

So, how should I play this card friends? Any words of advice? Thank you.

Bob

Wow...sorry to hear about your sister...and I hope your able to sort things out with work.

DEE_UK

Thanks Bob. I shall let you know how tomorrow goes.

fatbrit

You may qualify for protection under FMLA (or be able to bend the situation so you do qualify!) -- see here.

DEE_UK

Thanks fatbrit.

I've taken a look at the link. Unfortunately, it says that I need to be employed for 12months and have worked at least 1,250 hours during that period to be classed as an "eligible employee''. So, I'm not sure how I can bend the rules!

However, I am sure the above link will be useful for other forum members.

NC Penguin

Is the Director you refer to above your immediate supervisor?

What I'm getting at is does your immediate supervisor know that your sister has cancer? Is your relationship with your immediate supervisor such that you told him/her (even in passing) of your sister's condition.

Have you read your employer's HR policies about leave? If you have to take unpaid leave, would you do it, even for as long as a couple of months?

You and your supervisor (and Director?) need to have a good chat about the possibilities for you. Since you're an H1-B you probably have a contract. Is there anything in your contract about leave and taking unpaid leave for "compassionate" reasons?

I know it must be a very difficult time for you and also being in the job for only a couple of months makes the topic of taking some time off work even harder for you.

I wish you all the best.



NC Penguin

I hop

DEE_UK

Thanks for the reply. My Director is my immediate supervisor, and they are aware of my sisters condition, well before I started the job. They are also aware that she has been in hospital for nearly 4 weeks now.

Our HR policy does state that we can take leave to look after a sick relative, and this leave is taken from our accrued sick time and holiday - of which I do not have enough!

However, with my original plan of going back to the UK in mid-July I was prepared to take unpaid leave, and was told that I would not need to do that. Now, its coming to the crunch time, and it just depends on what my Director has to say.

I'm on a H1-B, but I don't have a contract specific to this. My contract comes under the general HR policies of the establishment.

Yes, it makes it harder, because I have not built up a reputation here. All they have are my references, and my work from 2 months. Thank you for your best wishes.

scrubbedexpat099

Firstly, my sympathies.

Even in the UK, unless the laws have changed recently, you could be out of luck if they pushed it.

Generally you have far less protection in the US, so it would be a case of their generosity.

The plus must be the time and cost they have incurred to get you here.

DEE_UK

Ok, so I spoke to my Director this morning. And she has been simply wonderful about the whole thing. "If I need to go, I need to go, work can wait, family is important". If its a month, its a month, if its two its two... So that I am not left without pay, they will task me with a couple of projects while I am back in England.

Then this afternoon, the President (my Director's boss) came to see me, and tell me how much they valued me, and that I should not worry about work.

You know, I must have done some good deeds in the past, because the support everyone is showing me has been fantastic. More than I ever imagined.

So now, its a matter of waiting for the prognosis and planning when I fly out...