Why would employers want to fire employees whose dependents are having serious health problems? What do you think would be the reaction of employees with healthy dependents who suspect this might be happening?
Though it may come across as unfair, cold, and heartless, employers may want to fire employees whose dependents have serious health problems. Several reasons why employers may consider taking such measures are work availability, job performance, and cost-effectiveness.
Work Availability and Job Performance
If a dependent’s health problems cause an employee to miss work frequently, it can influence the company’s workflow and productivity. Work-flow design involves the individual and collective tasks necessary to produce a product or perform a service (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2021). If an individual is unavailable for work, it affects their individual work output, which in turn affects the output of other work units and the company as a whole.
Dealing with a sick family member can be physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. The demands can influence job performance. Being distracted or impaired by outside issues can impact an employee’s effectiveness and the quality of their work. Research has shown that impaired work ability is a risk factor for termination or dismissal (Martinez and Fischer, 2019). With stringent budgets and reductions in staffing, individual contributions have become more vital. Employees have to be present and perform their duties well in order for companies to function at an optimal capacity.
Costs
Another reason an employer may consider firing an employee with dependents with serious health problems is because of cost-effectiveness. Chronic conditions can be expensive in prescription costs and out-of-pocket expenses. They also have a tendency to drive overall healthcare premiums upward for employees and employers (Maxwell, 2017). Subsequently, any dependents covered on an employee’s insurance can also add to those costs. Some employers attempt to control costs by offering varied employee contributions based on the employee’s health and risk factors rather than charging each employee the same premium (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2021). This shows the extent to which employers try to reduce healthcare costs and keep them affordable.
Co-Worker Reactions
There are a number of ways employees with healthy dependents can view the termination of a coworker under these circumstances. They may feel the termination was unfair. Employees may empathize with their coworker and their situation. They may have concerns for the welfare of the uninsured dependent. They may also consider would the company treat them the same if they needed to miss work because their dependent became sick.
Employees may feel the termination was inevitable. Due to the frequent absences of their coworker, they were forced to carry the weight of greater production. Though the reasoning for missing work is understandable, it causes disruption in the workflow, continuity, and cohesion of the unit. It can also affect the morale of other employees and lead to decreased productivity.
Legal Aspects
When most think of legal protections for employees in reference to medical conditions, they refer to the Federal Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the American Disabilities Act (ADA) legislation. These matters can be complicated and in some circumstances do not apply. There is no federal law that requires employers (other than federal contractors) to provide sick time, whether paid or unpaid. FMLA does obligate employers with 50 or more employees to provide leaves of absence of up to 12 weeks for severe health conditions of eligible employees or their family members (Berkowitz, Downes, & Patullo, 2018). If medical conditions that cause employees to be away from work are related to a disability, it is possible that they could still be terminated. A uniformly applied attendance policy does not violate the American Disabilities Act even if it has a more severe effect on individuals with disabilities, or on employees who have family members with disabilities (Pacer.org, 2022).
References
Berkowitz, A. D., Downes, J. I., & Patullo, J. E. (2018). Navigating the maze of state and local employment laws concerning sick time and family leave, criminal and salary history checks, pregnancy and lactation accommodation, and anti-discrimination protection for medical marijuana users. Employee Relations Law Journal, 43(4), 3–27
Martinez, M. C., Fischer, F. M. (2019). Work ability as determinant of termination of employment: to resign or be dismissed? Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 61 (6), 272-281
Maxwell, C. (2017), The Effect of chronic conditions on employer and employee healthcare costs. JP Griffin Group Employee Benefits Blog. Retrieved 1 October 2022 from: https://www.griffinbenefits.com/blog/effects-chronic-conditions-employer-employee-healthcare-costs
Noe, R.A., Hollenbeck, J.R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P.M. (2021) Human resource management: Gaining a competitive advantage (12th edition) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Pacer.org (2022). ADA Q&A: FMLA and Job Protections for Parents. National Parent Center on Transition and Employment (2022). Retrieved 1 October 2022 from: https://www.pacer.org/transition/learning-center/laws/ada/fmla.asp#:~:text=A%20uniformly%20applied%20attendance%20policy,policy%20as%20a%20reasonable%20accommodation.
