My boss is very pushy and is mandating that we come back to the office with only a week’s notice and get the vaccine. I need time to sort out my life and child care after working remotely for the past year, and for medical reasons, I don’t want the vaccine. He said that if I refuse, he will terminate my employment. What can I do?
Charmer, that one. Bullying bosses are at the top of my list of things I hate. Another is when New Yorkers stroll down the sidewalk as if on a country lane, heads buried in their phones. (C’mon people, look up and move it!)
But I digress. The bullying boss has the right to require a vaccine in most cases. However, if your medical reasons are covered under the Americans With Disabilities Act you may be exempt from getting the vaccine. If so, and your employer won’t let you back in the office, bullying boss has to make a reasonable accommodation.
Since you’ve been working remotely for a year, bullying boss would have a difficult time claiming he can’t allow you to work remotely. So, you may be able to stall and even prevent this decision. At least it will buy you time to find a job with a more empathetic boss.
My employer does temperature checks, and I was turned away from the office recently because my temperature was high. The problem is I have a difficult commute and I carpool to and from work, so I was stranded and had to pay a lot of money to get home. Should my employer reimburse me for that?
What, did you take an Uber Black? Is public transportation not an option? Did you not know that your employer was doing temperature checks? Did you check your temperature before you left home that morning? Did you ask your employer if there is a policy about the protocols for employees who don’t pass and aren’t allowed into the building? Did you consider going to get yourself tested for COVID-19 just in case? If you know that you’re negative, did you consider chilling out and hanging out at Starbucks, shopping, exploring the city, and waiting for your carpool ride back home? So many more questions than “shouldn’t my employer pay for my commute home?”
Gregory Giangrande has over 25 years of experience as a chief human resources executive and is dedicated to helping New Yorkers get back to work. E-mail your questions to GoToGreg@NYPost.com. Follow Greg on Twitter: @greggiangrande and at GoToGreg.com.