Legal Question in Employment Law in California

Although employers can have attendance policies which can penalize employees for missing too much work, there are exceptions. For example, if this is an employer that employs 50 or more people within a 75 mile radius of where you work, it is subject to what is commonly known as the Family Medical Leave Act. Under the FMLA and its California equivalent, the CFRA, employers must allow qualified employees to take up to 12 weeks off, within a 12 month period, due to a serious illness or injury. We also have laws that protect people with disabilities or certain medical conditions from discrimination because of the disability or medical condition. Employers may not discipline an employee protected under one of these laws.

There are also a variety of laws that allow employees to take time off for other reasons, such as to serve jury duty, attend their children's school activities, observe a religious holiday, etc. The list is too long and the conditions too varied to explain here. If you believe your employer should not be disciplining you for a specific reason which you believe to be unreasonable, you should consult with an employment law attorney in your area.