Employers must provide medical or disability leave to an employee who provides medical documentation warranting such a need. It may be available to the employee through short-term or long-term disability leave plans. Medical leave may also be requested by employees in order to provide care and support for family members. Not providing such leave could be tantamount to discrimination.
The right to be accommodated and the duty to do so is well-entrenched within both legislation and common law. Employers should not, however, be forced into providing expensive forms of accommodation, when a reasonable one can be found at a lower cost. Employers must also understand that they are entitled to appropriate medical documentation to support any request for accommodation, including absence from work, and should not fear insisting on it.
