[NH]
Took approved FMLA leave recently (2 weeks out + phased return) due to an unexpected illness. My job has “blackout/high volume” periods where PTO is supposedly restricted, but management regularly approves time off anyway — coworkers have taken weeks or even months off during these periods.
I asked to leave a few hours early for my cousin’s out-of-state wedding and another family event. My manager and their boss called me to deny it, specifically bringing up that I was already out during the last high-volume period and saying coworkers shouldn’t have to keep covering my work. They only agreed to let me leave 1 hour early.
Afterward, I found out they approved other coworkers’ PTO requests during the same blackout period, including full days and half days off. Nobody else was even off the day I requested.
Since returning from FMLA, I feel like I’m being treated differently, and the comments about my prior leave make this feel retaliatory. Does selectively denying my PTO after protected leave potentially count as FMLA retaliation, or is this still within management’s discretion?
From what I have read and researched, this could be, but it’s a fine line. What makes me think that is specifically bringing up the FMLA during the conversation.
TLDR: I took approved FMLA leave during one of my job’s “high volume/blackout” periods. After I returned, my manager and their boss denied my request to leave early for my cousin’s wedding, specifically referencing my prior leave and saying coworkers shouldn’t have to keep covering my work. They only allowed me to leave 1 hour early, while still approving other employees’ PTO during the same blackout period. I’m wondering if this could be considered FMLA retaliation.