I work in accounting and have had several medical issues this year. I was hired in August. The company originally chose someone else, then reversed their decision two weeks later and offered me the job. In hindsight, that was the first red flag.
December:
I went to the ER for severe back pain. MRI showed bulging discs. I took a few days off.
Around this time, the company fired their India‑based employee after the October busy season. Then in January, they hired a new India‑based employee. Looking back, this felt like a second red flag — they seemed to be cycling through people instead of training them.
March:
I was rushed to the ER with severe stomach pain. My gallbladder was infected and needed to be removed. My doctor recommended two weeks off, but because it was close to the 3/15 deadline, I tried to return early. After a week, I realized I wasn’t ready for full‑time. HR approved part‑time.
After that, I was repeatedly asked when I’d be back full‑time. They always said “listen to your body,” but I could tell they were annoyed. They changed my salary to hourly during this period. I often worked over 4 hours anyway and returned to full‑time 2 weeks and 2 days after surgery.
Performance feedback:
Before my March surgery, my director mentioned “improving self‑review,” but couldn’t give specifics. When I asked the managers, they said it was minor (a missed box, sorting statements). It was never mentioned again. Every week I asked how I was doing and was told I was doing fine, that I was new, and that the first year is a learning curve.
At the end of February, I even asked if my job was secure before buying a car. They reassured me it was.
April:
I had a tonsillectomy scheduled since January. PTO was approved and they said it was fine to go negative because of my emergency surgery. I had the surgery on April 17 and returned April 27. The office was closed April 20–21 for a holiday. Tuesday’s team meeting was normal.
Termination:
On Thursday, during my scheduled one‑on‑one, the director suddenly told me the firm had “decided to go different ways” and I was being let go. No warning. No prior issues. When I asked why, she repeated that “the needs of the role changed.” My access was cut off shortly after.
Before losing access, I called a coworker who apologized and said the owner doesn’t give people much time to learn — “you either get it or you don’t.” When I was hired, I specifically asked if they were open to teaching because my previous job didn’t give me much training.
HR’s explanation:
I emailed HR asking for a proper reason. They replied that I was terminated effective immediately, paid through May, and they wanted my equipment picked up within hours (I was fired at 1 PM and they wanted pickup by 5 PM).
HR also sent this full explanation:
“We do recognize and appreciate some of the effort you put in, but at the same time, your role requires a level of accuracy and attention to detail that unfortunately wasn’t being met.
During your one-on-ones, we provided feedback about the need for you to complete more thorough self-reviews which was due to issues of inaccuracy and attention to detail demonstrated in repeated review points across multiple returns.
While the items you mentioned may seem minor (like the signature box, sorting workpapers, and not clearing e-file diagnostics), the frequency and consistency of these issues across multiple returns, even after feedback was given, made this a larger concern.
While we certainly encourage asking questions and expect mistakes to be made, this is intended to support the learning process. The expectation is that the feedback from those mistakes is applied to future work so the same issues do not continue to recur over time.
Based on the overall pattern of performance, we determined that it was not the right fit for the role and we wish you the best moving forward.”
Important context:
HR never attended my one‑on‑ones. They never discussed performance with me — only medical leave, pay, and insurance. The only feedback I ever received was the minor self‑review comment months earlier, which managers told me was not a big deal and which was never mentioned again. I had been doing detailed self‑reviews since then and even found something the manager didn’t know existed in the software.
Current situation:
Since being fired, I’ve been losing sleep, stressed about finding a job outside busy season, and worried about finances and medical issues. I cancelled my two‑week post‑surgery follow‑up to save money. I also take a medication that costs $450/month out of pocket and I’m worried about affording it.
My question:
Given the timing (multiple medical leaves, approved accommodations, returning part‑time, then being fired immediately after returning from surgery), does this appear to be retaliation or wrongful termination related to medical issues? What legal steps should I consider?
u/Stop_Crafty
I work in accounting and have had several medical issues this year. I was hired in August. The company originally chose someone else, then reversed their decision two weeks later and offered me the job. In hindsight, that was the first red flag.
December:
I went to the ER for severe back pain. MRI showed bulging discs. I took a few days off.
Around this time, the company fired their India‑based employee after the October busy season. Then in January, they hired a new India‑based employee. Looking back, this felt like a second red flag — they seemed to be cycling through people instead of training them.
March:
I was rushed to the ER with severe stomach pain. My gallbladder was infected and needed to be removed. My doctor recommended two weeks off, but because it was close to the 3/15 deadline, I tried to return early. After a week, I realized I wasn’t ready for full‑time. HR approved part‑time.
After that, I was repeatedly asked when I’d be back full‑time. They always said “listen to your body,” but I could tell they were annoyed. They changed my salary to hourly during this period. I often worked over 4 hours anyway and returned to full‑time 2 weeks and 2 days after surgery.
Performance feedback:
Before my March surgery, my director mentioned “improving self‑review,” but couldn’t give specifics. When I asked the managers, they said it was minor (a missed box, sorting statements). It was never mentioned again. Every week I asked how I was doing and was told I was doing fine, that I was new, and that the first year is a learning curve.
At the end of February, I even asked if my job was secure before buying a car. They reassured me it was.
April:
I had a tonsillectomy scheduled since January. PTO was approved and they said it was fine to go negative because of my emergency surgery. I had the surgery on April 17 and returned April 27. The office was closed April 20–21 for a holiday. Tuesday’s team meeting was normal.
Termination:
On Thursday, during my scheduled one‑on‑one, the director suddenly told me the firm had “decided to go different ways” and I was being let go. No warning. No prior issues. When I asked why, she repeated that “the needs of the role changed.” My access was cut off shortly after.
Before losing access, I called a coworker who apologized and said the owner doesn’t give people much time to learn — “you either get it or you don’t.” When I was hired, I specifically asked if they were open to teaching because my previous job didn’t give me much training.
HR’s explanation:
I emailed HR asking for a proper reason. They replied that I was terminated effective immediately, paid through May, and they wanted my equipment picked up within hours (I was fired at 1 PM and they wanted pickup by 5 PM).
HR also sent this full explanation:
“We do recognize and appreciate some of the effort you put in, but at the same time, your role requires a level of accuracy and attention to detail that unfortunately wasn’t being met.
During your one-on-ones, we provided feedback about the need for you to complete more thorough self-reviews which was due to issues of inaccuracy and attention to detail demonstrated in repeated review points across multiple returns.
While the items you mentioned may seem minor (like the signature box, sorting workpapers, and not clearing e-file diagnostics), the frequency and consistency of these issues across multiple returns, even after feedback was given, made this a larger concern.
While we certainly encourage asking questions and expect mistakes to be made, this is intended to support the learning process. The expectation is that the feedback from those mistakes is applied to future work so the same issues do not continue to recur over time.
Based on the overall pattern of performance, we determined that it was not the right fit for the role and we wish you the best moving forward.”
Important context:
HR never attended my one‑on‑ones. They never discussed performance with me — only medical leave, pay, and insurance. The only feedback I ever received was the minor self‑review comment months earlier, which managers told me was not a big deal and which was never mentioned again. I had been doing detailed self‑reviews since then and even found something the manager didn’t know existed in the software.
Current situation:
Since being fired, I’ve been losing sleep, stressed about finding a job outside busy season, and worried about finances and medical issues. I cancelled my two‑week post‑surgery follow‑up to save money. I also take a medication that costs $450/month out of pocket and I’m worried about affording it.
My question:
Given the timing (multiple medical leaves, approved accommodations, returning part‑time, then being fired immediately after returning from surgery), does this appear to be retaliation or wrongful termination related to medical issues? What legal steps should I consider?
Location: Remote