r/WorkersRights

Hello lovely ladies of the boob board! I’m hoping someone can offer some non cancer advice.

I was just let go, right at the end of my probation period in a new job. My boss had previously said that they’d taught me all the tasks but not the processes so I was on the back foot from day one. (And the other ‘trainer’ was borderline abusive….and not to just me, apparently). They’ve been clearly not nuts about the medical situation. I tried to keep the appts down but some I couldn’t avoid. I was always in early, and left late. Often skipped lunch. And I was finally on top of all the tasks, even the abusive stuff. But I couldn’t miss the appointments. And my bone density test last week shows ‘significant loss of bone density in the lumbar spine’ which I’d told my boss about (she’s a survivor (skin cancer) and seemed supportive). It shows low risk of fracture, but it’s a bit of a blow.

I’m in probation so I could be screwed. But I really feel like this was impacted by my cancer. I was open from day one, and the facial expressions were less than warm and fuzzy. I’ve been very open….maybe too open.

18 mos of cancer and no salary or benefits has kicked my ass in the finances. Honestly, I didn’t like the job, but I feel like this was unfair, and prejudicial around the cancer. Anyone have any tips or suggestions? Be gentle - if it’s just ‘yeah, you’re screwed’ be nice about it. I’m a little tender. 😬

I injured my finger at work in December of last year 2025 I didn’t realize I could file an injury report until I talked to someone who knew what they were talking about, so I filed an injury report in February 2026. My GM told me to go to an urgent care and he will talk to the owner about either insurance covering it or that the owner will foot the bill.

I went to the urgent care on 3 separate occasions because the first time they told me it was mallet finger (incorrectly) and they forgot to give me a splint. I wore the splint for 6 weeks as directed because it was sprained, but then after the splint has come off my finger is still hurting and crooked. Went back to the urgent care for the third time and a different doctor told me that the original x-rays the first doctor took were very poor and she can’t see my injury. She was pretty upset for me because I paid so much already and basically got no recovery on my finger. I think she laid into the original doctor too lol. I’m afraid my finger might just be permanently damaged, but I really hope not.

Anyway, the new doctor recommended a hand specialist because it’s out of her ability to help. The owner is saying that he will only pay for half of the original doctor’s bill since I waited too long to file an injury report. So basically he will only pay $95.

It is now May and he still hasn’t payed me. I have already paid about $300 for the urgent care visits and now I have to pay even more out of pocket to go see a hand specialist and I’m struggling to afford it.

I’m 25 and not well versed on the subject and I work delivering pizzas. Can I file for workers compensation to have the owner pay for all of my medical expenses and should I gather all of the medical bills to keep as a record? I read that in the state of Michigan a work injury can be paid for up to two years, but I’m not really sure.

Any help would be great, thank you.

I broke my arm outside of work, I have turned in all my documents and doctors notes. I have surgery scheduled , but still scared of being terminated. A employee for over two years, never had to take time off like this before and I hear stories about wrongful termination all the time…

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A Greedy Corporation. A Labor Union. A mob of stressed out Employees. A dysfunctional Family. A Taco Truck. And an Alligator who thinks she’s an Iguana. What could go wrong?

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I have a complicated situation with an umbrella company....
firstly they gave me the incorrect advise about when I would need to be paid via PAYE to claim SMP. Owing to this they ' honoured ' the payments for the first 6 weeks, I am now due to be paid the lower amount of SMP however they have emailed to say the company has gone into liquidation.. there is no evidence of this however if you goggle the company name. I have contacted the HMRC disputes team who have said they haven't even registered that I am on maternity pay. They've also said I need the liquidator practitioner / reference details which I have emailed the company for and have had no reply despite emails and texts. I don't know what to do now really hmrc said I could possibly apply for maternity benefits but that will take a long time, is there anyone that could help me get what I'm owed from the umbrella company? Any advise would be appreciated

Location: TEXAS

I’m hoping someone here is more knowledgeable about workers comp/employment law than I am because this entire situation has been confusing, poorly communicated, and honestly feels completely mishandled.

I work in Texas for an ABA therapy company. I got injured at work and was placed on workers comp and followed by light duty restrictions here recently. From the very beginning, almost nothing was properly explained to me.

Nobody really sat me down and explained:
• how workers comp payments would work
• how reduced hours would affect my income
• whether my employee benefits would continue during leave/light duty
• whether premiums would continue accruing while I wasn’t receiving normal paychecks
• whether I had the option to suspend or terminate benefits
• or how repayment would eventually happen if deductions weren’t coming out of checks

I basically had to figure everything out myself while injured, stressed, and trying to survive financially.

Things got worse when I was told I needed to return to work for only 2 hours per day on restricted duty. I pushed back because my injury restrictions specifically made me concerned about being placed with aggressive clients again. I was trying to advocate for myself and avoid reinjury while still complying with returning to work.

Right after those conversations is when HR informed me that I supposedly owed money back for benefits premiums.

Originally, HR told me I owed around $173. During that conversation, I was trying to ask questions because I genuinely did not understand what was happening financially. Instead of explaining things clearly, the conversation became rude and dismissive. At one point I was literally laughed at while trying to understand my situation.

Later on, I received another communication saying the $173 was apparently ONLY for April, and that the actual amount owed was much larger.

That’s when I was sent a repayment agreement claiming I owe $1,252.89 total for medical, vision, disability, and life insurance premiums that continued accruing while I was out/restricted.

So now I’m sitting here wondering how I went from:
“you owe $173”
to
“actually you owe over $1,250.”

The repayment agreement says they want to deduct about $100 per paycheck for 10 pay periods, but the math itself doesn’t even fully add up to the stated balance. It also says deductions may increase another $25 as my hours increase, but doesn’t clearly define a maximum deduction amount or whether additional balances can later be added.

At the exact same time, workers comp says THEY also overpaid me and are recouping money back from my checks.

So currently I’m dealing with:
• reduced light duty income
• fluctuating workers comp payments
• workers comp recoupment deductions
• HR demanding benefit repayment
• and regular bills/rent/life expenses on top of all of it

Right now, between my reduced work schedule and workers comp adjustments, I’m barely bringing home enough to stay afloat. After taxes, bills, gas, groceries, insurance, and normal living expenses, there honestly isn’t much left over to absorb hundreds in additional payroll deductions.

What really bothered me is that I had to start researching all of this myself because almost nothing was proactively explained.

When HR finally sent over the repayment agreement, I noticed it specifically cited Colorado wage law (C.R.S. § 8-4-105) regarding payroll deductions even though I physically work in Texas for a Texas location. The company operates in multiple states (to my knowledge Colorado not being one of them), which may explain the template, but it immediately confused me and made me start researching wage deduction laws myself.

While researching, I found information stating that payroll deductions generally cannot reduce employees below applicable minimum wage requirements. That became another concern because my income is already heavily reduced from workers comp/light duty restrictions.

So I emailed HR asking for clarification on:
• why Colorado law was being referenced for a Texas employee
• how the repayment numbers were calculated
• how payroll deductions would comply with wage and minimum pay requirements
• whether additional balances or deductions could later be added
• when and how I was supposedly notified that benefits would continue accruing during leave
• and whether I was ever given the option to suspend or terminate benefits while injured

Another thing that didn’t sit right with me:

One of the HR representatives told me I had to return to work this week on restricted hours. During that conversation, my injury related medical appointments were brought up as conflicts with the work schedule, and there were discussions about whether those appointments could be moved or changed around.

These were not random personal appointments. They were appointments directly related to treatment and recovery from a workplace injury. So being put in a position where it felt like my medical care was becoming an inconvenience to scheduling honestly felt incredibly inappropriate and added even more stress to an already difficult situation.

I understand employers wanting repayment if money is legitimately owed. I’m not trying to avoid responsibility. But this entire process feels extremely poorly communicated and financially crushing while already dealing with a workplace injury.

At this point I’m trying to figure out:
• Are employers supposed to clearly explain that benefit premiums continue accruing during workers comp leave/light duty?
• Should employees be offered the option to suspend or terminate benefits?
• Can payroll deduction agreements be written this vaguely?
• Can deductions legally reduce someone below minimum wage thresholds?
• Is it normal to pursue repayment while workers comp income is still fluctuating?
• And can employers pressure employees regarding injury related medical appointments conflicting with work schedules?

Because right now it honestly feels like I got hurt at work and somehow ended up financially punished for it.

I’ve worked at my job for over a year and it was too much so I put in my two weeks notice. The handbook I signed upon hire says they require 30 days, but months in they changed it saying if you don’t give 30 days you have to reimburse them for training. I never signed that new handbook, but they did send an email at that time saying i “acknowledged” it. Now they want me to reimburse them for training, which I think is unfair. They changed the handbook 6 months after I started and 2 months after I completely finished the training and got certified. There’s nothing mentioning how long I have to stay till for my training to be paid, but since I didn’t give 30 days, they want me to reimburse for training.

Location: OH

Edit: they are saying they are going to deduct in from my final paycheck since I didn’t refuse trainings offered, even though they put them on my schedule without me agreeing/denying them

Second edit: they are now saying the all staff trainings are owed since they occurred after that addition to the handbook.

Hey all, My company recently went through a restructuring and my team is merging with another team, but I have been told im moving to a smaller team under a new manager with new duties. It’s not a promotion, rather a lateral move, and no changes occur with my salary or job title. However without going into too much detail, this role involves some work that was not good for my mental health. I am wondering essentially what my options are? I love the role I already have and its on a ladder I want to climb. This new job is not one I want to climb.
It seems to me if I refuse, they could lay me off and I wouldn’t be able to collect unemployment. I would like to speak to my current manager about it, but I worry if I bring up that I’m not excited about the position or that I’m not sure about it, she’ll just let me go. How can I advocate that I want to keep the role I have? Any advice on how to navigate this would be helpful, thanks for taking the time.

Hello this is my first post here and was wondering if I can get some guidance. I fell at my job in late March. Banged my knee and had a 50 lbs bag that I was carrying on my shoulder force my body into an uncomfortable position. I went to the doctor, but they did not find anything with a basic check up. I now have a swollen knee and constant discomfort in my shoulder. I suppose my question is what can I do legally as my next step. I'm in PA btw. Thank you so much.

Location: Florida

My manager texted me the following a week after my final day : “Good morning Allison!

I hope all is well with your new journey.

I'm just reaching out because we never received your blazer back yet.

Unfortunately we are not able to release your final check with the company until it is returned. Are you able to return the blazer some time this week?”

_______
It’s a $120 J Crew blazer. I’m more than happy to return it and planning on doing it tomorrow. I did not receive last day instructions after putting in my two weeks.

The tone just felt targeted especially because this manager would yell and take his frustration out on his employees, including me for not covering a last minute shift.

I’m almost certain I did not sign a document that allowed them to keep my paycheck for not returning property. I already emailed HR about this asking for documentation that says otherwise and still waiting for a response.

We had to buy white button down shirts and pants for the job and was told (by this manager) to get reimbursed for them. They also told us any alterations to our clothes would be reimbursed as well. I never did this since I thrifted clothes and didn’t spend much but it feels weird they would hold my 2 paychecks yet offer to pay for other parts of our uniform..

Any tips on what to do next? Other than returning it tomorrow. Nervous about getting my paychecks because I won’t get paid at my new job for a couple weeks.

thank you!