# Two days off for the death of an immediate family member? WTF? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 24, 2003, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547 "2003-07-24T04:09:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/41 "2015-11-07T04:13:48Z")
> [@jtbominable](#): > > … I found out that at a moment when I felt so overwhelmed and asked my HR representative about leave, she TOLD OTHER PEOPLE INCLUDING MY SUPERVISOR. > … > I’m so fed up, and I have no idea what to do. Get the bitch fired would be top of my list. Really, it must violate some company policy, as well as HIPPA. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/42 "2015-11-07T05:44:58Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > On the face of it, there may have been a HIIPA violation. > [@j666](#): > > Really, it must violate some company policy, as well as HIPPA. Guys, it’s HIPAA. > **[Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_Insurance_Portability_and_Accountability_Act)** > > The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA or the Kennedy–Kassebaum Act) is a United States Act of Congress enacted by the 104th United States Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on August 21, 1996. It aimed to alter the transfer of healthcare information, stipulated the guidelines by which personally identifiable information maintained by the healthcare and healthcare insurance industries should be protected from fraud and theft, and add The act con... ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/43 "2015-11-07T14:16:10Z")
This reminded me of when I worked for a TV listings company. A Co-worker’s wife was very ill with cancer and was nearing the end. The company allowed all of us co-workers to donate paid days off to him so he could spend time with his wife. Because of this he was able to be by her side for her last 3 months, with full pay. It wasn’t a formal company policy, it’s a idea that was brought to the President of the company, and he okay’d it. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/44 "2015-11-07T14:24:14Z")
See an lawyer. Sooner, rather than later. Just for a consult, probably no cost for first visit. Then you could move forward from a firm position of knowing your options. It doesn’t mean you’re going to sue, or get someone fired. But ignorance is never the power position. Get educated. You may just discover knowing you hold all the cards improves your depression just a titch! Seriously, sorry to hear of your troubles. Do consider seeing a lawyer. And Good Luck to you! ---
**Author:** ![Fiveroptic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiveroptic/32/8257_2.png) [@Fiveroptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveroptic)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/45 "2015-11-07T14:46:17Z")
> [@rsat3acr](#): > > Zombies are already dead. No time off needed. Sorry couldn’t resist. You should have tried harder. Your post was rude and pointless. **jtbominable** , what a horrible situation. I don’t know if a lawyer would really be able to help you much. I mean, you could ask one but don’t be surprised or disappointed if you’re told that it’s just one of those crappy things that happened because your company is, well, crappy. Is looking for a different job something that’s even plausible right now? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/46 "2015-11-07T15:42:50Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Guys, it’s HIPAA. > > [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_Insurance_Portability_and_Accountability_Act) :smack: Crap. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/47 "2015-11-07T17:20:37Z")
I got two days off and a really lazy card. I was pissed. They gave me three, years ago, when I had to travel to Pittsburgh for my grandfather. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/48 "2015-11-07T17:22:59Z")
I got zero when my grandmother died this summer. I had decided to be with her in hospice to see her when she was still alive rather than fly to Florida for the funeral. I had to use vacation time. I think office policy is 3 days of paid bereavement leave for immediate family members (spouses, children, and parents, also for in-laws of the same degree of relationship). No paid bereavement time for other relatives, though people who want to take a few days of vacation time are generally not given hassles about it. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/49 "2015-11-07T17:39:07Z")
> [@j666](#): > > Get the bitch fired would be top of my list. > > Really, it must violate some company policy, as well as HIPPA. Is an employer a “covered entity,” within the meaning of HIPAA? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/50 "2015-11-07T17:42:47Z")
What’s a ‘lazy card’ ? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/51 "2015-11-07T19:25:29Z")
Apparently it’s a store-bought greeting card, obtained by one worker in an office, and passed around for everyone to sign. Where I work, I’ve seen them for retirements, transfers, and bereavements. Personally, I decline to examine and/or sign them, when I see one. And on the occasion of my mother’s passing in 2009, I specifically requested that one not be obtained for me. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/52 "2015-11-07T20:25:35Z")
Two days is what was given, but then most people use sick days for a couple more. But we had two bereavement days for immediate family. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/53 "2015-11-07T21:36:11Z")
> [@Crunchy\_Frog](#): > > I don’t know about the policies at my new job, but at AT&T I got 3 days off for the death of my grandfather. Immediate family members or members of your household for 5 years or more got 5 days. ===Shudder=== So, at AT&T, if your 3 year old daughter dies of Leukemia, you’d better hurry right the fuck up and get that pesky mourning out of the way in 72 hours. Man. That right there is some cold-hearted shit. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/54 "2015-11-07T21:57:01Z")
I understand a lot of HR careerists consider Strother Martin to be a pioneer in the field, and secretly wish they could live up to his bereavement standard of three days in the box… ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/55 "2015-11-07T22:11:23Z")
I don’t remember how much paid time off I got when my dad died, but I know that I wasn’t expected back until I was ready. After about a week I wanted the distraction of work. It was just too depressing to sit at home and think about it. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/56 "2015-11-07T22:47:28Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Guys, it’s HIPAA. > > [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_Insurance_Portability_and_Accountability_Act) Even after you posted, I didn’t see it - I thought you were posting a reference that HR could not break confidentiality on health information. > [@Bricker](#): > > Is an employer a “covered entity,” within the meaning of HIPAA? Even my company has policies that forbid HR from sharing the employee’s personal information and information about conflicts with a supervisor _ **with that supervisor.** _ (In theory. In practice any complaints about a select cadre go directly to the CEO and the complainant gets driven out. But I digress.) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2015, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/57 "2015-11-08T01:24:40Z")
Oh no, the department pass around card was sweet. The card the director barely signed? Not sweet. Oh and while I was out they dissolved my department. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2015, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/58 "2015-11-08T04:57:01Z")
My last company gave us three paid days off, and you could use sick or vacation days to extend paid time off. But what wasn’t clear was how much time I would be gone if needed. If a parent passes, my family will have to help move the other one to relative’s or nursing home. I wouldn’t expect to be back for a couple weeks at the least. Would I still have a job? We’ll have to wait on that one. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/59 "2015-11-09T06:51:34Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Very sorry you’re having to deal with this crap, **jtbominable**. If, as I suspect, you’re not reepresented by a union, you may wish to consult with a labor attorney. On the face of it, there may have been a HIIPA violation. Wouldn’t that depend on what was said to whom? The supervisor didn’t necessarily say she was clinically depressed - but may have shared she was feeling overwhelmed. And sharing that with a supervisor is appropriate, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547/60 "2015-11-09T10:49:09Z")
Shouldn’t this be a new thread given that some of the posters (who posted 12 years ago) are banned or haven’t posted for years? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-days-off-for-the-death-of-an-immediate-family-member-wtf/190547.md?page=4)