The Pawffice: What To Do When You Get Hurt At Work

I got hurt. I didn’t hurt myself at work, don’t worry. We don’t have a fast and loose culture of high-octane adventure at our law firm (even if I’ve tried to create it with zoomies). I was on a walk and cut my paw while trying to play with a dog I didn’t know. It could happen to anyone. I have to wear a cone and a second cone because they figured out that I’m too flexible and can still lick my paw with the cone on. I know. I’m something else.

There’s a big problem though. I can’t work with these cones on. I can’t increase morale of the firm by knocking literally everything off any table because I have zero depth perception with this cone on my head. I slam my cone into chairs, table legs, people legs, and doors.

So, what can I do to get my treats that I am owed to receiving from my job? My specific answer is nothing. Apparently, there are no laws that protect dogs from getting treats that they are owed from their employer. Ridiculous. I did find three ways for people to get compensation while they are hurt. Alan Crone helped my find the Family Medical Leave Act, Workers Compensation, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. I’ll break each of them down for you in case you ever need them!

Family Medical Leave

The Family Medical Leave Act, or FMLA, is a law that protects employees from having to miss work without pay due to unforeseen medical incidents. The most common use of FMLA is for maternity leave, but there are many other examples too.

I can’t go to work right now so would I be eligible for FMLA? Technically, I can’t go into work because I would be a nuisance not because I am physically unable. So I wouldn’t qualify for FMLA right? You know what, I’m not even going to try to guess whether I would or won’t be eligible. I’m just going to ask the lawyers here because the FMLA is complicated, and I don’t want to be wrong.

Workers Compensation

Workers’ compensation, or workers’ comp, is used when you get hurt at work and the employer is supposed to pay medical bills. Workers’ comp is just as complicated as the FMLA, but they are very different.

Workers’ comp does not give you time-off work. It’s only there to help pay for the injury, and they may not even be entitled to pay for the whole thing. The FMLA is used to give yourself time to heal, take care of a family member that’s been hurt, or take care of a baby.

I just want my treats, but I don’t know if I could get any through workers’ comp. The injury didn’t happen while at work, so I think I would be out of luck there. Either way, I’m calling a lawyer to see what I could be eligible to receive.

Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, protects people with disabilities from being discriminated against at work or from getting a job. This is often referenced if someone gets hurt while at a job and develops a disability. The injury doesn’t have to occur at the job for ADA to cover it.

So if I was walking and hurt my leg so badly that I had to have wheels from now on, I could be protected from losing my job because I can still be a good boy at the office. Being on wheels might slow me down, but it wouldn’t make it impossible to do my job.