Question: Sally is an employee at a car rental company has been missing a significant amount of work recently. Her coworkers are having difficulty covering her duties when she is not in the office.
At a weekly staff meeting, her coworkers inquire as to why Sally has been missing work lately and if it is possible to simply terminate her employment and hire a replacement who would be able to show up for work more reliably.
As Sally's supervisor, what do you tell your other employees about Sally's absences from work?
How would your answer change (if at all) if the reason for Sally's absences are due to
(a) complications from a recent surgery;
(b) her reaction to the death of one of her parents, which triggered a relapse of Sally's anxiety and bipolar tendencies;
(c) alcoholism;
(d) Sally's participation in a court-ordered treatment program.