Can you be fired when you have a sick note?

Answer 1

Absolutely not. If you are out sick for a week or more, an employer will usually ask for a doctor's note to prove that you were sick, to keep in your file. Not all companies do this, but alot of them do. Having that doctor's note is proof that you were sick and being treated by him. There is no reason for them to fire you.

ANS 2:

If you are an "At will" employee, it may seem wrong to be fired for being ill but it is not illegal. A good explanation can be found at the link below. The following quote is an excerpt from that site so you don't even need to click to be disappointed.

If you are employed at will, your employer does not need good cause to fire you. In every state but Montana (which protects employees who have completed an initial "probationary period" from being fired without cause), employers are free to adopt at-will employment policies, and many of them have. In fact, unless your employer gives some clear indication that it will only fire employees for good cause, the law presumes that you are employed at will.

With that in mind, you really need to talk with your HR representative to find out what your company's policy is.

Answer 2

In most states in the United States unless under an employment contract, you can be fired for any reason at any time. If you are fired with cause you are inelegible for unemployment whereas if you are fired without cause you can collect unemployment.

If you have a doctors note to prove that you were sick, you were fired without cause. You should be able to collect unemployment. It might however be necesary to appeal the initial decision from the unemployment office because the company may attempt to claim that you were fired with cause.

Answer 3

Not enough information about the situation is disclosed. How long were you out? What were you being treated for? What did the doctors note attest to? Etc? Etc?

Unless your employment is protected under a union contract or labor agreement your employer can apply whatever discipline they deem necessary.

Answer 4

No, the labor laws does not permit you to be sacked if you have a sick note.