New Delhi: An American health insurance employee has sued the company after being sacked for productivity issues during chemotherapy and denied remote work for treatment. The employee described it as the most dehumanising work experience. The worker criticized the company for not showing basic humanity to a person undergoing cancer treatment, despite being a health insurance company. The disheartened employee believes that “companies don’t deserve loyalty”.
Sharing a post on Reddit, the employee wrote, “Last fall, I was diagnosed with stage 2 lymphoma. After the initial shock, I immediately sat down with my manager at HealthPlus Insurance (where I’d been a claims analyst for 3+ years) to discuss accommodations during my treatment. My oncologist recommended I work remotely during chemo to reduce infection risk. I had documentation, a doctor’s note, everything. My direct manager seemed supportive until HR got involved.
The employee was allegedly told that working remotely was a privilege and not an accommodation. “Their response? “Remote work is a privilege, not an accommodation.” They claimed my role was “impossible to perform remotely” despite the ENTIRE DEPARTMENT working from home during COVID just months earlier,” he wrote on Reddit.
As a compromise, the employee was offered unpaid medical leave for chemo appointments but was required to be in the office on other days. When he pointed out that this violated ADA, the HR director claimed that the company employs 49 people and they are exempt from ADA requirements.
The employee said he showed up between treatments despite fatigue, nausea and a compromised immune system.
After his second chemotherapy cycle, the employee was placed on a performance improvement plan. Two weeks later, when his white blood cell count was at its lowest, the employee was terminated for not meeting productivity goals. “The final insult? They contested my unemployment claim saying I was fired for cause,” the employee said.
“I got a lawyer. Turns out they had 53 employees (they counted part-timers differently), making them subject to ADA. Yesterday, we filed with the EEOC. This company’s entire business is HEALTH INSURANCE, but they couldn’t show basic humanity to someone going through cancer treatment.
“Companies don’t deserve loyalty. Ever,” he added.
The Reddit post sparked anger and sympathy on the internet. Many users supported the employee and criticised the company’s handling of the situation.
One user wrote, “This company’s entire business is HEALTH INSURANCE but they couldn’t show basic humanity to someone going through cancer treatment.”
Another user wrote, “Wishing you kinder environments from a fellow worker on chemo in a toxic workplace.”
Another user wrote, “Hey, congrats on the lawsuit, likely to be a great payday in time, and it sounds like they’ve laid it all out for you. Very sorry to hear about the cancer, and very sorry you had to deal with this, especially during such a difficult time. I hope your health is better and hope you find better people in your future. What assholes. I’m not sure how people work in those HR departments, unless they are sociopaths.”
Another commented, “It’s not ironic, this is literally what I would expect of an insurance company. They don’t give a f**k about your actual health, they just want to cut costs/risk no matter what.”
Stay informed on all the , real-time updates, and follow all the important headlines in and on Zee News.
