Sacked for having time off!!!!!

[Arransmummy]

OMG, I cant believe what has just happened to me. Ive been in my new job for 6 weeks. I've not signed any contract or anything. 2 weeks ago I had a car crash and my boss was not very sympathetic, just asked how my car was!!! I had to take the following day off work due to neck / back pain. Last week my little boy came down with chicken pox and he usually goes to nursery so obviously they wouldn't have him - rang boss and said really sorry but will have to take week off due to CP - again he wasn't very happy. Then this morning i've gone to take little one back to nursery and they won't have him as he has still got a few blisters, so again rang boss and explained. He's just phoned me up to say that he no longer wants me to work for him as he needs someone in the office full time and i've had too much time off. I'm sooooo mad. Good thing is I was going to have to jack it in in the next couple of months to move house anyway but i can't believe i've been sacked for caring for my 2 year old child.

I think that happens a lot. If an employer sees within the probationary period that you may often need to take time off work, s/he just doesn't keep you on. Happened to a friend of mine too.

arransmummy I'm sure you know there's nothing you can do about it, but shame you have such an unsympathetic boss just when you need a bit of flexibiity!
That is a lot of time to have to have off in your first 6 weeks, but it would have been nice of him to be a bit more understanding in such unusual circumstances as there was nothing you could do about it.

Good job you would have been leaving anyway, at least you haven't lost too much by it, but v annoying!

Sounds like you are best off out of there anyway. Not a good way to be treated though and sadly that person will probably now not employ someone with a young child in future on the back of this experience.

Appreicate that it's upsetting for you but can also understand your boss' viewpoint. particularly if it's a small company with not many employees/ If someone has to take lots of time off at short notice it affects the company's output and makes other staff resentful, so it is difficult for employers to be fair to everyone.