<story><title>My Wife Was Dying of Brain Cancer. My Boss at Amazon Told Me to Perform or Quit</title><url>https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/09/my-wife-was-dying-of-brain-cancer-my-boss-at-amazon-told-me-to-perform-or-quit/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>PragmaticPulp</author><text>A tip: If anyone finds themselves in a tragic situation like this where they can’t work but also can’t afford to take leave, investigate your short and long-term disability benefits ASAP. Also read up on the documentation necessary to begin disability claims.&lt;p&gt;Engage with a doctor early on who can document the severe depressive symptoms that are preventing work (which the author specifically cites in his anecdote). Do it as early as possible to generate a documentation trail. Don’t wait until you’re close to being terminated to begin documenting anything because that will make the claim much weaker compared to someone with months of doctor’s notes documenting the situation.&lt;p&gt;I can’t speak to Amazon’s specific benefits, but most big tech companies I’ve worked for have provided some base level short and long term disability coverage as part of their core benefits, partially to avoid situations like this where employees are unable to work due to external circumstances but are unable to go on leave.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>ucm_edge</author><text>Very much this.   You always want to be asking HR for an accommodation that is protected by law.  Then HR enters into the mode of protecting the company by ensuring they don&amp;#x27;t get in trouble for violating the law.&lt;p&gt;You go in and say &amp;quot;Hey my wife is dying and my performance is probably going to be impacted, can something be done?&amp;quot;, HR may opt to &amp;#x27;protect&amp;#x27; the company by starting to build a case for terminating a low performing employee.</text></comment>
<story><title>My Wife Was Dying of Brain Cancer. My Boss at Amazon Told Me to Perform or Quit</title><url>https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/09/my-wife-was-dying-of-brain-cancer-my-boss-at-amazon-told-me-to-perform-or-quit/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>PragmaticPulp</author><text>A tip: If anyone finds themselves in a tragic situation like this where they can’t work but also can’t afford to take leave, investigate your short and long-term disability benefits ASAP. Also read up on the documentation necessary to begin disability claims.&lt;p&gt;Engage with a doctor early on who can document the severe depressive symptoms that are preventing work (which the author specifically cites in his anecdote). Do it as early as possible to generate a documentation trail. Don’t wait until you’re close to being terminated to begin documenting anything because that will make the claim much weaker compared to someone with months of doctor’s notes documenting the situation.&lt;p&gt;I can’t speak to Amazon’s specific benefits, but most big tech companies I’ve worked for have provided some base level short and long term disability coverage as part of their core benefits, partially to avoid situations like this where employees are unable to work due to external circumstances but are unable to go on leave.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>CaliforniaKarl</author><text>Another HN user posted—and then deleted—this comment:&lt;p&gt;&amp;gt; I worry that many people in such a situation may not have the right frame of mind to be able to find, read, understand, and absorb what is normally quite dry reading material requiring often ending in something requiring exceptional perseverance.&lt;p&gt;(I noticed because I was writing a reply.)&lt;p&gt;I think it’s a good comment!  And I think that is why you do it now.  It’s just like how every flight begins with the safety briefing.  Learn your company’s policies and procedures now, when you don’t need them.  And refresh your memory regularly.</text></comment>