canada medical labor-law british-columbia
Can an employee be penalized for missing work due to medical appointment?
<p>Can an employer discipline an employee for taking time off work for a medical appointment? What if the employee is still on the probation period? I won't get into specific details, but a somewhat urgent need for me to see a specialist came up and the soonest appointment he has conflicts with my work schedule. The manager is saying he cannot change the schedule.</p>

<p>BC employers are required to give workers three days of <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/employment-standards-advice/employment-standards/time-off" rel="nofollow noreferrer">unpaid personal illness &amp; injury leave</a> per calendar year.  However, this protection only applies to workers who have held a job for more than 90 days.  If you have not held the job for that long, it does not appear that any protections apply to you.  Note that (as of March 2021) there are separate rules concerning COVID-19 exposure &amp; illness.</p>
<p>There may also be protections that apply to you if you are a union member, or if you work in a <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/services/jobs/workplace/federally-regulated-industries.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">federally regulated job</a> (banks, national trucking companies, airlines, and some others.)</p>
