Is it legal for a manager to not disclose a death of an associate to fellow co-workers?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Is it legal for a manager to not disclose a death of an associate to fellow co-workers?
I found out that my fellow co-worker died. Yet the store manager and fellow managers decided not to disclose this information to the store. Is it not our right to know?
Asked on February 22, 2016 under Employment Labor Law, California
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 8 years ago | Contributor
There is no legal requirement that an employer disclose the death of a co-worker to its employees, that is unless it is required to do pursuant to company policy or the terms of a union agreement or employment contract (highly unlikely). The fact is that "at will" employment gives a company a great deal of discretion in dealing with its workers, so unless some form of egally actionable discrimintion is at issue, it can set the terms and conditons of the workplace much as it sees fit.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.