Hello Jennifer,

Thank you for your question. First thing's first, you should have a conversation with your healthcare provider to discuss what you can expect in terms of recovery-time and anything you should prepare for following your surgery. In this conversation explain what your job consists of and ask their opinion on how this surgery will impact your return to work. It's important to get a sense of what might be expected in terms of symptoms and side effects so you are better prepared to understand how that will affect your ability to continue working after your surgery. 

I would then recommend you do a bit of information gathering regarding the policies and benefits offered by your employer. I understand that due to your short time with the company you are not eligible for FMLA, but take a look at your employee handbook to gain a better understanding on what is offered by the company. What are their policies around leave? Once you've exhausted your ability to get information from those resources, I would then suggest a conversation with HR to find out what options are available to a new employee who needs to take time off. You don't have to share your specific circumstance, you can just say you're curious about how an employee might go about arranging for time off if they have not been a the company for long. The Job Accommodation Network (www.askjan.org) is a helpful resource as they provide infromation and guidance regarding reasonable accommodations in the workplace. There are instances in which time off could potentially be considered an accommodation through the Americans with Disabilities Act, so it would be worth exploring if that might be a possible solution. 

Finally, think about what your job responsibilities are. Are there accommodations that could be made for you to continue working without needing to take off too much time? For instance, can you work remotely for a specified period until you are adequately recovered? If it is shift work, could you possibly rearrange your schedule with coworkers to cover for you in your absence? It may seem challenging but getting creative about solutions can be helpful, so you're able to bring constructive ideas to the conversation with your employer.

I hope this is helpful, but if you would like further information or to discuss your situation in more detail, feel free to shoot me an email at njarvis@cew.org.

Best of luck!

Sincerely,

Nicole Jarvis, LMSW

Senior Manager of Programs