OPS position at a Florida State University:
My boss, after making my life hell, refusing to accommodate an FMLA leave, as well as trying to make me quit during a family emergency, has told me that my OPS position within the company is being dissolved, and that it is for non disciplinary reasons.
I’ve had multiple brush ups with my now former boss. After coming back from a residencial mental health facility in February 2022, I had to continue an out-patient program and was allowed to work up to 25 hours a week (I usually work 40 hours a week). My boss wanted me to come in 5 days a week into work; 2 days in location A, and 3 days in location B. Location A is 6.7 miles from my home, while location B is 27 miles away from home.
I told him it was too much for me to drive 106 miles each day to location B, because my treatment center is 26 miles away in the opposite direction, and I was doing intensive therapy sessions that left me drained. In total, for the 3 days I had to go to location B, I would be driving somewhat around 318 miles.
He denied to let me work the other three days from home or at location A, citing that my contract stipulates that I must work on both locations. However, he accepted to only let me work 2 days a week in total (from location A), cutting my working hours from 25 a week to 8 a week.
Take in mind I hadn’t worked already for 2 months and didn’t have a form of income besides the measly 8 hours a week.Defeatedly, I accepted and worked like that for a month. I spoke with HR regarding this as well as other issues I had with him (he isolating me from my teammates, and punishing for behaviors he and other employees did).
Things seemed to be getting better after that, but fast forward to the summer, I found out my colleagues who had started working before me, and had less experience, had been given raises while I was away.
I asked for a raise, and my boss said he would see if he could give me one. Then two weeks after this, my grandparents were victims of an attempted murder. I had to accompany my 65 year old mother to a different continent, to help met emotionally, and also file the police reports as my grandparents are elderly and had been drugged out of their minds and beaten.
My boss said it was fine and too keep him updated. I was out in total for 6 business days, coming back to work on the 7th day.
However, on my 5th day of absence, after two days from my last communication, my boss sent an aggressive email telling me that if I was not back in 3 business days, they would accept that as my resignation from my position.
I spoke to HR, and they told him it was not an acceptable thing to say to an employee during an emergency, and that he had to go through HR before threatening me with resignation.
I came back to work the following week, and he tried to excuse his behavior under the idea that it was unfair for me to offload my projects to my teammates. (It was interesting to me that his solution to me not being able to work, was firing me.) Moreover, he said due to my family emergency, he could not justify giving me a raise, even though my performances were never bad.
He told me that at the end of 2022, he would go over my performance, and reconsider giving me a raise. However, not even 2 months after promising to review my performances, he told me on November 23, 2022, that my position was being dissolved at the end of the year, and that my last day would be December 23.
Myself being tired of his behavior and animosity towards me, I decided to quit effective immediately than working under their toxic management. (I had no contract and therefore I was not required to give notice).
While I can accept that he took a lot of unethical actions towards me, did he do anything illegal? Is there a case for unfair treatment at the job?
Any information and perspectives would be appreciated.