Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry OP, that's really crappy.

I would talk to your former MB and DB and ask if they could phrase it in a particular way. I once had to leave a nanny job because I had a brain tumor, but rather than say that when I used them as references, they said there was an acute health issue that I needed time to resolve and that prior to that I'd been entirely dependable. Mono is likewise very acute, so if they'd be willing to emphasize your former reliability and be very clear that it was a sequence of acute and unfortunate events, I don't think you'll have trouble finding work. Also, a letter from your doctor would be helpful so when you're interviewing with new families you can be upfront with them - "I was let go from my former position because of XYZ, but my doctor has since given me a clean bill of health and verified that this was a unique and unusual circumstance for me."

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the responses. I'm a young woman who recently has been getting sick too much (flu, mono, infection) and was let go this morning. I understand completely that they need someone who is healthy enough to work and cannot afford to miss work themselves- it's just a bummer because I really loved my job and they loved me. I asked if I could use them as a reference and he said of course, but he would be telling the reason is due to health issues- which I believe is really shitty and NOT legal. Or am I wrong?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the responses. I'm a young woman who recently has been getting sick too much (flu, mono, infection) and was let go this morning. I understand completely that they need someone who is healthy enough to work and cannot afford to miss work themselves- it's just a bummer because I really loved my job and they loved me. I asked if I could use them as a reference and he said of course, but he would be telling the reason is due to health issues- which I believe is really shitty and NOT legal. Or am I wrong?

Why would you think this is illegal? It's the truth and it is a MAJOR factor with someone wanting to hire you or not. If you are going to be out sick quite often, then that means they will have to find backup care for you quite often as well. Not normally something people would want to do. So it is a good reason to fire you and to let others know why you were fired. I would say it would be kinda crappy if you had a health thing that meant taking a few weeks straight off work to heal and then you would be totally back up to par. But when it is more random and different things, that makes it harder to deal with. I can find a temp for 2 months straight, but finding people for a week here and another 3 days there is more difficult, especially when last minute.