That depends on what you mean by “abuse.” Oregon Sick Leave Law is very explicit as to how and under what circumstances, an employee is allowed to use their sick leave – specifically any reason covered under the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA). It is also very specific that an employee must give “reasonable notice” of an absence and that an employer can request a note from a medical provider, if an absence is more than three consecutive workdays.
In practice, this is an area of the law that can be extremely difficult to apply without creating legal risk or employee resentment – especially for employees that seem to have pattern or unexpected absences.
Given the multiple, and interwoven risk factors that are frequently involved in these matters, we highly recommend reaching out to your HR professional or employment law attorney for guidance.
