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Re:Ask HN: Non-US Fired after bipolar depression shared with... by PragmaticPulp on Tuesday February 02, 2021 @02:37PM (#26005515)
First of all, condolences on this difficult situation. I'm afraid you won't find the best news here, though.

> My performance never dropped, only my communication.

Unfortunately, your communication is part of your performance as a remote employee. If your communication with them diminished to the point that they were unable to communicate with you as necessary to complete your job, that's grounds for dismissal. If you continued to write and submit code while failing to acknowledge communications from the company, you may have demonstrated that you were capable of working yet avoiding communication, which is part of your job.

While I'm very sorry for your situation and I can empathize with your struggle, I have to be blunt: It's not clear that you have a valid standing here.

For future reference, any sudden absences should be communicated to your employer ASAP. You don't need to provide details. If necessary, you can have a family member send a short communication (don't provide any medical details, just explain that you are unavailable due to medical emergency) to your employer.

I would also recommend that you read up on what constitutes reasonable accommodations under the ADA. Be wary of internet sources, as this is a nuanced topic. Generally, though, these situations are more appropriate for taking leave under FMLA.

> If you know a lawyer that can help me

Again, please be careful. While it's tempting to pursue legal action, it may cost you more time and energy than you can spare to fight a battle that you are, frankly, likely to lose under the circumstances. Unless you can identify a specific legal violation (not conjecture about their motives) while covering all of your bases, it's better to focus your limited energy on returning to good health and moving on.

Re:Ask HN: Non-US Fired after bipolar depression shared with... by tptacek on Tuesday February 02, 2021 @02:42PM (#26005580)
This seems like pretty bad advice. There are at least two areas of employment law where stuff definitely happens for workers in this person's story: contractor classification and ADA accommodations. An employee with a mental health condition that impacts the ordinary manner which team members communicate is entitled to request reasonable accommodations.
Re:Ask HN: Non-US Fired after bipolar depression shared with... by PragmaticPulp on Tuesday February 02, 2021 @02:51PM (#26005684)
I never suggested the employee wasn't entitled to ADA accommodations. Are you perhaps confusing my comment with some of the other comments in this thread?

The problem is that the OP didn't request accommodations until HR had already scheduled a meeting, which the OP assumes was to fire them:

> I suspected they were going to fire me (scheduled 1am call with HR) and I've decided to share with them 3 days ago my Bipolar Diagnosis.

The OP also explains that they were not communicating with the company leading up to this event.

Unfortunately, the ADA accommodations can't be retroactively applied after the company has fired the employee.

Unless I'm misunderstanding the OP's post, we shouldn't be encouraging them to pursue legal action which is unlikely to produce a positive result.

Re:Ask HN: Non-US Fired after bipolar depression shared with... by pseudalopex on Tuesday February 02, 2021 @03:30PM (#26006206)
You made some good points but some assumptions too.

You said diminished communication is grounds for dismissal. You didn't say diminished capacity might excuse it. Both are important.

It isn't clear if they disclosed the condition before or after the meeting was scheduled. It's clear they did it before they were fired.

They said their communication dropped. They didn't say they weren't communicating.

We should be encouraging them to get advice from a qualified professional.

Re:Ask HN: Non-US Fired after bipolar depression shared with... by bed99 on Tuesday February 02, 2021 @05:48PM (#26008097)
I did disclosure my condition 4 days before the HR meeting where they fired me. Sent all my docs diagnosis and letter. I only acted based con my intuition what that meeting was about. Actually the meeting wasn't with HR but my manager, just in a weird hour (1am). I figured out HR had another call scheduled same time with my manager (which I was not invited) but public in the company calendar. I did it because I knew that I had to do it BEFORE the call. Even I had a call with HR and they supported me. They had enough time.
Re:Ask HN: Non-US Fired after bipolar depression shared with... by jshevek on Tuesday February 02, 2021 @03:01PM (#26005814)
All three of the comments you've made are thoughtful, well considered, and informative. HN suffers, at times, from a cliquishness that degrades the quality of discourse.
Re:Ask HN: Non-US Fired after bipolar depression shared with... by tptacek on Tuesday February 02, 2021 @06:20PM (#26008462)
You're right. My comment would have been better without the first sentence, which was harsh (and, I think, probably mostly incorrect). I apologize!