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My wife left work because of a concussion and I left to be with her. I called first thing in morning on a Friday to ask if I could swap a vacation day I had scheduled for Sunday to be with her. I was told no, as it wasn't 24 hours notice, but I couldn't give 24 hour notice because we were at hospital the night before until 7 PM.

I feel it's wrong to be denied a vacation day so I didn't have to leave my wife alone with a concussion, especially after I had a doctor's note.

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I'm going to answer in general terms so my answer may not be accurate for you.

If your wife needs somebody to look after her, you need to take sick or carers leave. This is similar if you are sick. It would be good to get a note from the doctor that indicates she needs to be looked after.

If you don't have a note from the doctor indicating that she needs to be cared for, the company is probably not obliged to grant you leave to look after her. We would hope that they would be sympathetic, but they don't legally need to be.

You also need to understand that "I feel it's wrong" is not the same as a breach of law, or your employment contract.

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    The Op does say that he has a doctor's note...
    – Solar Mike
    Aug 28, 2019 at 11:03
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    The doctors note may say the wife shouldn't work. It may not say that she needs to be looked after / attended. Aug 28, 2019 at 11:04
  • If the doctor gave the OP a note, and assuming as well as his wife, then it probably does cover "looking after / attended", otherwise why would the doctor bother writing it?
    – Solar Mike
    Aug 28, 2019 at 11:06
  • The OP has a doctors note. I am unsure if it was written for them or for their wife. They are confusing vacation leave and sick leave. I am not sure if they would make a clear distinction between a doctors note for themselves or their wife. Aug 28, 2019 at 11:08
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    I'll rephrase. In the context of this question, it does not matter if she has a doctors note or not. Aug 28, 2019 at 11:14

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