Buffalo Business Daily

Can an employer put an employee on administrative leave without telling the employee why?

My friend has been put on administrative leave and has not been given a reason as to why. No one has called or given any documentation as to why they are putting him on administrative leave. Is this legal? How can you be put on leave and no one will call you or give you any reason as to why?

Public Comments

1. Absolutely not! If an employee is put on ANY sort of leave, fired, replaced or anything. The employer NEEDS to provide a reasonable excuse for the action taken. They should be able to prove that the reason for putting you on leave IS in fact relevant to you at all! Don't settle for irrelevant excuses! Every employee has a right to know the reasons for their current status and can DEMAND these things in court.
2. An employer can terminate you without giving you a reason. So yes, you can be put on leave without reason. It sounds like some sort of investigation is going on in regards to something he said or did. He will be contacted once the investigation is complete.
3. If there is an ongoing investigation, the company may be very careful about revealing any details, in order to protect themselves. Now, if the leave is unpaid, with no given reason for the leave he should be able to get unemployment for the time that he is not working.
4. An employer can put you on leave, suspend you, or even fire you and isn't legally required to give you a reason. Normally if someone is put on leave or suspended though, their employer tells them why.