A federal appeals court recently ruled that an employer cannot fire a worker for violating its Family and Medical Leave Act policy because the Ohio employee was not previously informed of how benefits would be calculated, Business Insurance reports.

The employee requested and was granted time off for a shoulder injury unrelated to his job, but was declared fit to work by a doctor before the leave ended. After this, he reported pain in the injured shoulder. Within a few days, he requested additional leave with a doctor's note to corroborate the need for it, only to be told that his employment was being terminated due to excessive absence.

The appellate court upheld the previous decision when it ruled in the employee's favor. The courts did so because the employer never informed the worker what method was used to track FMLA leave, and under one of the options he would not have been violating the policy.

Experts note the event underscores the importance of clearly explaining employee insurance benefits, absence and other policies to employees. In this case, miscommunication led to extensive and expensive litigation. Aside from cost and inconvenience, mistakes may also make it more difficult for employers and workers to have a beneficial and productive relationship.