Can Your Boss Show Up At Your House In New York If You Miss Work?

If you call in sick, can your employer show up at your home to check on you in New York? It sounds like every employees worst nightmare, right? You decide you need a day off and maybe you're out of PTO (paid time off) or you don't get PTO, so you play sick. All of the sudden, you hear a knock on your door and you are definitely not expecting company. Could it be a door-to-door salesperson? Maybe it's a neighbor. Jehova's Witness? Nope, you peek out of the window and it's your boss!

READ MORE: Can Your Job Legally Stop You From Quitting In New York State?

Can Your Employer Show Up At Your House Unannounced?

New York is a state that tries to protect employees from unjust harassment or monitoring by employers. According to Tully Rinckey PLLC, Attorneys & Counselors at Law,

"New legislation in the form of an amendment to the New York Civil Rights Law became effective on May 7, 2022, requiring private employers to inform current and newly hired employees that the employer electronically monitors their work telephone, email, and internet access and usage."

READ MORE: Can Employers In New York State Fire Workers Who Abuse Drugs?

But, what does the law say about your boss showing up at your house unannounced?

There is no law in New York that prohibits your employer from showing up at your home unannounced. If you live on a public street with nothing barring anyone from showing up at your home, your employer can pull up on you unannounced. Now, you do not have to allow them in. At the end of the day, since New York is an at-will work state, it could come back to bite you in the butt, if you don't. You could retain an attorney and fight it, but it may be a lost cause. If you live in a gated community, locked building, or have posted "no trespassing" signs, that may bolster your case. But, without those things in place, it wouldn't be any different than anyone else popping up at your home. If you had a restraining order against your boss, that would drastically change things, but also, how likely would it be that you had an order of protection against your current boss? According to the law office of Dimarco Araujo Montevideo,

"An employer visiting an employee at his or her home is not breaking any laws as long as the employer respects the employee’s personal space and privacy. For example, an employer could knock on the door and ask to speak with the employee, but the employer cannot force his or her way into the home to demand to see the employee."

READ MORE: These Are The 10 Biggest Employers In New York State

***This article is not intended to provide legal advice or counsel

Get our free mobile app

The 10 Best Companies To Work For In New York In 2024

Forbes has released its annual list of America's Best Employers in 2024. In addition to ranking companies across the entire United States, it also breaks them down by state.

"To create the list, Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to survey more than 160,000 employees working for companies with at least 500 people within the United States. Survey participants were asked how likely they were to recommend their employer on a scale of zero to 10. Respondents were also asked to evaluate employers they’d worked for within the past two years, and organizations they knew within their industry or through friends or family who worked there."

These are the 10 Best Employers To Work For in New York State:

10. Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center - 4,188 Employees

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center was founded in 1898 and is located in Buffalo, NY. Roswell is also ranked #152 on Forbes' Best Employers for Women (2024) list.

9. U.S. Department of Transportation - 55,885 Employees

U.S. Department of Transportation was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Washington, DC.

8. USAA - 37,000 Employees

USAA is an Insurance company that was founded in 1922. It is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.

7. Ford Motor - 87,000 Employees

Ford Motor was founded in 1903 and is headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan.

6. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center - 21,077 Employees

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

5. Trader Joe's - 50,000 Employees

Trader Joe's was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Monrovia, CA.

4. Microsoft - 221,000 Employees

Microsoft was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Redmond, WA.

3. Raymond James Financial - 18,000 Employees

Raymond James Financial was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in St. Petersburg, FL.

2. Apple - 161,000 Employees

Apple was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, CA.

1. Dell Technologies - 42,560 Employees

Dell Technologies was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Round Rock, TX.

Get our free mobile app