If you are using mynordstrom resources to arrange time away, establish which decisions you need: permission or entitlement to be absent, payment during the absence, continued benefits, and instructions for returning. These questions can involve different rules and records.
A manager’s scheduling conversation should not be treated as the complete answer to a benefit or protected-leave question. Equally, a payment decision does not by itself explain the status of every date you will be away.
Name the kind of absence
Describe the reason at the level needed to identify the process, along with the expected dates. An ordinary vacation request, an unexpected illness, and a longer family or medical absence can raise different requirements.
Ask your employer which current process applies. Nordstrom’s 2025 Benefits Guide distinguished time-away questions from leave-of-absence administration. That historical distinction is useful context, but the current submission route should be confirmed with the employer.
Do not wait for a particular portal to work before telling the employer that you may need leave. Explain the access problem and ask how to provide the necessary notice.
Separate job protection from pay
Federal FMLA leave is generally unpaid, job-protected leave for eligible employees of covered employers and qualifying reasons. It is not an automatic entitlement for every employee or every absence. The Department of Labor also notes that state law can provide additional protections. See the official FMLA overview.
Eligibility commonly involves the length of employment, hours of service, and the worksite requirements described by the Department of Labor. Ask for an assessment of your circumstances rather than deciding from a job title alone.
If you expect payment, identify the relevant source—such as an employer benefit or other applicable program—and ask how its decision relates to the absence. Do not assume that a particular number of protected weeks guarantees the same number of paid weeks.
Build a simple record of the decisions
Keep separate notes for:
- Dates of absence requested and dates addressed by the response.
- Any additional information requested and its deadline.
- Pay or wage-replacement determination.
- Benefit coverage or payment instructions during the absence.
- Reporting requirements and return-to-work instructions.
This is an organizational aid. It does not replace the forms or notices required by the applicable process.
For a hypothetical example, an employee might receive one message confirming receipt of a request and another asking for supporting information. The first message should not be read as the final decision unless it actually says so.
Keep sensitive documentation in the designated channel
Ask where medical or other supporting records should be submitted. A publication inquiry, group message, or general workplace chat is not a suitable substitute for the approved confidential process.
Give your manager the scheduling information required by the employer’s process, and clarify where the administrator needs additional details. Keep a record of submission without circulating the underlying documents unnecessarily.
Check changes and the return date
If the expected duration changes, ask how to update the request and whom to notify. Before returning, confirm any required instructions rather than assuming that the last approved absence date answers every return-to-work question.
Review related coverage questions with the benefits enrollment guide. If an absence affects the next paycheck, use the paycheck questions guide to identify the precise period and line item involved.
