Manager refuses sick leave after employee follows HR policy, demands to see prescription: ‘Use earned leave’

A manager allegedly refused to grant sick leave to a new employee, claiming it's only available when a worker is hospitalised for 3 days.

A new corporate employee’s recent experience with their manager has sparked a viral debate regarding sick leave etiquette and workplace boundaries. After suffering from a fever and stomach issues, the employee followed company policy by providing a medical certificate for a two-day rest period. However, they faced intense pushback from a manager who insisted that sick leave is only for hospitalisations and demanded the right to "review" private medical prescriptions before approval.

An employee claimed to have received this email from their manager after applying for sick leave. (Screengrab (Reddit))

Explaining what transpired, a Reddit user shared, “Yesterday I had a fever and gut issues. I called my manager ~1 hour before my shift and said I’ll be taking sick leave since I’m not well. His first response was: “Are you informing me or requesting approval?” He explained my tone sounded like I was informing, but I should be asking permission.”

The individual continued, “I didn’t have the energy to argue, so I rephrased and requested leave. Then he said sick leave requires being hospitalized for 3 days with doctor proof. I knew that wasn’t correct, since policy says minimum 2 days and can be rest/domiciliary medication or hospitalization. He instead told me to take the day off using earned leave/comp-off and inform us again tomorrow about your health and we will proceed accordingly, which I wasn’t okay with since I didn’t want to use earned leave.”

Following this, the employee obtained a doctor's certificate for 2 days of rest and applied for leave on the HR portal, which was accepted.

The manager allegedly refused to approve, claiming the employee did not discuss the sick leave with him before applying. He further demanded that the employee submit his prescription for review by him and the team lead.

The employee concluded the post with three questions: “Do you usually inform or request sick leave?”, “Can a manager deny it even if policy allows it and HR approves?”, and “Is asking to share the prescription with the team leads and manager normal?”

The Reddit user also shared a strongly worded email they received from the manager regarding applying for sick leave.

How did social media react?

An individual advised, “Your manager is a loony, but is this written in your appointment letter? Escalate and report to HR. If this is the culture there, then seek another job. Run.”

Another added, “Check your offer letter and other documentation. Your leave policy should be mentioned there. And btw, you should have replied ‘I'm informing you’ to your manager. No one requests sick leave. Choose health over donkeys.” A third posted, “What type of company is this? I have taken sick leave for something as minor as a headache lol.”

A fourth wrote, “We take sick leaves when we need. In the morning, people just inform that they'll be on leave for that day. Sometimes even in the second half. Basically, whenever you're unwell, you inform and go.”

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)