Boss Tells Worker That They Will No Longer 'Accept' A Doctor's Notes — 'If You Can Go To The Doctor You Can Come To Work'
He also told them that they already have 104 personal days a year — Saturday and Sunday.
Dmytro Zinkevych / Shutterstock After an employee called out sick — and even had a doctor’s note to prove it — he was told by his boss that the company would no longer “accept” doctor’s notes as proof of illness.
The boss also argued that if the employee was truly ill, he wouldn’t have been able to make it to the doctor's, and he should have been coming to work instead.
The employee was told that they no longer ‘accept’ doctor’s notes after he called out sick.
A TikTok video shared the screenshot of an anonymous text conversation between an employee and their boss.
“Hello, I’m not feeling well and have been throwing up. I’m going to have to call out for my shift tomorrow morning,” the employee texted.
“I’m going to urgent care so I will bring in a doctor’s note. Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience.”
While the employee appeared to have done everything right, his boss was not impressed.
“We no longer accept a doctor’s note as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor’s you are able to come to work,” the boss responded.
When the employee expressed confusion over what he was supposed to do and how his sick days should be utilized, his boss argued that all employees were already granted 104 personal days a year — every Saturday and Sunday.
“Vacation days are given to each employee but must be taken all on the same day the days follow: Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Memorial Day,” he added.
However, most people argued that the boss was irrational and that people get sick from time to time.
“This is insane and I’m pretty sure it’s illegal,” one TikTok user commented.
“The way I would immediately quit if my manager told me this,” another user wrote.
Others encouraged the employee to seek legal help, suggesting that what his boss was insinutating went against industry standards.
Dragana Gordic / Shutterstock
Sadly, the United States does not have federally mandated sick time for employees.
Essentially, that means a company could forgo even offering paid sick time to employees, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Depending on where they work, however, some states have enacted laws to protect an employee's right to paid time off for illness or injury. Currently, only 14 states have enacted these laws, which seems almost inconceivable from a moral standpoint.
In most cases, employers would disclose problematic vacation and sick day policies before hiring so workers could make an informed decision about the type of environment they are choosing to contract with, but in our current economy and job market, being picky is a luxury people can't afford.
While employers and employees certainly have the right to feel annoyed when someone calls out sick, and they are shorthanded, enforcing an outdated policy that prevents workers from taking time to heal will inevitably cause illness to spread. It’s better to have one person absent rather than an entire team!
Even if it may seem unfathomable to this boss, most of us can't plan our colds for Saturday and Sunday!
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.