Boss Says Death Is The Only Excuse For Missing Work After An Employee Sent A Dramatic Photo To Show Why He’ll Be Late
Some situations take precedence over work.
Antonio Guillem | Shutterstock While unexpectedly missing work is never ideal, accidents and emergencies happen, and they must take precedence over any job.
After getting into a major accident, a worker texted his boss a photo of his totaled car to let him know why he wouldn't be at work. His boss's reply demonstrated a complete and utter lack of compassion or consideration for his employee.
His boss said that death is the only valid excuse for missing work.
Ben Askins is a content creator who shares horrible boss stories and offers career advice. In a recent TikTok, he posted screenshots of a text conversation between an employee and his boss.
The conversation began with the employee sending a photo of his totaled car on the side of the road after what appeared to be a head-on collision.
“It’s buckled, like it looks genuinely awful,” Askins said. “I really hope everyone’s OK. And the boss’s response — I just cannot get my head around.”
When an employee gets into a traumatic accident, the right thing for a boss to do is lead with compassion. The boss in question should have asked if his employee was OK, before anything else, and offered him the day off to rest and decompress. However, that's not the approach this boss took.
Rather than asking if he was safe, as any sympathetic human would do, his boss responded with, “Keep me updated on what time you’re expected to be here.”
The boss didn’t acknowledge the accident or the employee’s well-being at all. Instead, he sent a reminder on what is considered an excusable reason to miss work.
“It’s understandable why you would be late,” the boss added in another message. “But regardless, anything that prevents you from being at the workplace other than a death in the family is unexcused at any company.”
Askins was astonished by the boss’s lack of compassion and humanity.
“I mean, the logic! He has sent him a totaled car, and not even a sort of, ‘Are you OK,’ ‘Oh my God, that looks awful,’ ‘Is anyone hurt,’” Askins reacted. “To actually say, ‘Anything other than death in the family,’ when you’ve literally got a picture of a totaled car, and you have no clue as to whether someone’s been injured is such a weird thing to say.”
southworks | Canva Pro
To be a strong and admirable leader and manager of a company, it is absolutely necessary to demonstrate empathy and humanity when emergencies arise. This boss's reaction was insensitive and indicative of bad leadership.
Being a good boss goes beyond meeting your company’s daily expectations and goals — it also entails providing a safe and understanding environment for employees and valuing their health and well-being above all else.
It’s about knowing when to be a boss and when to be a human because sometimes life happens. It’s unhealthy to create additional stress and pressure for an employee when they are already experiencing something serious, like a major car accident.
Developing a positive workplace culture is essential to inspiring workers to perform at their best. This boss’s response to his employee’s unfortunate situation would prompt many to quit on the spot.
Several commenters argued that the boss’s response was grounds for quitting.
“I’d consider myself fired and look for my next job,” one person commented. “These bosses get away with so much. If only we knew our power,” another user added.
Some commenters shared their personal experiences with better bosses, revealing the standard that all managers should strive to meet.
Pormezz | Shutterstock
“I got hit on the motorway, was absolutely fine but I rang my boss to tell him I will be late as I was shaken,” one woman commented on the post. “He was 200 miles away from me and asked me if I needed him to come get me and take me home.”
“My partner flipped his car and his boss was like where are you? He went to help him recover his car and to see if he was OK. Also loaned him a company vehicle until he got a new one,” another person shared in the comments.
In essence, everyone should strive to be an empathetic person, regardless of their managerial role within a company. While there are many workplaces with managers who do not care about their employees' quality of life, there are just as many that prioritize it.
Hopefully, this employee is uninjured and able to find a better position that values him as a human being.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human-interest, adventure, and spirituality topics.