When it comes to paid time off, the United States is notorious for being a "no-vacation nation". Only 10 days of paid leave — that's what the average worker in the private sector receives a year, and it’s far less than in most advanced economies. But sadly, having the opportunity to take a deserved break does not automatically lead to people using it.
Sometimes employees feel guilty about leaving their projects behind, other times they fear losing coworkers’ respect. But when it's a shameless boss who denies their well-reasoned request, it's a whole other story. A few days ago, Redditor spr_t shared a screenshot of a conversation with their manager informing them about feeling ill. As it turns out, even a doctor’s note has little effect on a supervisor who believes typing out a text means you’re not sick enough to skip work.
"I lost my job of 3 years because of this," the user wrote and inspired others to chime in with their own experiences. Bored Panda has collected some of the most surprising replies from the thread, so be sure to read them right below. And if you have any similar stories to share, tell us all about them in the comments.
Recently, a worker shared a conversation with their manager on the AntiWork subreddit revealing how they were fired for taking time off
Their post inspired some Redditors to chime in with similar experiences
This post may include affiliate links.
Good that someone knew how to handle that properly, and didn't blame you for being there.
What the OP's boss did would be plainly illegal here in Germany. Both demanding that he find his own replacement (this is the boss's job!) and firing him for calling in sick.
Most EU laws regarding employment are way better than in the US.
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I went through a similar situation with my middle daughter. She is bipolar and has been off her medication for several days, and suffered a breakdown. My boss said I had to be at work the day my daughter was admitted to a hospital. The mere threat of a lawsuit saved my job, but I didn't go back. I had no interest in working for them anymore.
Power trips on an irrational manager never looks good. That manager will be fired and will cost the company serious money when all they had to do was their own dang job. Wow.
love to see a company try that s**t in Canada, they would be beyond scared to even attempt to ask the employee why they need leave let alone fire them. The laws in the USA are just plain ridiculous
I was pushed out of work since my husband was a paedophile. I came back 11 days after putting him in jail. They knew if I lost the job I lost the house. After the first day I was asked repeatedly if I was on drugs or doing illegal drugs. The doctor tested me and supplied letters. We had a shutdown I worked overtime and did safety and training for the new 60 million dollar packaging line. This was from January 17 2018 to May 17 2018. They pushed me out by May. Offered paid leave. Because of constantly being questioned about drugs and while working shorthanded in 35 celcius heat 12.5 hour shifts I went to the first aid room where we kept water ... I was told to go home by the safety manager the next weekend in the middle of the night .... Three days after getting the water. In a dark office. The manager had altered the first aid report to say I had a history... Little did he know I had a copy of the unfudged report. He went on to say that I should "go home and be with my children because
My back was broken by my exhusband in 2013. Somehow the doctors missed it in my x-rays. In 2018 I was remarried to an amazing man. We both worked full time and he was in his last year of college going full time and working full time. I suddenly started losing reflexes in my legs and a new Dr looked at the old x-rays ordered new tests, etc. He said the Dr's who saw my first x-rays were horrible and had missed a break that was so bad, that by now I had weeks before I would be paralyzed. I have a disorder that causes random heart and lung issues and causes issues with anesthesia. The Dr's told us that bc of that, I could die during surgery. My husband told his job that he needed to be off the day of my surgery and other days around it. The day of my surgery his work called and said if he didn't come in he would be fired (even though he was scheduled off, someone else didn't show up). We knew he needed his job, bc I wouldn't be able to return to work for months, if at all,
So we needed his income to cover our rent, food, etc, but also costs associated with the surgery. He had NEVER called in to work and had worked there over 6 years and not 1 single call in, ever. He ended up going to work while I was in surgery for about 8 hours and said he was a complete mess the entire time. He was already back by the time I woke up, but had been informed that I did in come incredibly close to dying during the surgery. I've always told him it was a decision he had to make, because we wouldn't have made it without his income. To this day he still occasionally thinks about it and will tearily tell me how sorry he is that he didn't tell them to shove it. I always tell him he doesn't need to, bc I agreed with his decision and was there once I woke up anyways. To this day he still hasn't forgiven himself for it. I love him so much and hate that they put him in that position, especially since it still makes him feel so bad about himself. Sometimes bosses are
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This may help explain the nursing shortage. The expectations are beyond unreasonable.
They can't deny you having time off, especially if a child is suicidal.
I was once in a car accident while pregnant. I went into premature labor and they admitted me to the hospital, so I missed two days of work. A few days later, while at work, I again started experiencing contractions. I timed them for several hours to make sure it wasn't a fluke, then called my midwife. They advised I go immediately to the hospital. When I informed my boss, he was like, "Haven't you ever had Braxton-Hicks?" Yeah, f****r, I have. This ain't it. They wound up firing me when I was 8 months pregnant. D***s.
Literally the only reason why I have any job security after management let a colleague demote in the rudest way possible on *Christmas Eve*!! Also a bad work injury that Thankfully my HR well documented. Always save illegal actions made by employers And Always properly record work place injuries. Both can save your job. **I have A medical condition so job security is rare**
It's not pto exclusive. You ask for unpaid time off in advance or called in sick they can say no. I got fired yrs back for being pregnant. I was denied maternity leave and then I told them I would not be able to go to work because I was in labour for 4 days they fired me.
I wonder if the OP had attendance issues prior to this event, and that's why they were fired.
Not enough info, does this person call off habitually, like after a party nigh or payday. Does the manager document everything. But if doctor has verified (when did said employee see doc or was it a phone call to doc). Bottom line FDA FOOD CODE says no work with those symptoms, some symptoms are no food contact…others no work. Whenever an employee called off (worked fast food lots of teens). I would call parent to see how they were, needless to say many times mom or dad had them at work, a few minutes late maybe but there, generally ended problem
Finding a replacement was a employer Job in my old Hospital in Germany..obviously illegal?! Good to know .
I'm a bit confused by this one. Does the "Safe Sick Law" mean you can continue to work from home OR does it mean you can take leave without being fired? I think people should be allowed to safely take leave to take care of ill family or self BUT work from home is a very different story. Seems like the person tried to force work from home without approval.
The person said "I would like to work from home" and got "no, you can't" and then the person said "okay, I am taking the time off" got "okay, your fired" which is illegal in most places and even where it isn't explicitly illegal it's almost certainly grounds for breach of contract.
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I hear you but you do know how to use the system. That was a load of crap good one though. I've used more excuses than a little bit. I e had doctor's notes too that's what we do went from being sick to the daughter being left alone that's where you lost it
Umm, I think if you look again you'll see the sick one and the daughter one are two different people.The person with the 16 year old daughter was someone commenting about a similar experience.
Load More Replies...We managed to get in touch with user spr_t who was kind enough to have a little chat with us. They revealed they got the idea to share this conversation after posting it on OSHA: "Someone messaged me and recommended I post it [on Anti Work]." They did not expect this thread to get as much engagement as it did but appreciate the support. As of today, the screenshot has collected over 60.2K upvotes and more than 4K comments where people shared their own stories and opinions about this situation.
"I believe that the post gained so much attention and support because a lot of people have faced similar experiences. America’s labor laws have come a long way but still, there are many loopholes varying from state to state. In my state (Texas), it is legal to fire someone after providing a work note," they said.
When asked how they are feeling about this whole incident, spr_t told Bored Panda they realized there isn’t much they can do. "Some of the anger and hatred I had towards the subject has subsided and now I’m just looking for a new job which isn’t as easy as it seems," the user revealed. "In life, people have to realize that no matter how much work and time you put into something (especially jobs), it’s never certain or secured," they added.
March 2020, I was sick af and wasn't able to work even remotely. Had already seen a doc and was suggested to take rest. A manager (that I didn't even report to) called and forced me to go for a Covid Test which the doctor said wasn't required based on symptoms I was showing. The test result came negative and the said manager forced me to be at work because I am not really 'sick'.
According to the "No-Vacation Nation" report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research, the European Union requires to give workers employed in the EU at least 20 working days of paid vacation. However, many member countries go above that number, for example, France requires at least 30 paid vacation days off, and that’s not including paid holidays. The UK mandates 28, then Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Spain all require 25, and Portugal has to provide at least 22 working days of paid vacation per year.
"The United States continues to be the only advanced economy that does not guarantee its workers paid vacation," the researchers wrote. "Without a federal paid vacation policy, close to one in four Americans have no paid vacation (23 percent) and no paid holidays (22 percent)," they added that these figures seem to be on the same level since 2013.
Selena Rezvani, a leadership expert, speaker, and author of Pushback: How Smart Women Ask — and Stand Up — for What They Want, told Bored Panda that even though paid time off is a benefit given to many workers, workplaces often have the right to decide how that time is taken off, "for example how PTO should be requested and with how much notice."
"That means firing is actually a possibility with at-will employment, provided it’s not for an EEOC-related [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] reason. Obviously, it sets a negative precedent to police or over-restrict people’s PTO. Remember, this is a benefit that employees have an expectation that they can control — for example when they use PTO, for how long and based on their own justifications. Taking that away erodes trust and wellbeing and cultivates exactly what you don’t want — fear," Rezvani added.
I had a stomach bug once at a call center, I had to ask the person on the phone if I could put them on hold so that I could go vomit. My manager asked me are you sure you're not pregnant? Because women can't just get the stomach flu, right?
The leadership expert noted that when managers intimidate or threaten to fire their employees for taking time off, it can make workers feel hesitant to use their paid days at all. "The power play in using PTO is fraught with all kinds of worries: will I appear lazy or uncommitted? Will my manager think I’m not sharing the load? Will they see me as lacking in work ethic?"
I *hope* the mill manager's reaction was actually an uncharacteristic irrational response. People often don't behave in the "expected" way in stressful situations. If the manager was otherwise decent, the frustration displayed could have been their externally displayed coping mechanism. One of my managers (an otherwise amazingly generous and supportive person) heard that a coworker's sister had died unexpectedly that morning and had a small giggling fit because her brain just didn't process the information correctly. I want to know what the overall pattern of behaviour is before I judge someone for being terrible humans.
I am one of those managers who honestly doesn't care. I will never understand how some managers feel the need to treat other people like that! Do they honestly think it creates the best environment for workers to do their job?
She explained that our reluctance in taking time off is evidence of this. "More than half of Americans don’t take all their PTO in a year — compared to France where 90 percent of people take all their PTO. This could also show up in a reluctance to fully disconnect during time off. When Americans do take vacations, 41 percent are checking into work while away and a whopping 84 percent of executives have canceled vacations in order to work. Managers need to normalize encouraging people to fully unplug when taking PTO!"
When asked what would be an appropriate reaction from the management when employees ask for PTO, Rezvani said they should "go out of your way to accommodate it and try not to probe for an explanation of what they’re doing in their time off. If they want to tell you, they will — but they shouldn’t be obligated."
Target, in Cali! I'm not sure if the policy is still in place now, but you were required to clock out for 30 minutes if you were working more than 7 hours or something like that. Also, you were required to take said lunch before you've worked 5 hours or more. If you didn't, you got a write up and after so many, you'd get canned. This was so frustrating because there were no exceptions. If you were busy with a customer or on the only register open on a busy day and couldn't clock out for the break in time, oh well! Most of the time it was up to team leader or supervisor to relieve you, unless you were working on the floor, like stocking or facing. Well there I was, on a register while my team lead is on one too. I finally get relieved 5 hours and 45 minutes into my shift and clock out late for my lunch (for the last time). The next shift, they pulled me into the office and fired me for violating company policy AND California state law. BULLSH*T!
Other users were appalled by the manager's behavior, here's what they had to say
When I worked for a New England Housing Authority, I took one week bereavement and one week PTO when my mother died and I had to fly back to Illinois. When I came back, I was berated for work that was done in my absence by another employee. They sent me home to "think about how much my job meant to me" for a few days unpaid. Turns out, my mother dying ruined my supervisor's vacation plans and she told people she was done with me and would hound me until I quit or got fired. On the way home, I told myself I'm not going back. I called a friend at an employment agency from the car. That was a Thursday, I started a new job on Tuesday. I've been at this job for 14 years. Don't think I didn't call them back and tell them to f**k right off. Then I called my supervisor's boss and told him that she always has vodka nips in her purse and often appears in intoxicated after lunch. I told him it was the truth and everyone was aware of it. They approached her the next week, found her drunk at work
then fired her. A week later she got caught boning her best friend's husband. She hid in their closet during the fight and then the woman beat her @ss. After that, her husband kicked her out and took the kids on the vacation that had been cancelled. I ran into her a few months later and walked up to her and said, "Karma's a b***h, just like you." I always joke my mom ruined her life from the beyond because as beautiful as she was, you didn't f**k with her kids. Thanks mom.
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I tried working as a seasonal retail employee one year as a second job. I happened to get a migraine on the worst day of the year: Black Friday. I called and called and called, finally got the b*tchiest supervisor who yelled at me and told me I'd lose my job if I didn't come in. Girl, I'm here for holiday money, my life does not revolve around the retail shopping season. I mean I felt bad but there was nothing I could do. I'll just never forget her reaction that I had the audacity to be sick
Migraines are no joke. Not everyone understands how terrible they really are.
Load More Replies... I see posts every day on my social media about "people are entitled and lazy and don't want to work." Stories like this are why. No one wants to work when sick or while being treated like a human being but a working robot.
Never got fired for taking pto however had a boss/owner get pissy with me about wanting a day off the 2nd week of January. He said something along the lines of "the year just started and you already need a day off? I replied does is matter if the year month or week just started? If I need a day I need a day and for your information I need it to take my mom for surgery. Watching him squirm after that was hilarious. The best part was it wasn't for my mom, but I knew that response would make him uncomfortable for even questioning me.
As if you had some sort of vacation before the new year... It doesn't matter the year just started, if you worked the whole previous year without rest...
Load More Replies... The stupidity of these managers are ridiculous. I had a manager once to tell me to leave my 11 year old son in the hospital with ketoacidosis alone to work my shift. She said " can't someone else watch him, he's not going anywhere sometimes we got to suck it up buttercup" needless to say no I didn't go in and I won't ever not take care if my child for a job
I worked at a place where one of the managers used that exact phrase on me. I put in my two weeks notice. About two weeks after i got a new job we heard that that facility had a mass firing of the managing staff and all new managers.
Load More Replies... I have never understood managers who demand employees find their own replacement. IMO, they are horrible managers and shouldn't be in that position. They as the manager are responsible for staffing, which includes flexible work force to cover those times when others need time off.
Our part time staff we figure out coverage if they need to take time, but Assistant Directors or higher need to find our own coverage - but we are all good at covering for each other.
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Worst employer story I ever heard - our equipment supplier was going through mass layoffs. This left their repair team short-staffed. One guy was out on sick leave after major surgery. Boss called him and asked if there was any way he could come in; they were swamped and desperate. Guy got special release from doctor and showed up for work - where he was promptly laid off. (It wasn't legal to lay off someone on FMLA, but he was fair game once he returned)
Worked for a company that the president was well known for firing people after they took their PTO because nothing disastrous happened while they were out, so apparently they weren’t needed. The key was to plan to work at least one day while on vacay to prove your were necessary. 🙄 I swear one of the managers purposely held on to minor jobs, knowing I was going on vacation, only to have them be an emergency situation the first day I was off requiring me to login and do the thing, and then be left alone for the rest of my vacation. Sadly, the president was always proven wrong about those people not being needed, but refused to reverse her decisions regardless of how much it caused issues.
I got fired from Chico's while pregnant, because I'd get all day morning sickness which was made worse by smelling people , ( not just B. O. regular people odor, perfume,), there was trouble for improper scheduling , ((people wanted 10 hours, minimum is 20 hours, because they didn't need the job, just wanted the discounts) so your hours would be say , 8am- 3:30-4:30 pm ) rather than waiting for the doctors note ( I was being put on bed rest, because I was losing weight from vomiting, instead of gaining) , they fired me, 4 moths pregnant, over the phone. Why, to reallocate the hours.
Left work early because sick, stomach HURTING. Next day, day off. Drive to get child food cuz I can't stand for long because of pain. Manager saw me "out" (of my sick bed?) Kid has to eat! Call in next day, and he brings it up, that I was feeling well enough to drive the day before! Was in hospital that afternoon, pain was gall bladder.
When I was a new RN, I had spoken with another RN about switching shifts because I had concert tix. Spoke with her twice, well in advance & she agreed. Night of the concert rolls around & I get a call from Hubby saying work called & wanted to know why I wasn't there for my shift. I called, said so-n-so was covering my shift. She wasn't there & when contacted said she never agreed to the swap. I told them I could not return because I was 2 hrs away and had a passenger with me. I was also in the Reserves at the time & always provided my drill weekends at the beginning of the calendar year. The 3rd time I was called for not showing up for my shift (on a drill weekend) I showed up in full uniform, walked to the scheduling book behind the nurses station, cancelled ALL scheduling conflicts not saying a word. It took my coworkers a few minutes to realize it was me, then asked: are you coming in to work? I said no, slammed down the scheduling book and walked out. What they did was illegal AF!
We get fired for too many points. We have PTO, but still get points for using it if it was not planned ahead of time.
Instead of it being called "Paid Time Off" should it be called "Planned Time Off"?
Load More Replies... Had a retail manager threaten to fire me because I'm one of those people whose eyes stay dilated for a few days after the doctor puts the drops in. The eye doctor said it's fine, just wear sunglasses. Every couple hours for three days, the manager would come tell me to take off my sunglasses. I told her the doctor said not to until my eyes went back to normal. She said she didn't believe they stayed that long and I said she didn't have to; that's why I saw the doctor for my eye exam and not her. She said if I didn't leave them off the next day, I'd be fired. So I called out the rest of the week. Said I would bring a note when I came back. The doctor was pissed, so the note was pretty awesome.
I was a third key-holder for a retail clothing store. The store manager saw I was sick and told me to go directly to the ED and she wanted to talk to the doctor who saw me. I was diagnosed with pneumonia and told to do bedrest for 4 days. My manager told me if I tried to come in before those 4 days were up I would be sent directly home. I was lucky in my career to have good managers who cared more about me than the stores.
Not work related, but my tails of ‘your not sick’ started young. When I was in elementary school I had gone up to the nurses office 3x because I said I didn’t feel good. They took my temp, and since I didn’t have a fever they sent me back to class. Well… the 4th time I went into the office, I didn’t even make it to the nurses office before I projectile vomited all over the secretaries desk. The look on her face was mortifying. I got to go home after that.
It's called FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act). If you declare you're out on medical leave, your job is secured. Periodt. Can't mess with an act of congress.
I had a job at a debt charity answering phone, when i was hired i told them i had severe asthma. About a month after i started i had a stomach bug and missed 1 day then 2 months later i had a bad asthma attack and missed another day, i literally fell down trying to walk to the training station because i couldn't breath. They made me talk to a nurse who told them people with asthma are more likely to be sick and more severely sick and they fixed me barədə on that
Well, for one, I think I’d like to read what happened with the original poster! Nothing like an incomplete story that leaves readers hanging, BP!!
Boss: sexually assaults me every chance he gets - groping, grabbing, forcefully trying to kiss me, etc. Me: single parent, starts looking for other job, but haven't found one yet. Boss: tells me he knows I'm looking for another job, lays me off & fights unemployment claim so I can't get any money at all. (He couldn't outright fire me because I hadn't done anything wrong & was worried I'd sue him & his wife would find out about the sexual assaults.) Fast forward 3 years: boss' father dies, turns out he owned everything & they hated each other, so the father left NOTHING to the son (the boss). Boss loses everything, has to liquidate whatever inventory was left in the business & leaves the country. Never saw him again. Karma.
I had a boss get snappy with a nurse who kept repeating that no, I couldn't speak with my manager, because I was on a fking ventilator with severe pneumonia. Another manager got pissed at me that I wasn't promptly answering calls. I had scheduled myself for a day off on December 26th. We never had anyone in the office the entire week between December 24th and Jan 1st. I'd come in just to keep systems running, but I'd be literally the only person in the office (or my husband, who worked on another team, would come in with me). She could have checked the calendar to see that I had requested off that day 3 months in advance *and she approved it* so she had no reason to get pissy except that she didn't like me (and she made it known quite frequently). She finally gave me an ultimatum, that because I was a contractor, I needed to reapply for my job, and oh, wouldn't you know it, they were eliminating my position. K, hope you like all the systems going down!
I got written up once for miscounting $40. I had tried to call out for a migraine but store manager screamed at me until I agreed to come in.
I worked night shift (alone) in a small hospital laboratory. Never called off except one time when I threw out my back. I called in and my replacement couldn’t work due to gallbladder issues. I could barely walk, let alone bend over. I stupidly came in to work anyhow. I had to get the house supervisor to put my 20 liter cube of reagent up on the shelf when it ran out. I also had to go to the farthest hospital rooms to draw blood several times. Bending down to draw blood was very painful. I did learn I’m a bad shot at the trash can, because I would wait and only pick up my missed trash after there were several surrounding the can. It’s been over 30 years and I’m still mad about having to work.
The standing at the register as a cashier Is one of the most outrageous And disturbing thing about US i've ever heard of. Why the f**k can't you sit down? I've never seen cashier stand up in my country and i wouldn't want them to work under such ridiculous terms...
I'm happy to have unlimited sick days (within reason), family sick days (so I can tend to my child while my wife is sick) and a corporate culture that only hires people who would never abuse these policies as either worker or manager. The rest of these places can f**k right off.
America is crazy and the "right to work" laws (really is "right for rich employers to exploit the employees) will never change unless you get rid of those damnable rethuglicans.
Worked for Target once. I ended up hospitalized for severe pneumonia on Black Friday weekend. My husband had to call me in because I was hooked up to oxygen because I could barely breathe. When I was able to return I found my hours had been cut to 12 a week. When I asked why, I was told it was basically punishment for being out, and I couldn't have the department transfer I had requested because they weren't going to "reward bad behavior" I got sick from working there, almost died from the severity of the pneumonia, was in the hospital for 2 weeks, and that was bad behavior. I gave them the big "f**k you" and found a new job. Losers.
We (the US) need to stop protecting all these other countries military and bring all that spending back home to make this a place where we can have the niceties that the Europeans have because we keep them from having to spend thier money to defend themselves. Close almost all the bases in Europe, Asia, Middle East and bring that money back home for infrastructure and the betterment of our people.
That's not why we don't have the nice things other countries have. We can afford it. It's the entire system. Jobs should not have a caste. We couldn't do it without cashiers, retail workers, service or blue collar jobs. But those jobs are often treated like "it's something teenagers do for pocket money" on the one hand, and something that they want you to have experience and professionalism and even a degree on the other hand. And the people who do those jobs are often treated as something less. THAT is the problem. Not military spending.
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This article is a little misleading and the examples are not necessarily complete. PTO is normally the equivalent of vacation or personal time. Many, if not all, of these examples reference asking to take sick time, that's not the same as PTO. Most companies have written policies for how much sick time can be taken before one's job is threatened. Some of these stories are missing context. Was that their first time calling out sick? Do they have a pattern of calling out sick? Are they alotted a specific amount of sick hours/days in a given period which they have already used up? From my experience managing employees I can give many examples of individuals who used every minute of their sick time for the year in January. It's still the employee's job to know the time off policies at their place of business, be responsible with their time and manage their available hours appropriately.
Oh if that where true everywhere. PTO and sick time are one in the same in a lot of hospitals and you are forced to use it in ridiculous ways. And if you're sick, YOURE SICK, there's nothing to manage.
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When I worked for a New England Housing Authority, I took one week bereavement and one week PTO when my mother died and I had to fly back to Illinois. When I came back, I was berated for work that was done in my absence by another employee. They sent me home to "think about how much my job meant to me" for a few days unpaid. Turns out, my mother dying ruined my supervisor's vacation plans and she told people she was done with me and would hound me until I quit or got fired. On the way home, I told myself I'm not going back. I called a friend at an employment agency from the car. That was a Thursday, I started a new job on Tuesday. I've been at this job for 14 years. Don't think I didn't call them back and tell them to f**k right off. Then I called my supervisor's boss and told him that she always has vodka nips in her purse and often appears in intoxicated after lunch. I told him it was the truth and everyone was aware of it. They approached her the next week, found her drunk at work
then fired her. A week later she got caught boning her best friend's husband. She hid in their closet during the fight and then the woman beat her @ss. After that, her husband kicked her out and took the kids on the vacation that had been cancelled. I ran into her a few months later and walked up to her and said, "Karma's a b***h, just like you." I always joke my mom ruined her life from the beyond because as beautiful as she was, you didn't f**k with her kids. Thanks mom.
Load More Replies... I tried working as a seasonal retail employee one year as a second job. I happened to get a migraine on the worst day of the year: Black Friday. I called and called and called, finally got the b*tchiest supervisor who yelled at me and told me I'd lose my job if I didn't come in. Girl, I'm here for holiday money, my life does not revolve around the retail shopping season. I mean I felt bad but there was nothing I could do. I'll just never forget her reaction that I had the audacity to be sick
Migraines are no joke. Not everyone understands how terrible they really are.
Load More Replies... I see posts every day on my social media about "people are entitled and lazy and don't want to work." Stories like this are why. No one wants to work when sick or while being treated like a human being but a working robot.
Never got fired for taking pto however had a boss/owner get pissy with me about wanting a day off the 2nd week of January. He said something along the lines of "the year just started and you already need a day off? I replied does is matter if the year month or week just started? If I need a day I need a day and for your information I need it to take my mom for surgery. Watching him squirm after that was hilarious. The best part was it wasn't for my mom, but I knew that response would make him uncomfortable for even questioning me.
As if you had some sort of vacation before the new year... It doesn't matter the year just started, if you worked the whole previous year without rest...
Load More Replies... The stupidity of these managers are ridiculous. I had a manager once to tell me to leave my 11 year old son in the hospital with ketoacidosis alone to work my shift. She said " can't someone else watch him, he's not going anywhere sometimes we got to suck it up buttercup" needless to say no I didn't go in and I won't ever not take care if my child for a job
I worked at a place where one of the managers used that exact phrase on me. I put in my two weeks notice. About two weeks after i got a new job we heard that that facility had a mass firing of the managing staff and all new managers.
Load More Replies... I have never understood managers who demand employees find their own replacement. IMO, they are horrible managers and shouldn't be in that position. They as the manager are responsible for staffing, which includes flexible work force to cover those times when others need time off.
Our part time staff we figure out coverage if they need to take time, but Assistant Directors or higher need to find our own coverage - but we are all good at covering for each other.
Load More Replies... Worst employer story I ever heard - our equipment supplier was going through mass layoffs. This left their repair team short-staffed. One guy was out on sick leave after major surgery. Boss called him and asked if there was any way he could come in; they were swamped and desperate. Guy got special release from doctor and showed up for work - where he was promptly laid off. (It wasn't legal to lay off someone on FMLA, but he was fair game once he returned)
Worked for a company that the president was well known for firing people after they took their PTO because nothing disastrous happened while they were out, so apparently they weren’t needed. The key was to plan to work at least one day while on vacay to prove your were necessary. 🙄 I swear one of the managers purposely held on to minor jobs, knowing I was going on vacation, only to have them be an emergency situation the first day I was off requiring me to login and do the thing, and then be left alone for the rest of my vacation. Sadly, the president was always proven wrong about those people not being needed, but refused to reverse her decisions regardless of how much it caused issues.
I got fired from Chico's while pregnant, because I'd get all day morning sickness which was made worse by smelling people , ( not just B. O. regular people odor, perfume,), there was trouble for improper scheduling , ((people wanted 10 hours, minimum is 20 hours, because they didn't need the job, just wanted the discounts) so your hours would be say , 8am- 3:30-4:30 pm ) rather than waiting for the doctors note ( I was being put on bed rest, because I was losing weight from vomiting, instead of gaining) , they fired me, 4 moths pregnant, over the phone. Why, to reallocate the hours.
Left work early because sick, stomach HURTING. Next day, day off. Drive to get child food cuz I can't stand for long because of pain. Manager saw me "out" (of my sick bed?) Kid has to eat! Call in next day, and he brings it up, that I was feeling well enough to drive the day before! Was in hospital that afternoon, pain was gall bladder.
When I was a new RN, I had spoken with another RN about switching shifts because I had concert tix. Spoke with her twice, well in advance & she agreed. Night of the concert rolls around & I get a call from Hubby saying work called & wanted to know why I wasn't there for my shift. I called, said so-n-so was covering my shift. She wasn't there & when contacted said she never agreed to the swap. I told them I could not return because I was 2 hrs away and had a passenger with me. I was also in the Reserves at the time & always provided my drill weekends at the beginning of the calendar year. The 3rd time I was called for not showing up for my shift (on a drill weekend) I showed up in full uniform, walked to the scheduling book behind the nurses station, cancelled ALL scheduling conflicts not saying a word. It took my coworkers a few minutes to realize it was me, then asked: are you coming in to work? I said no, slammed down the scheduling book and walked out. What they did was illegal AF!
We get fired for too many points. We have PTO, but still get points for using it if it was not planned ahead of time.
Instead of it being called "Paid Time Off" should it be called "Planned Time Off"?
Load More Replies... Had a retail manager threaten to fire me because I'm one of those people whose eyes stay dilated for a few days after the doctor puts the drops in. The eye doctor said it's fine, just wear sunglasses. Every couple hours for three days, the manager would come tell me to take off my sunglasses. I told her the doctor said not to until my eyes went back to normal. She said she didn't believe they stayed that long and I said she didn't have to; that's why I saw the doctor for my eye exam and not her. She said if I didn't leave them off the next day, I'd be fired. So I called out the rest of the week. Said I would bring a note when I came back. The doctor was pissed, so the note was pretty awesome.
I was a third key-holder for a retail clothing store. The store manager saw I was sick and told me to go directly to the ED and she wanted to talk to the doctor who saw me. I was diagnosed with pneumonia and told to do bedrest for 4 days. My manager told me if I tried to come in before those 4 days were up I would be sent directly home. I was lucky in my career to have good managers who cared more about me than the stores.
Not work related, but my tails of ‘your not sick’ started young. When I was in elementary school I had gone up to the nurses office 3x because I said I didn’t feel good. They took my temp, and since I didn’t have a fever they sent me back to class. Well… the 4th time I went into the office, I didn’t even make it to the nurses office before I projectile vomited all over the secretaries desk. The look on her face was mortifying. I got to go home after that.
It's called FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act). If you declare you're out on medical leave, your job is secured. Periodt. Can't mess with an act of congress.
I had a job at a debt charity answering phone, when i was hired i told them i had severe asthma. About a month after i started i had a stomach bug and missed 1 day then 2 months later i had a bad asthma attack and missed another day, i literally fell down trying to walk to the training station because i couldn't breath. They made me talk to a nurse who told them people with asthma are more likely to be sick and more severely sick and they fixed me barədə on that
Well, for one, I think I’d like to read what happened with the original poster! Nothing like an incomplete story that leaves readers hanging, BP!!
Boss: sexually assaults me every chance he gets - groping, grabbing, forcefully trying to kiss me, etc. Me: single parent, starts looking for other job, but haven't found one yet. Boss: tells me he knows I'm looking for another job, lays me off & fights unemployment claim so I can't get any money at all. (He couldn't outright fire me because I hadn't done anything wrong & was worried I'd sue him & his wife would find out about the sexual assaults.) Fast forward 3 years: boss' father dies, turns out he owned everything & they hated each other, so the father left NOTHING to the son (the boss). Boss loses everything, has to liquidate whatever inventory was left in the business & leaves the country. Never saw him again. Karma.
I had a boss get snappy with a nurse who kept repeating that no, I couldn't speak with my manager, because I was on a fking ventilator with severe pneumonia. Another manager got pissed at me that I wasn't promptly answering calls. I had scheduled myself for a day off on December 26th. We never had anyone in the office the entire week between December 24th and Jan 1st. I'd come in just to keep systems running, but I'd be literally the only person in the office (or my husband, who worked on another team, would come in with me). She could have checked the calendar to see that I had requested off that day 3 months in advance *and she approved it* so she had no reason to get pissy except that she didn't like me (and she made it known quite frequently). She finally gave me an ultimatum, that because I was a contractor, I needed to reapply for my job, and oh, wouldn't you know it, they were eliminating my position. K, hope you like all the systems going down!
I got written up once for miscounting $40. I had tried to call out for a migraine but store manager screamed at me until I agreed to come in.
I worked night shift (alone) in a small hospital laboratory. Never called off except one time when I threw out my back. I called in and my replacement couldn’t work due to gallbladder issues. I could barely walk, let alone bend over. I stupidly came in to work anyhow. I had to get the house supervisor to put my 20 liter cube of reagent up on the shelf when it ran out. I also had to go to the farthest hospital rooms to draw blood several times. Bending down to draw blood was very painful. I did learn I’m a bad shot at the trash can, because I would wait and only pick up my missed trash after there were several surrounding the can. It’s been over 30 years and I’m still mad about having to work.
The standing at the register as a cashier Is one of the most outrageous And disturbing thing about US i've ever heard of. Why the f**k can't you sit down? I've never seen cashier stand up in my country and i wouldn't want them to work under such ridiculous terms...
I'm happy to have unlimited sick days (within reason), family sick days (so I can tend to my child while my wife is sick) and a corporate culture that only hires people who would never abuse these policies as either worker or manager. The rest of these places can f**k right off.
America is crazy and the "right to work" laws (really is "right for rich employers to exploit the employees) will never change unless you get rid of those damnable rethuglicans.
Worked for Target once. I ended up hospitalized for severe pneumonia on Black Friday weekend. My husband had to call me in because I was hooked up to oxygen because I could barely breathe. When I was able to return I found my hours had been cut to 12 a week. When I asked why, I was told it was basically punishment for being out, and I couldn't have the department transfer I had requested because they weren't going to "reward bad behavior" I got sick from working there, almost died from the severity of the pneumonia, was in the hospital for 2 weeks, and that was bad behavior. I gave them the big "f**k you" and found a new job. Losers.
We (the US) need to stop protecting all these other countries military and bring all that spending back home to make this a place where we can have the niceties that the Europeans have because we keep them from having to spend thier money to defend themselves. Close almost all the bases in Europe, Asia, Middle East and bring that money back home for infrastructure and the betterment of our people.
That's not why we don't have the nice things other countries have. We can afford it. It's the entire system. Jobs should not have a caste. We couldn't do it without cashiers, retail workers, service or blue collar jobs. But those jobs are often treated like "it's something teenagers do for pocket money" on the one hand, and something that they want you to have experience and professionalism and even a degree on the other hand. And the people who do those jobs are often treated as something less. THAT is the problem. Not military spending.
Load More Replies... This article is a little misleading and the examples are not necessarily complete. PTO is normally the equivalent of vacation or personal time. Many, if not all, of these examples reference asking to take sick time, that's not the same as PTO. Most companies have written policies for how much sick time can be taken before one's job is threatened. Some of these stories are missing context. Was that their first time calling out sick? Do they have a pattern of calling out sick? Are they alotted a specific amount of sick hours/days in a given period which they have already used up? From my experience managing employees I can give many examples of individuals who used every minute of their sick time for the year in January. It's still the employee's job to know the time off policies at their place of business, be responsible with their time and manage their available hours appropriately.
Oh if that where true everywhere. PTO and sick time are one in the same in a lot of hospitals and you are forced to use it in ridiculous ways. And if you're sick, YOURE SICK, there's nothing to manage.
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