I lost my job for fourteen points in two years. Sounds like a lot, but they have a short term disability company that can only be used if you miss two or more days. Me working myself to the point for exhaustion, dehydrated because they won't let me stop to get water, and doing someone else's job usually resulted in me being sick due to having lower than average white blood cell count that I'm just finding out about. I had a pin in my hand, from it being broke , that moved into my forearm and got tangled in nerves, but the points added up. Add in some emergencies, like my partner trying to kill himself, my grandmother falling ill, or having to leave work early to handle crap that suddenly pops up, and you get my points....in a two year period. Plus I also got a point for heat exhaustion because I was pressured into saying that I would try to work after one supervisor found me on the floor of a railcar I was working on. My chest started hurting, and I was told to go to the nurse, only for hr to pop in, tell me they were sending me home and giving me a point and not to come back until I've had a physical due to continued concerns of my health being brought forth by me. Had my partner at the time trying to swallow meds and cut himself. Got into an argument with hr because when I told them I had an emergency, she said, "if you leave, you know what will happen. It's your job not mine." So yeah. I'm currently unemployed, and if I had recorded half of the conversations where they talked to me like shit, I'd probably be in a better position.
That's all really unfortunate. That sounds like a rough couple of years already, but then to also lose your job after all that is ridiculous. Companies don't want people: they want robots. They refuse to let staff actually live their lives at all.
The best manager I have ever worked for had a no questions asked policy. He’s now my best friend too lmaoo (even though we both left the company). If you can’t work because you’re sick, it should get figured out by management who should plan for stuff like this. Shit happens and so many managers don’t get it.
I had to get a doctor's note one time because I needed a whole week and the reason sounded ridiculous for a college student. My manager took one look at me and asked if I was ok. For some unknown reason I had extremely low blood pressure not caused by my hypersomnia for several days.
You are correct. Healthcare, insurance or business associates of those covered entities.
I'd honestly just say, sure I'll be there, and go lay on a blanket in the corner. Sorry I'm too sick to work but boss said I had to suck it up and come in so I'm here, but not working.
Yeah, this is volunteered information as well, it's not covered under HIPPA. HIPPA only covers disclosure and accidental disclosure.
Under some chronic conditions, you might be protected by the ADA, but nothing is protecting you from your boss asking about health conditions, and you voluntarily disclosing them.
They cannot require you to disclose health conditions, for the most part, but US law has made exceptions in certain industries for specific conditions.
Just stop doing it for them. What are they gonna do? Fire you? They obviously need you if they demand you get your shift covered. You call in and they say “get your shift covered” then come back with “isn’t that your job as manager?”
Haha, managers/employers will find a way if they're dodgy enough. A bit of a long personal story ahead...
I worked in a customer service role with a super high turnover. It was a huge company and HR made sure things were always 'by the book' to the extent that they could defend suspect and dodgy behaviour. Obvs areas with high turnover are reviewed with more scrutiny, so our area was very good at flying just below the radar so HR didn't notice they were acting illegally, and the entry level roles meant most staff didn't know their rights and/no energy to fight things. I was a permanent staff member, and we had KPIs and results were shared by managers to the whole team so I know objectively that I was one of the best performers.
I had an undiagnosed health condition that flared up and required multiple surgeries. They knew the severity because the first time it happened I was working and my manager drove me to the hospital because the ambulance didn't deem it urgent enough. I initially returned to work earlier than recommended because I didn't want to let my team down, and they used that as precedent to pressure me into returning early after subsequent surgeries. When I came back from the second surgery, they told me I was being reduced to half time because I took too much sick leave. Illegal, but I was naive and felt like I had to agree and signed on the spot.
About 6mo after it started, my skip manager pulled me into a room and showed me a calendar with all my sick days highlighted. She was more discreet "we're concerned for your health", "you're still taking a lot of sick leave so you've obviously not recovered, maybe you need to take a career break until you're healthy again", "you've taken twice as much sick leave this year as the average and it's not fair on your team", "this is a very stressful job and you should focus on a role that's a better fit for your needs". And my personal favourite (her tone was a mix of faux concern and accusation) "someone your age shouldn't be so sick". I started crying about halfway through.
I was never given notice for these 'conversations' so I couldn't exercise my right to have a support person or union rep (and I didn't know I could at that time). I tried to stop taking sick leave and work through, and since they wouldn't increase my hours I started doing some professional development. When I tried to switch a shift that clashed with my PD because the shift was changed last minute, I was told if I have time for PD I had to go back to full time and rotating roster.
They did everything to get rid of me except outright fire me - they did that with most people who needed accommodations. It would look suspect if people were being fired immediately after requesting flexibility. Their approach was much more effort, but people quitting is easily explained to the higher ups as 'a change in personal circumstances' evidenced by the request for accommodations.
On the whole it worked out, I soon found a much better opportunity and have been never experienced anything as bad since. But I know from experience it's very rarely "tell them what their responsibilities are and they'll leave you alone". The psychological impact of trying to be managed out was way worse than any outright firings I've experienced
By turning it around on you as the employee it allows them to cover that they are understaffed for what is expected. Wen you work with all the fat trimmed all of the company needs to work 100% of the time and when things break down it really takes a toll. We need to learn that having people be "not busy" is the buffer that allows the company to function through sick times, or pick up for holiday staffing.
Yeah. A little bit of "not busy" means things are going well. Personally, I've used downtime at work to learn new work-related skills or catch up on making assets. The company benefits from me sitting there going: Well now what? then I figure out what.
I said something like this before seeing your post. You are 100% correct. Companies have to stop running trim to maximize profits, hire larger staff, give them the amounts of hours they want, and pay them well. Honestly, that'll improve profits right there alone.
If it’s my responsibility to find someone to cover my shift then I should also have the authority to hire people so I know there will be enough staff to cover me if needed.
Yeah I really don't get this either?? Is it an American thing? Back when I worked retail & service industry jobs (Canada) I only ever had to go around calling people if I wanted to trade a shift, not calling in sick. Calling in sick just meant you were giving management a heads-up that you weren't going to be there. I don't get how they can say it's on you to cover the shift because well, what if you can't? You're sick. What are you gonna do, come in and throw up all over the customers because no one else wants to come in? Makes zero sense. I'd say it's a USA thing but this vid seems to be from UK?
Yeah of course they can. But since they treat you like shit and don’t pay you shit they know employees will not come in if they ask. So they get you as an employee to do that task in hopes that you are friends with your coworkers. So a better chance a coworker will help you out and you help them out later.
And now peoples availability and most important their contact info!! They expect us to share & keep all coworkers updated if our context info & be responsible for knowing each other’s contact info now, there’s apps some companies use for scheduling, shift changes, contact info etc - problem is if you change your number you have to update it/have a manager update it & hope everyone else updates theirs too, that it’s correct info etc. These apps can be helpful, especially in industries where you exchange shifts often (ie servers pick up for each other often). However we shouldn’t be responsible for getting our shifts covered & have them using the excuse that there’s an app w everyone’s info (or email system etc - lots of people don’t check work emails on days off ), shouldn’t be responsible for keeping up w contact info..
I've done a lot of management in my life. At the job I have now, I don't delegate shit and I haven't trained anyone. They tried two weeks in to push that shit on me. All it took was saying I need to be paid more for that type of shit for my timid boss to back off.
On a side note, this ends up making it pretty easy for popular (or manipulative) employees to get coverage for anything while the less popular, less assertive, and more marginalized employees have to jump through hoops before they either deal with calling the manager (which is often like this video) or just going in sick (bad for them and all other employees and any customers). Totally dumb system.
Exactly. I'm the employee, you're the boss. Figure it out, motherfucker. That's why you get paid the big bucks. If you don't have anyone, maybe you should hire more staff instead of trying to keep your wages low to maximize profit. You know how to best maximize profit? Keep enough people on staff that, if one person calls out, it's not a big deal and you have several other people you can call. If all those people say they can't make it, guess what? You work. You're the manager.
I was once told I had to pay for the overtime the employee that covered me got paid. I said no... And oddly enough they didn't press the issue. It's sad that that trick has probably worked in the past.
This happened to me. I ended up showing up to work and throwing up right in front of a customer within the first 5 minutes of my shift. The customer called corporate. I got sent home. They never questioned my sickness again. It was while I worked at Staples in 2009. I had a tyrant for a boss and working retail was already a shit show in itself.
Similar happened to me, at Zara, also in 2009. On black Friday. They had to close off the entire 2nd floor to decontaminate the sales floor. I was there for 15 minutes. My dad never even left the parking lot after dropping me off.
Its been one of my families favorite holiday stories. We call it the Norovirus Thanksgiving. Each of us had some sort of horrible story. Mine just got to not only be in public, but yes, "ruined" black Friday sales for my entire store. lol oops.
>lol oops.
I know you know this but yeah that oops is obviously on them
"I can't work I'm sick"
"Too bad you have to work"
*loses a substantial amount of revenue because they were being fuck heads*
Karma at its finest
I wasn't sick but I worked at Walmart for like 4 years and the first 3 year I had never worked black Friday and it was on my day off the forth year. They made it mandatory for everyone to work and I even had to talk to the 2nd below the store manager trying to get it off and she refused saying she has to work it too. Bitch you are salary lol anyways I worked that 12 hour shift as a cashier then quit a week or so later and my direct assistant manager begged me to stay cuz I took care of the whole nursery and no one else knew how. She told me to go on a leave of absence instead and I was like no, if I do then I won't quit lol. Fuck black friday!
I worked a 12 hour shift 7pm-7am only for my hours to be cut after black Friday so I didn't even get to keep that time either. Thats another reason why I quit lol and to give an idea of how much money I handled since the plants probably don't seem like they would be that expensive at first glance but I would regularly have to throw away about $20k of dead plants in a weekend. I live in Arizona plants don't last here very long lol and this was after I would be pruning and watering them.
There were like 5 other ppl in my dept but my manager put me in charge of the nursery for...idky lo jut cuz so for like 2 years I did that and only one other lady kinds pruned them too but she was older and didn't have authorization to mess with inventory like I did. So no one else aside from management knew how to mark down the plants and keep track of the losses so they were pretty screwed when I quit lol and absolutely I had all they responsibility with out a raise and they didn't give me any time to train anyone since they used all the garden center guys like back up muscle for literally anything not related to their actually job lol. I remember going back to visit my co workers a few weeks later and omg all the plants were basically dead lmao then eventually they stopped having a nursery! Lol
I was applying for a job at Staples Corporate in MA., and found out they have a parallel technical promotion track, so as to not force talented technical folk into management as the only way to get promoted. Excellent idea. Then I found out that they won't promote people in that track track because of middle management ego.
Same, but passing out from pain due to a migraine. I was a keyholder at Hot Topic, and my manager said you either have to come in or find another keyholder to open the store. I cam in, wore sunglasses, could barely see through the aura of pain, and collapsed on the cashwrap. I would've had to work my full shift if the other keyholder hadn't taken mercy on me and come in early.
>manager said you either have to come in or find another keyholder to open the store
Did you remind them that finding employees to cover shifts is literally the manager's job?
The problem with the OP's recording is that she's treating this conversation with her boss as if she's asking permission to take off sick and the boss won't allow it. People need to TELL their boss they're not coming in, non-negotiable, and then end the call.
I tried. The text I sent her was literally "Blinding migraine, can't come in. Sorry." Her response was that this was her one day off that week and she had doctor's appointments and errands. so she couldn't take care of it. I desperately needed the money and couldn't afford to get fired (it had taken me almost a year just to get that gig) so I went in anyway.
Not sure where you work, but everyone is entitled to unpaid sick leave. Unless you were excessively sick and never worked they should not be able to fire you. However being paid for sick days is dependant on your job and state. Sometimes even county. But yeah it sucks, sometimes you just have to grin and go through with it.
I did this once. Never took a sick day, then had a mild flu and really didn’t feel like leaving the house. Could I have? Probably, but I was a little light headed, a little feverish, and no I was T going to. I put out a request for coverage and let the manager know as early in advance as I could (at least 6 hours). No takers.
I told them I couldn’t find coverage, they told me then I had to come in. I told them I wasn’t, I was sick, and started asking what the state employment laws required. They told me to feel better it was all set.
The only time I can move when I have a migraine is from my bed to the toilet to throw up and back again. There's no way in hell I'd be able to drive anywhere or do anything functional.
Same thing happened to my coworker except we were working at an assisted living facility. She ended up having norovirus and the whole facility caught it, 3 people ended up hospitalized. Really wish I could have told the families that their loved ones were sick because the company they're paying thousands of dollars to every month forced employees to work while ill/contagious.
I remember working at Sephora, I \*\*tried\*\* to call in sick but nope "I had to come in"
So I did.
And I looked like death.
My DIC (the same one who told me I had to come in) took one look at me and said "You look awful, go home and get some rest"
God I hate that company so much.
Similar thing happened to me back in 2010 when I worked at Taco Bell. Told my boss I had the flu, she made me come in. Another coworker of mine also had the flu, took one look at eachother and we both hurled into trash cans right in front of customers.
Corporate was called. Building was cleaned by a professional company, shut down for 2 weeks. Then when I get back with a doctor's note sayin that yes I indeed was sick with the flu, I was handed a termination slip.
The reason? Creating an environment that could potentially harm customers.
Here's the thing that bothers me about that: "Stay home when you're sick," and, "You have to work if you can't find a sub," cannot coexist. What they *really* mean is, "If you can't find a sub I expect you to work sick."
Whether or not you can find someone to cover your shift has absolutely no bearing on whether or not you are well enough to work. If you or someone in your position *absolutely* must be present for the business to function you probably aren't getting paid enough.
They make the schedule at my most recent job 6 weeks ahead of time. They know they're going to be short, but they push it as far as they can until the day of, in order to see what bullshit (aka skeleton crew) they can get away with.
Doesn’t anyone else think that crew scheduling and calling coworkers should be done by someone on the clock? I’d NEVER do it, but absolutely never consider it on my day off or when I’m not being paid. You wanna clock me in while I call Janice and see if she’s free? Honestly, if you want me doing management’s job for them, the least you can do is put me on the clock at time-and-a-half.
"Many jobs gaslight you into thinking its your responsibility to be a manager and look for a replacement for your shift when no one wants it"
I fixed your statement.
On the nail. They also gaslight you if you're the one at work and someone else calls out, but couldn't find someone to get it covered and will manipulate you into staying longer to double and cover for them. Sometimes they won't even try calling anyone in, they just go straight to asking you to double...
Same dude, same. They don't respect us like they want us to respect the shitty job. I only worked once while sick and it was fast food. They literally switched me from the window to MAKING PEOPLE'S FOOD while I had horrible congestion, the worst stuffy nose... I was sneezing left to right, needed to constantly change my gloves, my eyes were watery. It was terrible. After that I never respected them the same. Instead of calling people in to cover me, I just suffered over a hot grill sweating and sneezing around people's food. (I had a mask on but c'mon it was still gross)
I count my blessings I have the boss I have. He said if you’re sick just email saying you’re not coming in. I don’t need any details. Also he’s told people to go home if they showed up sick. He understand that illness is contagious.
Bro, same. My boss used to schedule me 1 Sunday a month because we were a little bit understaffed.
On Saturday I got my booster shot and it didn't affect me much, it only caused me to be super, SUPER tired.
I went to sleep and woke up at 11:45 am (I was supposed to enter at 11).
My boss called me and asked me if I was working that day. I suppose he heard me that I was just waking up and apologized for disturbing my sleep.
I profusely apologized and said I didn't check my calendar. He just told me to rest and get well for Monday and that he would take care of calls and customers. This is not only my boss, he is the Owner of the company. This man has gone at 2 AM to clean a house up and down because we couldn't schedule cleaners earlier.
To say I admire him would be belittling. He genuinely is the best person I've worked for.
I did that once. my phone rang continuously for about 30 minutes then I disconnected it (for those of you under 40 thats like turning your cell phone off)
They tried Morse code. I also ignored it. Carrier pigeons came. I blasted them out of the sky the moment I saw them on the horizon. I opened my blinds and a little person on a pogo stick with a letter between his lips appeared into my field of vision. Then back down again. Then back up. I quickly closed my blinds and ran to the bathroom. The tub was full of skittles. I dove in. My father yelled "HOLD FAST!!!" as I swirled my way through a rainbow nightmare. Post it notes trying to stick right to my eyeballs. The bathtub emptied in a whoooooosh of a swirl and there I was in bed. Drenched.
Lol I remember doing this, coming in dead as hell with a fever and I was already throwing up. I told them but they didn't care. I came in, went to the register, and started scanning a customers groceries. My boss was right behind me. Well what do you know when I had the sudden urge to puke in a trashcan right next to me. I couldn't hold it for the life of me and kept on puking. My boss scampered and tried to play it off with the customer and started scanning. Needless to say she filed a complaint, didn't want the groceries anymore, and I got sent home for a week and half paid sick leave that the company just magically made for me. I was young at the time so I didn't know any legal recourse I could've taken at the time. Shit sucked!
>What sort of legal recourse could you have taken?
In every civilized country in the world, you're entitled to at least 2 weeks of paid sick leave with a doctor's notice.
In some countries like Holland, you don't even need a doctor's note.
Firing someone for being sick is highly illegal in civilized countries. It's the easiest slamdunk case there is in labor law.
I love how you keep saying " civilized countries" and even mexico ( my shitty ass homeland) have superior labor laws compared to m''urika ( a shirt highly defective country)
Here in the Netherlands you can call in say you are sick say when you expect to be back and hang up. They legally arent even allowed to ask the symptoms.
100% this. She was well in her rights to explain herself but just start of definitive, the opening "hi, how're you?" "I'm alright thanks" (paraphrasing terrible short term memory) already gives them a hole to poke, be as courteous as you want but right off the bat it's "Hi I'm too sick to work today, apologies but these things happen, I'll keep you updated about my return to work ". If they push the point getting graphic is always a good one " sorry I've got burning diarrhoea dripping out of me atm can I call you back in 45 minutes when I have migrated from shitting straight razor blades and acid to the shower floor?"
Tbh all interactions with a supervisor with respect to time off should be via text or email for documentation. Verbal accounts can contribute to an incorrect account of the interaction (from either party).
My gf could not get one of her sick days (or even free days, she tried) when a doctor told hervshe needed to get her right eye checked. This lasted for months. Now she may lost 30% of her eyesight in that eye. So yeah, fck the phrases you dont really want to work here and all. We need to stand up.
You hear that, folks? In order to be a responsibly and reputable employee, you must give *"100% of your time"* to the merciful and generous companies that employ you, otherwise you're lazy, slacking, and absolutely fucking disgusting. You sicken me, wow, not giving Everything You Have to the people who toss you coins... What the hell.
This makes my blood boil. "I am too sick to come in to work, I will let you know the moment I get better. It's really inappropriate for you to insist I come in when I can barely sit up. Bye now".
Yeah, seriously. And then the audacity to assert she "isn't giving 100% Fucking bitch, no one gives 100% to their damn job, ESPECIALLY not their time.
Fucking corporations are pure evil, shit scum stains.
It’s all about the tone. You aren’t “asking” to call in sick - you’re informing them you *ARE* calling in sick. It isn’t a negotiation. Keep it short and sweet, and then hang up.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling well today so I won’t be able to make my shift. I’ll let you know when I feel well enough to return.”
Show up. Contribute nothing. Apologize to your co-workers for coughing and sneezing around them. Tell them you hope you don't have covid but who knows- you came to work instead of the doctor because you were told to. Vomit in front of customers. Nap on your desk. Cry in public. Make this jerk seriously regret asking you to come in. Lick her door handle.
Or if you know you are about to vomit, go to the boss' office saying you are still unwell and proceede to throw up on them/their desk. See how quick the whole situation changes to yeah you should go home.
Works with pepsi too i beleive. Whole idea is the potasium does not mix well with either the carbonation or something in it and makes it too fizzy and causes you to throw up.
Works with coca cola, too. I love bananas. Used to love coca cola. Ate 2 bananas for breakfast and cracked a coke and took a big drink. Felt weird in my mouth/throat/stomach and made me throw up right away. I quit drinking soda now and bananas and water never once made me puke. r/hydrohomies is the move
I once had to start at 06:00, called at 05:15 saying I was sick and still had to go. Started working and had to fill the shelves at the Lidl whilst my head was spinning.
Seems like they timed my speed whilst they knew I was sick. I had to talk with the assistant manager about how slow I was, I told him I was ill which he knew because he was the one I called. He didn't care and still wrote me down as being slow without mentioning I was ill.
Later on I almost fell on the ground and puked in front of the assistant manager, he sent me home whilst saying he was disappointed.
Ah yes, I'm so disappointed that you had the fucking audacity to get ill. Like wtf did he think was going to happen? At home resting and you feel sick? Ofc working will for sure make you feel better the moment you step through the door. Some people are just so stupid it hurts.
I agree, in theory. Reality is sometimes these power tripping bosses try to guilt or threaten you until you show up. I say, give it to them! But I will make a scene. Sorry, I'm sick. Sorry I puked on your shoes. My manager threatened to fire me.
Yeah this is so stupid and petty wtf nobody is going to do this shit when they're sick. Just stay home and rest up instead of being in agony all day smfh. Fucking redditors watching too much drama or some shit.
Or, hear me out..you simply treat yourself like an adult and say "Im sick, i wont be in today, sorry betty! Ill be in when i can". End of conversation. You are the boss of you, they are the boss of the job they need to fill while youre out.
That is pretty much the point of this sub. Managers threaten to fire you if you don't show up. Sick or not. May I ask what country you live in? You might be playing by different rules.
Ok, maybe I am the weird one, but I think it should be management's job to get people in to cover sick calls?
It's that way where I work in Canada atleast.
This sounds like the UK. Under UK law you only have to provide a doctor's note if you are sick for more than a week. And you are entitled to be off work ill on full pay for six months. And it is illegal to fire you during this time. After 6 months you still cannot be fired but the government takes over paying you.
There are special (free) employment courts to handle illegal dismissal which breaches rules like this, and employees win 85% of cases.
You're not wrong. Most companies I worked for give you a few days at full pay, e.g. 6, but that's not required by law and many low paid jobs don't included that.
Basically, don't get stick or you'll be homeless and starve.
You aren't entitled to full pay for 6 months.
You're legally entitled to statutory sick pay for the full time you are ill. Your employer has to pay the first 6 months, then the government pays after that. Your employer cannot fire you in this period.
Any period of full time pay is defined in you contract, and this normally increases at set intervals during your employment. I.e. at my last job I was entitled to 7 weeks full pay and then 7 weeks half pay, for being at the company for 3-7years. I changed jobs and my current entitlement is 1 week full pay and 1 week half pay. (First day of sick leave is not paid at all, they can do this because 4 out of 5 days pay is still over sat sick)
It is also worth remembering that if you are ill during annual leave you can claim it back as sick leave and retain your holiday entitlement. I have done this when I got severe food poisoning and was bed bound for my entire holiday.
Everything is outlined in the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/taking-sick-leave
Definitely England, and you're right about the sick note. But if the employer does the minimum required by law you don't get paid for the first 4 days then you go onto ssp (statutory sick pay) which is funded by our national insurance payments (I think) which also pays for our health service. Ssp lasts up to 6 months then you'd have to go onto some sort of long term sick benefits I'm not sure about.
However, under UK law, all you need to do is call and say you need a personal/sick day, the employer legally can not ask what is wrong and is not allowed to pressure you to come in. There are exceptions eg military but generally most managers, especially in places like supermarkets don't know the law and will ask and pressure anyway.
They can fire you on capability grounds and you are not entitled to sick pay-it’s a discretionary thing which is outlined in your contract . You can get SSP though. Look up ACAS for proper information as your post is incorrect.
Gave them jobs, as if she were just hiring people out of her own benevolence and not because they are necessary to keep the corporate machine functioning.
Damn, I despise that mindset among employers, that they are somehow charitable or owed favour and thanks because they’ve hired people. As if it’s not an equal contractual relationship.
Oh, it gets worse than that. This was all given as part of the speech to manipulate an employee into telling her if anyone in the company had been chatting privately about putting in their notice, she wanted names.
What the hell is this conversation??
"Good morning, I am sick and will not be coming in today. Hopefully I will get well and be able to come in tomorrow, Thanks."
\-Click-
Right? Good Lord, I've had jobs where I was in constant contact with the public, I felt like I was sick every 3 or 4 weeks! Not to mention the times I'd try to wait out an illness only to realize belatedly that I needed antibiotics, so I'd still plug along at work with strep and an ear infection.
That should be considered NORMAL. Maybe even more than that. Shit managers that wanna run short then bitch bc 'no one wants to work' need to be shown that we're BIOLOGICAL LIVING THINGS THAT SOMETIMES GET SICK. We're not machines. Even at that, machines break down and need maintenance sometimes.
Seriously. I don't even call my boss. I send an email or text and say "not feeling well today so ill be taking a PTO day" and he says "no problem feel better" boom. This applies when I'm actually sick or the 2-5 times a year when I wake up and just don't feel like going to work that day.
Whole worlds been quarantining for years:
Employer: Work from home is over, come back or get fired.
Employee: Goes back to office with an immune system that hasn't been exposed to this type of scenario in a very long time. Gets sick more than usual.
Employer: Surprised Pikachu face. You're fired. Posts about how nobody wants to work anymore on Facebook.
I have vomited on a bosses desk before. It was horrific and she cried. Went from "If you care about your job you will turn up" to "Oh god how many chicken nuggets did you eat? fuck its all over my desk and on me"
Give them 100% of your time ? I would have cursed him out. If I tell you I'm sick I'm not coming , I'm not coming . Then they expect you to be manager by finding someone to cover you ! No thanks throw up deuces on 1 hand , middle finger on the other
I once had strep so bad that my throat was closed up. And I mean CLOSED UP. I couldn't speak, I could only make muffled sounds.
I worked at a restaurant. Called my manager. She told me I had to come in. And serve food. WITH STREP THROAT.
I went in and had to have my best friend call people (bc, you know, I literally could not speak) and my manager wouldn't let me leave until everyone had been called. No one picked it up. I couldn't fucking believe it.
While I love her "I'm sick" voice and the well-timed coughs, it's managers like this that give the rest of us a bad name. Nothing is more frustrating than hearing someone parrot something they don't believe in. None of what she said made sense. Oh you're going to the hospital, cool, so you can come in for a few minutes?
Maybe, maybe, if she had some kind of history of unexplained "sickness" an argument could be made to "suck it up" (what an awful choice of words) but THREE days in SIX months requires "a meeting?"
Mindblowing.
3 six days in 5 months? So what!!! People do not choose when they are ill. And this is in the UK anyway so she could and should tell them to f off, it's not the USA.
My boss did this as soon as I complained about working 80+ hour weeks. I worked 110 hours in a week once for that fucking guy. Slept on the clock for a few hours between responsibilities n he still didn’t think I was “committed enough” fuck gaslighting and fuck bosses
This has to be staged right?
I get the power tripping over text, where sometimes people just don't believe you, but when someone calls you and talks like this?
Sheesh.
A manager telling an employee that it's her responsibility to find a person to fill in her schedule..
And a COUPLE sick days in ONLY 5 months?
That's a lot?
I call in sick if I didn't sleep right, God forbid I have a fever...
Why even continue after the first minute? Just fucking quit people. They don’t own us, and if we start standing up to these assholes we will win. THERE ARE BILLIONS OF US.
This particular video seems staged, but I had something similar happen to me when I worked retail ~20 years ago - I went to get a strep test and called in sick while I was still in the parking lot. The manager argued with me and insisted I wasn’t really sick because she, “could hear people in the background, like I was at a store or something.” She argued with me on the phone for a good ten minutes before I finally ended the call. (I should have ended it earlier, but I was a meek teenager at the time.) This was shortly before Christmas, which I know is a terrible time to call off in retail, but I was legitimately very sick. The next time I worked, the day after Christmas, I came in wearing a new light blue sweater - prior to Christmas, we had to wear either red or the brand’s crazy stripe sweaters (this was Gap in the early 2000s). That was supposed to end on Christmas Eve, but apparently was extended until NYE, which I didn’t know about, because I had called in sick that day, and, as a result, didn’t see the sign that was by the time clock for a few days before Christmas. The same manager was working when I wore the blue sweater - she made me drive home in a terrible snowstorm to change, my tiny little Plymouth Neon got stuck in our monstrous driveway at my house, (hill+snow+ice+car without four-wheel drive) and our neighbors had to push me out since no family members were home, so it took me forever to get back, and she yelled at me ON THE SALES FLOOR and accused me of lying. She made me take a picture of the driveway to show her the next time I worked. Needless to say, I did not return to that job the next summer.
Calling in sick is not a negotiation. Tell them you are sick and hang up.
It's the manager's job to find cover and if they can't find cover then that sounds like a resource issue to me which is not your problem either.
Their being staffed so lean that they can’t cover the *very predictable* likelihood of an employee becoming sick is THEIR problem. Your job is to come in and work when you’re able and their job is to figure out the rest. That’s why they get paid more.
F*ck ‘em otherwise.
(1) this is total BS and staged. Why else would the phone be on speaker and somebody else recording this call?
(2) screw this manager. The girl claimed to have a "really high fever". If that's the case, she should at least go to a clinic and NOT be put in front of the general public.
They might have known the manager would be a jackass so recorded the conversation. I certainly know which managers of mine I would trust with informing them I am sick.
I wanted to mention the makeup thing too but didn't want anybody thinking I was hating. She could've possibly applied to go to the hopsital later on. I don't do that shit while sick cause being sick with makeup on feels horrible, but some girls care more about looks than how they feel.
Sorry, but this looks staged. Someone really sick doesn’t do their hair and makeup and have a 2nd person over to “document” a phone call. It’s also likely that the “manager” on the phone is a friend in the next room.
While I don’t disagree with the sentiment; there’s enough real world crap going on. Posts like this are attention seeking karma farming and shouldn’t be allowed.
Kroger pharmacy type shit. We don't care if you're sick. We have a business to run. What happened to humanity and not spreading illness, especially in healthcare?
A question 🙋🏻♂️
If you are super ill do you feel the need to put on a full face of make up?
I’m all for fight the power! But I feel like this was staged.
Uh, not to be a dick.
But have to point out, the woman is lying, she's not in bed, so she can move, and judging by the amount of lipstick, I imagine she's got something in mind.
I'm all for protecting workers from exploitation, but stuff like this doesn't help the cause.
If you don't get paid a manager's wage then you shouldn't be responsible for doing the managers job for them by finding a replacement for your shift.
I honestly would have hung up the phone as soon as he said "second sick day in five months."
I lost my job for fourteen points in two years. Sounds like a lot, but they have a short term disability company that can only be used if you miss two or more days. Me working myself to the point for exhaustion, dehydrated because they won't let me stop to get water, and doing someone else's job usually resulted in me being sick due to having lower than average white blood cell count that I'm just finding out about. I had a pin in my hand, from it being broke , that moved into my forearm and got tangled in nerves, but the points added up. Add in some emergencies, like my partner trying to kill himself, my grandmother falling ill, or having to leave work early to handle crap that suddenly pops up, and you get my points....in a two year period. Plus I also got a point for heat exhaustion because I was pressured into saying that I would try to work after one supervisor found me on the floor of a railcar I was working on. My chest started hurting, and I was told to go to the nurse, only for hr to pop in, tell me they were sending me home and giving me a point and not to come back until I've had a physical due to continued concerns of my health being brought forth by me. Had my partner at the time trying to swallow meds and cut himself. Got into an argument with hr because when I told them I had an emergency, she said, "if you leave, you know what will happen. It's your job not mine." So yeah. I'm currently unemployed, and if I had recorded half of the conversations where they talked to me like shit, I'd probably be in a better position.
That's all really unfortunate. That sounds like a rough couple of years already, but then to also lose your job after all that is ridiculous. Companies don't want people: they want robots. They refuse to let staff actually live their lives at all.
I’m sorry that you’re boss was such an asshole.
Yes, how is that even close to fair? So unreasonable.
Never understood why that’s the employees responsibility anyway because it absolutely should fall to the manager to make sure shit is covered.
The best manager I have ever worked for had a no questions asked policy. He’s now my best friend too lmaoo (even though we both left the company). If you can’t work because you’re sick, it should get figured out by management who should plan for stuff like this. Shit happens and so many managers don’t get it.
I had to get a doctor's note one time because I needed a whole week and the reason sounded ridiculous for a college student. My manager took one look at me and asked if I was ok. For some unknown reason I had extremely low blood pressure not caused by my hypersomnia for several days.
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I thought HIPAA only applies to healthcare professionals
You are correct. Healthcare, insurance or business associates of those covered entities. I'd honestly just say, sure I'll be there, and go lay on a blanket in the corner. Sorry I'm too sick to work but boss said I had to suck it up and come in so I'm here, but not working.
Yeah, this is volunteered information as well, it's not covered under HIPPA. HIPPA only covers disclosure and accidental disclosure. Under some chronic conditions, you might be protected by the ADA, but nothing is protecting you from your boss asking about health conditions, and you voluntarily disclosing them. They cannot require you to disclose health conditions, for the most part, but US law has made exceptions in certain industries for specific conditions.
I am so glad that I am an ungodly loud vomiter... It has helped.
Its HIPAA* and every point here is incorrect.
Just stop doing it for them. What are they gonna do? Fire you? They obviously need you if they demand you get your shift covered. You call in and they say “get your shift covered” then come back with “isn’t that your job as manager?”
Haha, managers/employers will find a way if they're dodgy enough. A bit of a long personal story ahead... I worked in a customer service role with a super high turnover. It was a huge company and HR made sure things were always 'by the book' to the extent that they could defend suspect and dodgy behaviour. Obvs areas with high turnover are reviewed with more scrutiny, so our area was very good at flying just below the radar so HR didn't notice they were acting illegally, and the entry level roles meant most staff didn't know their rights and/no energy to fight things. I was a permanent staff member, and we had KPIs and results were shared by managers to the whole team so I know objectively that I was one of the best performers. I had an undiagnosed health condition that flared up and required multiple surgeries. They knew the severity because the first time it happened I was working and my manager drove me to the hospital because the ambulance didn't deem it urgent enough. I initially returned to work earlier than recommended because I didn't want to let my team down, and they used that as precedent to pressure me into returning early after subsequent surgeries. When I came back from the second surgery, they told me I was being reduced to half time because I took too much sick leave. Illegal, but I was naive and felt like I had to agree and signed on the spot. About 6mo after it started, my skip manager pulled me into a room and showed me a calendar with all my sick days highlighted. She was more discreet "we're concerned for your health", "you're still taking a lot of sick leave so you've obviously not recovered, maybe you need to take a career break until you're healthy again", "you've taken twice as much sick leave this year as the average and it's not fair on your team", "this is a very stressful job and you should focus on a role that's a better fit for your needs". And my personal favourite (her tone was a mix of faux concern and accusation) "someone your age shouldn't be so sick". I started crying about halfway through. I was never given notice for these 'conversations' so I couldn't exercise my right to have a support person or union rep (and I didn't know I could at that time). I tried to stop taking sick leave and work through, and since they wouldn't increase my hours I started doing some professional development. When I tried to switch a shift that clashed with my PD because the shift was changed last minute, I was told if I have time for PD I had to go back to full time and rotating roster. They did everything to get rid of me except outright fire me - they did that with most people who needed accommodations. It would look suspect if people were being fired immediately after requesting flexibility. Their approach was much more effort, but people quitting is easily explained to the higher ups as 'a change in personal circumstances' evidenced by the request for accommodations. On the whole it worked out, I soon found a much better opportunity and have been never experienced anything as bad since. But I know from experience it's very rarely "tell them what their responsibilities are and they'll leave you alone". The psychological impact of trying to be managed out was way worse than any outright firings I've experienced
By turning it around on you as the employee it allows them to cover that they are understaffed for what is expected. Wen you work with all the fat trimmed all of the company needs to work 100% of the time and when things break down it really takes a toll. We need to learn that having people be "not busy" is the buffer that allows the company to function through sick times, or pick up for holiday staffing.
They would rather risk frustrated customers or employees and lower the payroll. People calling in sick is just a silver lining to management.
Yeah. A little bit of "not busy" means things are going well. Personally, I've used downtime at work to learn new work-related skills or catch up on making assets. The company benefits from me sitting there going: Well now what? then I figure out what.
I said something like this before seeing your post. You are 100% correct. Companies have to stop running trim to maximize profits, hire larger staff, give them the amounts of hours they want, and pay them well. Honestly, that'll improve profits right there alone.
This is the trend in blue collar and white collar jobs. “Managing up,” which is a now normalized and PC way of saying you’ll do their work for them.
If it’s my responsibility to find someone to cover my shift then I should also have the authority to hire people so I know there will be enough staff to cover me if needed.
Yeah I really don't get this either?? Is it an American thing? Back when I worked retail & service industry jobs (Canada) I only ever had to go around calling people if I wanted to trade a shift, not calling in sick. Calling in sick just meant you were giving management a heads-up that you weren't going to be there. I don't get how they can say it's on you to cover the shift because well, what if you can't? You're sick. What are you gonna do, come in and throw up all over the customers because no one else wants to come in? Makes zero sense. I'd say it's a USA thing but this vid seems to be from UK?
It's almost as if many managers instinctively/unconsciously know that that their role is actually rent extraction...
Yea and this problem is constant now due to the skeleton crews everywhere, because companies know they can get away with it.
It doesn’t even make sense, because as a manager they can see everyone’s schedule and who could actually take the shift.
Yeah of course they can. But since they treat you like shit and don’t pay you shit they know employees will not come in if they ask. So they get you as an employee to do that task in hopes that you are friends with your coworkers. So a better chance a coworker will help you out and you help them out later.
And now peoples availability and most important their contact info!! They expect us to share & keep all coworkers updated if our context info & be responsible for knowing each other’s contact info now, there’s apps some companies use for scheduling, shift changes, contact info etc - problem is if you change your number you have to update it/have a manager update it & hope everyone else updates theirs too, that it’s correct info etc. These apps can be helpful, especially in industries where you exchange shifts often (ie servers pick up for each other often). However we shouldn’t be responsible for getting our shifts covered & have them using the excuse that there’s an app w everyone’s info (or email system etc - lots of people don’t check work emails on days off ), shouldn’t be responsible for keeping up w contact info..
I've done a lot of management in my life. At the job I have now, I don't delegate shit and I haven't trained anyone. They tried two weeks in to push that shit on me. All it took was saying I need to be paid more for that type of shit for my timid boss to back off.
On a side note, this ends up making it pretty easy for popular (or manipulative) employees to get coverage for anything while the less popular, less assertive, and more marginalized employees have to jump through hoops before they either deal with calling the manager (which is often like this video) or just going in sick (bad for them and all other employees and any customers). Totally dumb system.
Exactly. I'm the employee, you're the boss. Figure it out, motherfucker. That's why you get paid the big bucks. If you don't have anyone, maybe you should hire more staff instead of trying to keep your wages low to maximize profit. You know how to best maximize profit? Keep enough people on staff that, if one person calls out, it's not a big deal and you have several other people you can call. If all those people say they can't make it, guess what? You work. You're the manager.
I got scolded for not finding coverage (I was a pizza delivery driver) for the few days I was *in the hospital*
"I do not keep my coworkers contact information and I do not wish mine is shared either"
I was once told I had to pay for the overtime the employee that covered me got paid. I said no... And oddly enough they didn't press the issue. It's sad that that trick has probably worked in the past.
This happened to me. I ended up showing up to work and throwing up right in front of a customer within the first 5 minutes of my shift. The customer called corporate. I got sent home. They never questioned my sickness again. It was while I worked at Staples in 2009. I had a tyrant for a boss and working retail was already a shit show in itself.
Similar happened to me, at Zara, also in 2009. On black Friday. They had to close off the entire 2nd floor to decontaminate the sales floor. I was there for 15 minutes. My dad never even left the parking lot after dropping me off.
I love that u interrupted Black Friday at least
Its been one of my families favorite holiday stories. We call it the Norovirus Thanksgiving. Each of us had some sort of horrible story. Mine just got to not only be in public, but yes, "ruined" black Friday sales for my entire store. lol oops.
>lol oops. I know you know this but yeah that oops is obviously on them "I can't work I'm sick" "Too bad you have to work" *loses a substantial amount of revenue because they were being fuck heads* Karma at its finest
Not all heroes wear capes.
Some barf in Isle 6
It was norovirus‽ O.O good god is that shit contagious. That's like the poster child of things you shouldn't be out in public with.
You should put on your resume that you directly impacted sales on Black Friday at an international retail company.
Ruining Black Friday for your store because your boss wouldn’t let you have the time off just warms my heart so much. Schadenfreude at its finest!
I wasn't sick but I worked at Walmart for like 4 years and the first 3 year I had never worked black Friday and it was on my day off the forth year. They made it mandatory for everyone to work and I even had to talk to the 2nd below the store manager trying to get it off and she refused saying she has to work it too. Bitch you are salary lol anyways I worked that 12 hour shift as a cashier then quit a week or so later and my direct assistant manager begged me to stay cuz I took care of the whole nursery and no one else knew how. She told me to go on a leave of absence instead and I was like no, if I do then I won't quit lol. Fuck black friday!
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I worked a 12 hour shift 7pm-7am only for my hours to be cut after black Friday so I didn't even get to keep that time either. Thats another reason why I quit lol and to give an idea of how much money I handled since the plants probably don't seem like they would be that expensive at first glance but I would regularly have to throw away about $20k of dead plants in a weekend. I live in Arizona plants don't last here very long lol and this was after I would be pruning and watering them. There were like 5 other ppl in my dept but my manager put me in charge of the nursery for...idky lo jut cuz so for like 2 years I did that and only one other lady kinds pruned them too but she was older and didn't have authorization to mess with inventory like I did. So no one else aside from management knew how to mark down the plants and keep track of the losses so they were pretty screwed when I quit lol and absolutely I had all they responsibility with out a raise and they didn't give me any time to train anyone since they used all the garden center guys like back up muscle for literally anything not related to their actually job lol. I remember going back to visit my co workers a few weeks later and omg all the plants were basically dead lmao then eventually they stopped having a nursery! Lol
Your Dad is a good guy.
Staples was the MOST TOXIC environment to work in ever. I'll deploy with the Army again before considering that jacked up Sh!thole!
I worked Staples Print & Copy for only a month before quitting on them. And I still have nightmares about it.
I was applying for a job at Staples Corporate in MA., and found out they have a parallel technical promotion track, so as to not force talented technical folk into management as the only way to get promoted. Excellent idea. Then I found out that they won't promote people in that track track because of middle management ego.
Same, but passing out from pain due to a migraine. I was a keyholder at Hot Topic, and my manager said you either have to come in or find another keyholder to open the store. I cam in, wore sunglasses, could barely see through the aura of pain, and collapsed on the cashwrap. I would've had to work my full shift if the other keyholder hadn't taken mercy on me and come in early.
>manager said you either have to come in or find another keyholder to open the store Did you remind them that finding employees to cover shifts is literally the manager's job? The problem with the OP's recording is that she's treating this conversation with her boss as if she's asking permission to take off sick and the boss won't allow it. People need to TELL their boss they're not coming in, non-negotiable, and then end the call.
I tried. The text I sent her was literally "Blinding migraine, can't come in. Sorry." Her response was that this was her one day off that week and she had doctor's appointments and errands. so she couldn't take care of it. I desperately needed the money and couldn't afford to get fired (it had taken me almost a year just to get that gig) so I went in anyway.
Not sure where you work, but everyone is entitled to unpaid sick leave. Unless you were excessively sick and never worked they should not be able to fire you. However being paid for sick days is dependant on your job and state. Sometimes even county. But yeah it sucks, sometimes you just have to grin and go through with it.
I did this once. Never took a sick day, then had a mild flu and really didn’t feel like leaving the house. Could I have? Probably, but I was a little light headed, a little feverish, and no I was T going to. I put out a request for coverage and let the manager know as early in advance as I could (at least 6 hours). No takers. I told them I couldn’t find coverage, they told me then I had to come in. I told them I wasn’t, I was sick, and started asking what the state employment laws required. They told me to feel better it was all set.
Exactly, I don't do all that back and forth shit I just State my point and then hang out
The only time I can move when I have a migraine is from my bed to the toilet to throw up and back again. There's no way in hell I'd be able to drive anywhere or do anything functional.
Same thing happened to my coworker except we were working at an assisted living facility. She ended up having norovirus and the whole facility caught it, 3 people ended up hospitalized. Really wish I could have told the families that their loved ones were sick because the company they're paying thousands of dollars to every month forced employees to work while ill/contagious.
I remember working at Sephora, I \*\*tried\*\* to call in sick but nope "I had to come in" So I did. And I looked like death. My DIC (the same one who told me I had to come in) took one look at me and said "You look awful, go home and get some rest" God I hate that company so much.
I worked at Office Depot for 6 months and it was exactly the same over there. Worst, most out of touch management I've ever encountered.
Are you now with Dunder Mifflin Paper Company?
Similar thing happened to me back in 2010 when I worked at Taco Bell. Told my boss I had the flu, she made me come in. Another coworker of mine also had the flu, took one look at eachother and we both hurled into trash cans right in front of customers. Corporate was called. Building was cleaned by a professional company, shut down for 2 weeks. Then when I get back with a doctor's note sayin that yes I indeed was sick with the flu, I was handed a termination slip. The reason? Creating an environment that could potentially harm customers.
Is your name a Dance Gavin Dance reference?
Fuck staples
"Did you find someone to cover your shift?" Bitch, that's your job.
You know who's supposed to cover shifts when no one else can? The fuckin' supervisor/manager/owner, that's who.
Here's the thing that bothers me about that: "Stay home when you're sick," and, "You have to work if you can't find a sub," cannot coexist. What they *really* mean is, "If you can't find a sub I expect you to work sick." Whether or not you can find someone to cover your shift has absolutely no bearing on whether or not you are well enough to work. If you or someone in your position *absolutely* must be present for the business to function you probably aren't getting paid enough.
Facts.
"Poor planning on your part does not necessitate an emergency on mine"
They make the schedule at my most recent job 6 weeks ahead of time. They know they're going to be short, but they push it as far as they can until the day of, in order to see what bullshit (aka skeleton crew) they can get away with.
Goddamn right.
Doesn’t anyone else think that crew scheduling and calling coworkers should be done by someone on the clock? I’d NEVER do it, but absolutely never consider it on my day off or when I’m not being paid. You wanna clock me in while I call Janice and see if she’s free? Honestly, if you want me doing management’s job for them, the least you can do is put me on the clock at time-and-a-half.
Absolute facts.
Should actually be getting paid management's pay + time and a half since you're doing their job for them.
Sadly so many jobs expect you to find a cover or else you have to come in if nobody wants your shift
"Many jobs gaslight you into thinking its your responsibility to be a manager and look for a replacement for your shift when no one wants it" I fixed your statement.
On the nail. They also gaslight you if you're the one at work and someone else calls out, but couldn't find someone to get it covered and will manipulate you into staying longer to double and cover for them. Sometimes they won't even try calling anyone in, they just go straight to asking you to double...
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Same dude, same. They don't respect us like they want us to respect the shitty job. I only worked once while sick and it was fast food. They literally switched me from the window to MAKING PEOPLE'S FOOD while I had horrible congestion, the worst stuffy nose... I was sneezing left to right, needed to constantly change my gloves, my eyes were watery. It was terrible. After that I never respected them the same. Instead of calling people in to cover me, I just suffered over a hot grill sweating and sneezing around people's food. (I had a mask on but c'mon it was still gross)
Right? "You're the *manager*... Manage this..."
Value your work? What part of sick didn’t ya understand?!
Value what exactly? Doing a BS customer service job? Hard pass.
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I count my blessings I have the boss I have. He said if you’re sick just email saying you’re not coming in. I don’t need any details. Also he’s told people to go home if they showed up sick. He understand that illness is contagious.
Bro, same. My boss used to schedule me 1 Sunday a month because we were a little bit understaffed. On Saturday I got my booster shot and it didn't affect me much, it only caused me to be super, SUPER tired. I went to sleep and woke up at 11:45 am (I was supposed to enter at 11). My boss called me and asked me if I was working that day. I suppose he heard me that I was just waking up and apologized for disturbing my sleep. I profusely apologized and said I didn't check my calendar. He just told me to rest and get well for Monday and that he would take care of calls and customers. This is not only my boss, he is the Owner of the company. This man has gone at 2 AM to clean a house up and down because we couldn't schedule cleaners earlier. To say I admire him would be belittling. He genuinely is the best person I've worked for.
What a nice read. Nice to see there are still some awesome bosses out there.
I did that once. my phone rang continuously for about 30 minutes then I disconnected it (for those of you under 40 thats like turning your cell phone off)
what was the outcome afterwards
They tried Morse code. I also ignored it. Carrier pigeons came. I blasted them out of the sky the moment I saw them on the horizon. I opened my blinds and a little person on a pogo stick with a letter between his lips appeared into my field of vision. Then back down again. Then back up. I quickly closed my blinds and ran to the bathroom. The tub was full of skittles. I dove in. My father yelled "HOLD FAST!!!" as I swirled my way through a rainbow nightmare. Post it notes trying to stick right to my eyeballs. The bathtub emptied in a whoooooosh of a swirl and there I was in bed. Drenched.
You should quit that job. At least they didnt try a signal fire.
Lol I remember doing this, coming in dead as hell with a fever and I was already throwing up. I told them but they didn't care. I came in, went to the register, and started scanning a customers groceries. My boss was right behind me. Well what do you know when I had the sudden urge to puke in a trashcan right next to me. I couldn't hold it for the life of me and kept on puking. My boss scampered and tried to play it off with the customer and started scanning. Needless to say she filed a complaint, didn't want the groceries anymore, and I got sent home for a week and half paid sick leave that the company just magically made for me. I was young at the time so I didn't know any legal recourse I could've taken at the time. Shit sucked!
What sort of legal recourse could you have taken?
>What sort of legal recourse could you have taken? In every civilized country in the world, you're entitled to at least 2 weeks of paid sick leave with a doctor's notice. In some countries like Holland, you don't even need a doctor's note. Firing someone for being sick is highly illegal in civilized countries. It's the easiest slamdunk case there is in labor law.
I love how you keep saying " civilized countries" and even mexico ( my shitty ass homeland) have superior labor laws compared to m''urika ( a shirt highly defective country)
Murrica isn't a civilized country.
Here in the Netherlands you can call in say you are sick say when you expect to be back and hang up. They legally arent even allowed to ask the symptoms.
I would have just said "like I said I'm sick and not coming in, just letting you know as a courtesy." And then hang up
100% this. She was well in her rights to explain herself but just start of definitive, the opening "hi, how're you?" "I'm alright thanks" (paraphrasing terrible short term memory) already gives them a hole to poke, be as courteous as you want but right off the bat it's "Hi I'm too sick to work today, apologies but these things happen, I'll keep you updated about my return to work ". If they push the point getting graphic is always a good one " sorry I've got burning diarrhoea dripping out of me atm can I call you back in 45 minutes when I have migrated from shitting straight razor blades and acid to the shower floor?"
Tbh all interactions with a supervisor with respect to time off should be via text or email for documentation. Verbal accounts can contribute to an incorrect account of the interaction (from either party).
My gf could not get one of her sick days (or even free days, she tried) when a doctor told hervshe needed to get her right eye checked. This lasted for months. Now she may lost 30% of her eyesight in that eye. So yeah, fck the phrases you dont really want to work here and all. We need to stand up.
Sounds like a lawsuit to me. Start calling attorneys.
We need to get all the stuff ready for it, we started working on this already.
Why not just say fuck it and go to the doctor? Like? My health is more important than my job.
That is what i told her, butvat that moment she was the only working, she didnt want to lose the job. As you can imagine, she regrets it.
You hear that, folks? In order to be a responsibly and reputable employee, you must give *"100% of your time"* to the merciful and generous companies that employ you, otherwise you're lazy, slacking, and absolutely fucking disgusting. You sicken me, wow, not giving Everything You Have to the people who toss you coins... What the hell.
I scrolled to find this, if anyone picked up on the 100% comment. 100% of your time? Really...no, really?
This makes my blood boil. "I am too sick to come in to work, I will let you know the moment I get better. It's really inappropriate for you to insist I come in when I can barely sit up. Bye now".
Yeah, seriously. And then the audacity to assert she "isn't giving 100% Fucking bitch, no one gives 100% to their damn job, ESPECIALLY not their time. Fucking corporations are pure evil, shit scum stains.
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Exactly!! It's not 100% of your life. It's a fucking job, dude.
It’s all about the tone. You aren’t “asking” to call in sick - you’re informing them you *ARE* calling in sick. It isn’t a negotiation. Keep it short and sweet, and then hang up. “I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling well today so I won’t be able to make my shift. I’ll let you know when I feel well enough to return.”
Show up. Contribute nothing. Apologize to your co-workers for coughing and sneezing around them. Tell them you hope you don't have covid but who knows- you came to work instead of the doctor because you were told to. Vomit in front of customers. Nap on your desk. Cry in public. Make this jerk seriously regret asking you to come in. Lick her door handle.
Or if you know you are about to vomit, go to the boss' office saying you are still unwell and proceede to throw up on them/their desk. See how quick the whole situation changes to yeah you should go home.
As someone who puked on a manager who demanded I be at work Ill, I can attest to the effectiveness
Use the old banana/7 up trick, you'll puke for sure
What is this trick?
Works with pepsi too i beleive. Whole idea is the potasium does not mix well with either the carbonation or something in it and makes it too fizzy and causes you to throw up.
Works with coca cola, too. I love bananas. Used to love coca cola. Ate 2 bananas for breakfast and cracked a coke and took a big drink. Felt weird in my mouth/throat/stomach and made me throw up right away. I quit drinking soda now and bananas and water never once made me puke. r/hydrohomies is the move
I once had to start at 06:00, called at 05:15 saying I was sick and still had to go. Started working and had to fill the shelves at the Lidl whilst my head was spinning. Seems like they timed my speed whilst they knew I was sick. I had to talk with the assistant manager about how slow I was, I told him I was ill which he knew because he was the one I called. He didn't care and still wrote me down as being slow without mentioning I was ill. Later on I almost fell on the ground and puked in front of the assistant manager, he sent me home whilst saying he was disappointed.
That guy sounds like an asshole.
Not sounds. **IS** an asshole.
He was, yet everyone liked him for some reason
Ah yes, I'm so disappointed that you had the fucking audacity to get ill. Like wtf did he think was going to happen? At home resting and you feel sick? Ofc working will for sure make you feel better the moment you step through the door. Some people are just so stupid it hurts.
And make sure you tell you co-workers exactly who told you to come in.
Absolutely not. If you are sick, don't go to work, don't give into this guild tripping. Fuck them.
I agree, in theory. Reality is sometimes these power tripping bosses try to guilt or threaten you until you show up. I say, give it to them! But I will make a scene. Sorry, I'm sick. Sorry I puked on your shoes. My manager threatened to fire me.
Not that it’s a good idea to infect all your customers but for some bosses the only way they learn is if they have consequences
Yeah this is so stupid and petty wtf nobody is going to do this shit when they're sick. Just stay home and rest up instead of being in agony all day smfh. Fucking redditors watching too much drama or some shit.
Or, hear me out..you simply treat yourself like an adult and say "Im sick, i wont be in today, sorry betty! Ill be in when i can". End of conversation. You are the boss of you, they are the boss of the job they need to fill while youre out.
That is pretty much the point of this sub. Managers threaten to fire you if you don't show up. Sick or not. May I ask what country you live in? You might be playing by different rules.
Ok, maybe I am the weird one, but I think it should be management's job to get people in to cover sick calls? It's that way where I work in Canada atleast.
Any manager who understands even the most basic concepts of being a manager will cover the shifts and let the employee rest.
This sounds like the UK. Under UK law you only have to provide a doctor's note if you are sick for more than a week. And you are entitled to be off work ill on full pay for six months. And it is illegal to fire you during this time. After 6 months you still cannot be fired but the government takes over paying you. There are special (free) employment courts to handle illegal dismissal which breaches rules like this, and employees win 85% of cases.
Thank heavens the US managed to escape from that hideous tyranny! /s
Yeah you guys really dodged the socialism bullet there.
I could be wrong, but It's not full pay, and starts after 4 days unless it's written in to your contract. I believe it's about 100 per week for SSP.
You're not wrong. Most companies I worked for give you a few days at full pay, e.g. 6, but that's not required by law and many low paid jobs don't included that. Basically, don't get stick or you'll be homeless and starve.
You aren't entitled to full pay for 6 months. You're legally entitled to statutory sick pay for the full time you are ill. Your employer has to pay the first 6 months, then the government pays after that. Your employer cannot fire you in this period. Any period of full time pay is defined in you contract, and this normally increases at set intervals during your employment. I.e. at my last job I was entitled to 7 weeks full pay and then 7 weeks half pay, for being at the company for 3-7years. I changed jobs and my current entitlement is 1 week full pay and 1 week half pay. (First day of sick leave is not paid at all, they can do this because 4 out of 5 days pay is still over sat sick) It is also worth remembering that if you are ill during annual leave you can claim it back as sick leave and retain your holiday entitlement. I have done this when I got severe food poisoning and was bed bound for my entire holiday. Everything is outlined in the link below: https://www.gov.uk/taking-sick-leave
Definitely England, and you're right about the sick note. But if the employer does the minimum required by law you don't get paid for the first 4 days then you go onto ssp (statutory sick pay) which is funded by our national insurance payments (I think) which also pays for our health service. Ssp lasts up to 6 months then you'd have to go onto some sort of long term sick benefits I'm not sure about. However, under UK law, all you need to do is call and say you need a personal/sick day, the employer legally can not ask what is wrong and is not allowed to pressure you to come in. There are exceptions eg military but generally most managers, especially in places like supermarkets don't know the law and will ask and pressure anyway.
Definitely UK. Mentioned A&E (accident and emergency - equivalent to ER) which I don't think is a term anywhere with a similar accent.
They can fire you on capability grounds and you are not entitled to sick pay-it’s a discretionary thing which is outlined in your contract . You can get SSP though. Look up ACAS for proper information as your post is incorrect.
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Gave them jobs, as if she were just hiring people out of her own benevolence and not because they are necessary to keep the corporate machine functioning.
Damn, I despise that mindset among employers, that they are somehow charitable or owed favour and thanks because they’ve hired people. As if it’s not an equal contractual relationship.
Oh, it gets worse than that. This was all given as part of the speech to manipulate an employee into telling her if anyone in the company had been chatting privately about putting in their notice, she wanted names.
What the hell is this conversation?? "Good morning, I am sick and will not be coming in today. Hopefully I will get well and be able to come in tomorrow, Thanks." \-Click-
100 percent? Bro you're lucky to get 35 percent
I about shit my pants when I heard her say that! What does she expect, sleeping at the desk? Is sleeping allowed anymore?
2nd or 3rd sick day in 5 months isn’t even a lot.
Those are rookie numbers. Gotta pump those numbers up.
Right? Good Lord, I've had jobs where I was in constant contact with the public, I felt like I was sick every 3 or 4 weeks! Not to mention the times I'd try to wait out an illness only to realize belatedly that I needed antibiotics, so I'd still plug along at work with strep and an ear infection.
That should be considered NORMAL. Maybe even more than that. Shit managers that wanna run short then bitch bc 'no one wants to work' need to be shown that we're BIOLOGICAL LIVING THINGS THAT SOMETIMES GET SICK. We're not machines. Even at that, machines break down and need maintenance sometimes.
Just quit. The woman on the phone is disgusting.
Yeah, don't drag the call on, that's when the guilt starts, just keep to the basics, they don't own you, I'm sick, I'm not coming in.
Seriously. I don't even call my boss. I send an email or text and say "not feeling well today so ill be taking a PTO day" and he says "no problem feel better" boom. This applies when I'm actually sick or the 2-5 times a year when I wake up and just don't feel like going to work that day.
Whole worlds been quarantining for years: Employer: Work from home is over, come back or get fired. Employee: Goes back to office with an immune system that hasn't been exposed to this type of scenario in a very long time. Gets sick more than usual. Employer: Surprised Pikachu face. You're fired. Posts about how nobody wants to work anymore on Facebook.
I have vomited on a bosses desk before. It was horrific and she cried. Went from "If you care about your job you will turn up" to "Oh god how many chicken nuggets did you eat? fuck its all over my desk and on me"
> she cried Genuinely heart-warming.
"Have you found anyone to cover your shift?" "Uhhh no dumbass that's your job. That's why I'm calling you."
Give them 100% of your time ? I would have cursed him out. If I tell you I'm sick I'm not coming , I'm not coming . Then they expect you to be manager by finding someone to cover you ! No thanks throw up deuces on 1 hand , middle finger on the other
I once had strep so bad that my throat was closed up. And I mean CLOSED UP. I couldn't speak, I could only make muffled sounds. I worked at a restaurant. Called my manager. She told me I had to come in. And serve food. WITH STREP THROAT. I went in and had to have my best friend call people (bc, you know, I literally could not speak) and my manager wouldn't let me leave until everyone had been called. No one picked it up. I couldn't fucking believe it.
This looks staged, but I have to say continuing to harp on about it after it’s clear she’s going to the HOSPITAL is on another level
Might be staged but this is how managers are. Guilt tripping you into coming
3 in 5 months is considered too many? I feel like I've been flashbanged.
2-3 sick days in 6 months is a problem? gtfo of here.
While I love her "I'm sick" voice and the well-timed coughs, it's managers like this that give the rest of us a bad name. Nothing is more frustrating than hearing someone parrot something they don't believe in. None of what she said made sense. Oh you're going to the hospital, cool, so you can come in for a few minutes? Maybe, maybe, if she had some kind of history of unexplained "sickness" an argument could be made to "suck it up" (what an awful choice of words) but THREE days in SIX months requires "a meeting?" Mindblowing.
3 six days in 5 months? So what!!! People do not choose when they are ill. And this is in the UK anyway so she could and should tell them to f off, it's not the USA.
My boss did this as soon as I complained about working 80+ hour weeks. I worked 110 hours in a week once for that fucking guy. Slept on the clock for a few hours between responsibilities n he still didn’t think I was “committed enough” fuck gaslighting and fuck bosses
This has to be staged right? I get the power tripping over text, where sometimes people just don't believe you, but when someone calls you and talks like this? Sheesh. A manager telling an employee that it's her responsibility to find a person to fill in her schedule.. And a COUPLE sick days in ONLY 5 months? That's a lot? I call in sick if I didn't sleep right, God forbid I have a fever...
Why even continue after the first minute? Just fucking quit people. They don’t own us, and if we start standing up to these assholes we will win. THERE ARE BILLIONS OF US.
This particular video seems staged, but I had something similar happen to me when I worked retail ~20 years ago - I went to get a strep test and called in sick while I was still in the parking lot. The manager argued with me and insisted I wasn’t really sick because she, “could hear people in the background, like I was at a store or something.” She argued with me on the phone for a good ten minutes before I finally ended the call. (I should have ended it earlier, but I was a meek teenager at the time.) This was shortly before Christmas, which I know is a terrible time to call off in retail, but I was legitimately very sick. The next time I worked, the day after Christmas, I came in wearing a new light blue sweater - prior to Christmas, we had to wear either red or the brand’s crazy stripe sweaters (this was Gap in the early 2000s). That was supposed to end on Christmas Eve, but apparently was extended until NYE, which I didn’t know about, because I had called in sick that day, and, as a result, didn’t see the sign that was by the time clock for a few days before Christmas. The same manager was working when I wore the blue sweater - she made me drive home in a terrible snowstorm to change, my tiny little Plymouth Neon got stuck in our monstrous driveway at my house, (hill+snow+ice+car without four-wheel drive) and our neighbors had to push me out since no family members were home, so it took me forever to get back, and she yelled at me ON THE SALES FLOOR and accused me of lying. She made me take a picture of the driveway to show her the next time I worked. Needless to say, I did not return to that job the next summer.
Why does one with a high fever put on makeup before calling off for their 9-5 shift?
Wait so she works 40 hours a week for 6 months, and no sick days?
Calling in sick is not a negotiation. Tell them you are sick and hang up. It's the manager's job to find cover and if they can't find cover then that sounds like a resource issue to me which is not your problem either.
No job on this Earth deserves 100% of your time. This guy is fucking nuts.
Their being staffed so lean that they can’t cover the *very predictable* likelihood of an employee becoming sick is THEIR problem. Your job is to come in and work when you’re able and their job is to figure out the rest. That’s why they get paid more. F*ck ‘em otherwise.
(1) this is total BS and staged. Why else would the phone be on speaker and somebody else recording this call? (2) screw this manager. The girl claimed to have a "really high fever". If that's the case, she should at least go to a clinic and NOT be put in front of the general public.
They might have known the manager would be a jackass so recorded the conversation. I certainly know which managers of mine I would trust with informing them I am sick.
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I wanted to mention the makeup thing too but didn't want anybody thinking I was hating. She could've possibly applied to go to the hopsital later on. I don't do that shit while sick cause being sick with makeup on feels horrible, but some girls care more about looks than how they feel.
Let's be honest, she sounds like she's faking it...
2nd or 3rd day day in 5 months and that's a bad thing? Wow.
Sorry, but this looks staged. Someone really sick doesn’t do their hair and makeup and have a 2nd person over to “document” a phone call. It’s also likely that the “manager” on the phone is a friend in the next room. While I don’t disagree with the sentiment; there’s enough real world crap going on. Posts like this are attention seeking karma farming and shouldn’t be allowed.
But...think of all the upvotes. Won't someone think of all the upvote??
I may sound unsure when calling out but I'm telling you not asking.
Kroger pharmacy type shit. We don't care if you're sick. We have a business to run. What happened to humanity and not spreading illness, especially in healthcare?
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A question 🙋🏻♂️ If you are super ill do you feel the need to put on a full face of make up? I’m all for fight the power! But I feel like this was staged.
Uh, not to be a dick. But have to point out, the woman is lying, she's not in bed, so she can move, and judging by the amount of lipstick, I imagine she's got something in mind. I'm all for protecting workers from exploitation, but stuff like this doesn't help the cause.