Redditor Says 'I'm Out' After Boss Asks For A Doctor's Note To Grant Sick Leave

A Reddit user has ignited a firestorm of criticism by sharing a snapshot of a conversation with their boss, shedding light on a contentious issue involving health, work and financial constraints that many employees face. In the snapshot, the user informs the supervisor about feeling unwell, citing cold sweats and a creeping fever throughout their body.

“I hate to do this, but I woke up with cold sweats,” the user said in the conversation. Expressing the impossibility of coming to work under such conditions, the Redditor is met with a surprising response from their boss who requests a doctor’s note for an “excused absence.”

“I haven’t been to a doctor in three years. I don’t have the money to go to a doctor for a fever. Yesterday, I made the equivalent of $8 an hour. Is the doctor’s visit covered by the company?”

The boss appears unsympathetic, insisting that the employee must provide a note from a medical professional to be granted leave.

“If it’s just a fever, you should be okay to come in and work. Correct?” wrote the boss.

Since the post was shared a few days ago, it has garnered over 6,000 upvotes and sparked a flurry of comments expressing outrage and sympathy for the employee’s situation. Many Reddit users voiced their discontent with the employer’s response and shared their own experiences.

One user commented, “‘Just a fever’ wtf! Sounds like wage theft. “.. on the job application it stated an hourly rate, which turned out to be false. instead, it has terrible commission rates not hourly. ..” Contact your local Dept of Labour, and see what they have to say about it?”

Another user sarcastically remarked, “It’s just a fever, a sign that can be understood by anyone with even the most barebones medical knowledge to mean that you’re sick and possibly infectious. You should not be okay to serve your corporate overlord for minimum wage and no benefits.”

A third user highlighted broader issues, stating, “Fun fact, Americans don’t survive under it either! 40,000 a year die due to not being able to afford health care. 49,000 per year die due to suicide. 100,000 a year die from drug overdoses. And 1.1 million died due to COVID precisely because of shit like this.”

The overwhelming sentiment in the comments section is in support of the employee, with many expressing frustration with a system that seems to prioritise corporate interests over the well-being of workers.