No matter how hardworking we are, when we fall ill we cannot work even if we try. After all, sick leaves exist for a reason – to recover from illness. However, if you are unlucky, your manager will not be satisfied with falling ill as a reason for missing the meeting. This was the case with Redditor u/Practical-Trip-9309.

The user shared his story on the subreddit r/DevelopersIndia. The person claims that he works for WITCH company. WITCH is the acronym of five IT giants – Wipro, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Cognizant and HCL.

Manager refused to take sick leave

According to the post, the IT employee fell ill on Saturday and could not recover till Monday. After this, he decided to take a day off. The man wrote, “Monday, I was feeling really weak, so I took sick leave. I sent a mail to my manager in the morning, took medicines and went to sleep.”

However, even after informing the manager, the user faced major criticism. “Now, around 1pm the manager called me twice on WA (WhatsApp). I called him back, and he asked me ‘Do you remember what today is?'”

The manager explained that the user could not have been so ill that they missed an important meeting with a European client. The person added, “He got angry and started yelling about how important they were, and that they came from Europe so I couldn’t be too sick to go to the office.” Despite the worker’s explanation that they couldn’t actually get out of bed, the manager refused to budge.

Manager demands health certificate to resume work

The manager got so angry that he asked for a medical certificate for the absence of just one day. “He is asking for a medical certificate so that they can check with HR whether I am fit to work in this organization or not,” the user said. When the person tried to explain that it was only a one-day absence, the manager explained that it would have a major impact on his position. “He continues to say that this will count as unplanned leave and will affect my evaluation,” the post said.

The conversation lasted for about 25 minutes, during which the manager allegedly made the same threats. The user also said that this is not the first time that he has been forced to bear the brunt of his manager. “Also, when I was new to this project, he had threatened me several times before,” the man wrote.

Ultimately, users were confused about what they should do next. They became so discouraged that they were ready to stop working on their project. He concluded, “How do I handle this situation going forward? Can I use his shitty behavior to get free from this project? Please help people.”

Redditors want the employee to leave the company

The person found some useful suggestions in the comments. Redditors advised that it would be better to leave the company altogether and find something else. One user wrote, “What a tool this manager is. Clearly he has his own family issues. Change team if possible and leave if possible. Also, all bark and no bite. He can’t take shit.”

Additionally, users also said that employees should not let their manager’s words influence them. One comment read, “Stay calm and act like a robot. Just keep saying you were sick and didn’t go to the office. Let him take whatever action he wants and don’t let his words get into your mind.”