Imagine working at a company where any sick day you take is an unexcused absence. If you were legitimately sick but got written up for taking sick days, what would you do?

In this story, one employee was in this situation and tried to go to HR for help. When that didn’t work, they went to their doctor.

Let’s see how the story plays out.

You get what you asked for.

So I have been working for this huge Pharmaceutical manufacturing company for 5 years and have never had a write up.

In July they changed the attendance policy. Our managers and supervisors came around and apologized for relaying the incorrect information about the new leave policy.

August and September were rough!

At the end of August early September everything that could go wrong went wrong.

I got into an accident and didn’t have a car around the last week of August, first week of September my pipes under my house broke and I had no water for 2 days, then at the end of September I was at work got a migraine so bad I got physical sick and asked permission to leave work early (Which is an excused absences otherwise I’d be getting wrote up for job abandonment).

Normally I just suffer through my migraines

Here’s some more details about the policies.

First, with the new policy although we get sick time it is considered unexcused if we take it regardless of why we took it.

Second, our sick policy states if you are sick you have to leave immediately (we make intravenous meds)

So all this happened in September, I walk into work the first week of November to a write up.

I ask my boss(who literally just started the job 30 days before) what it was for and he said HR told him to give it to me.

This sounds really frustrating!

So I ask my manager and she says it’s because my absences are considered a pattern.

I also asked what the statue of limitations was because October I didn’t miss a single day of work but got wrote up in November for August. Anyways, I ask how an emergency can be patterns.

She had no answer.

I set up a meeting with HR and she cancels on me on my off day (I’m not salary I don’t check my email on my off days….I only work 14 to 15 days a month) Keep in mind I had to rearrange my schedule to even make the meeting.

HR isn’t doing their job.

I ask for another meeting (and that she call or text so that I can get it whether or not I worked that day) and HR sets a date, then cancels it almost immediately, again.

At this point I’m mad because I literally sent an email with 8 questions about the new policy I needed clarified but HR refused to reply in an email.

Anyways per the policy the only excused absences outside of planned vacation is FMLA.

This worked out even better!

So I contacted my doctor and put down every current health issue I’m dealing with and get granted 5 days a month for intermittent leave for the next YEAR.

Now instead of my working 14/15 days a month I only work 9 or 10, all because HR wanted to be jerks. They got what they asked for.

That’s great that this employee ended up with excused absences every month. HR needs to be reported, but who do you report HR to?

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

This person points out that management doesn’t like emails.

This person offers some good advice.

It really isn’t fair.

Here’s a warning and some advice.

The doctor was the true hero in this story.

Thought that was satisfying? Check out what this employee did when their manager refused to pay for their time while they were traveling for business.