Manager demanded a doctor’s note for one sick day, employee reveals the trick that got them four days off instead of one in viral post: 'I will not be working if...'

A manager’s callous refusal to grant sick leave for a single day backfired royally. Taking to the subreddit Malicious Compliance, an employee working in the service industry revealed how he got back at a manager who refused to grant a sick leave for a single day and demanded he show a doctor’s note or his day off would be marked as unexcused. The service industry has long faced criticism for pressuring employees who call in sick and asking them to provide medical certificates from doctors they may not even have insurance to visit. The server had already worn a mask during previous shifts, making the demand for proof of illness feel particularly insulting, as though his honesty was being questioned.

However, his employer forgot he was covered by his father’s insurance. He went to the doctor and had them write a doctor’s note for four days. A few months later, when the manager tried to pull the same stunt, the server returned to the doctor, got a clearance for even more days off and requested the doctor to add a line about exactly when he would stop being infectious around the food they were serving. He revealed the manager stopped asking him for a doctor’s note eventually. "They know they can give me the one or two days I ask for, or they can give me the week the doc gives me," he wrote. "But I will not be working while sick if I do not want to."

The post became viral on the subreddit, receiving over 8,000 likes. One Reddit user quipped, "My experience is that doctors will become annoyed and give you more time off as a ‘finger up’ to the teacher or boss.” Another stated, "They pull this shit from time to time at my job. We get a fair amount of paid sick leave, but they can request a note. Every single time it happens, that person miraculously needs a week off and it fucks everyone. It’s pretty glorious.”