A corporate employee’s request for a day of sick leave after developing a fever and stomach issues was allegedly denied by his manager, who claimed that “sick leave requires being hospitalised”. The employee shared the incident on Reddit, where it resonated with hundreds of users.
The employee detailed a conversation with his manager after calling in sick roughly an hour before his shift. According to the post, the manager first questioned the employee’s tone, asking whether he was “informing” or “requesting approval” for leave. When the employee clarified and formally requested sick leave, the manager allegedly stated that sick leave could only be granted if the employee was hospitalised for three days with proof.
Policy mismatch and escalation
The employee wrote that the claim did not align with the company’s written leave policy, which allows sick leave for medically advised rest, including domiciliary treatment. Unwilling to use earned leave, he later obtained a doctor’s certificate recommending two days of rest and applied for sick leave through the HR portal, where it was approved.
But, the manager allegedly refused to accept the approval. “My manager called and emailed asking with whose permission I applied for, and said he wouldn’t approve it because this wasn’t communicated earlier,” the employee said. “After some back-and-forth, the last response I got was that I need to share the prescription with my manager and the team lead, they will review it, and only then I’m allowed to put sick leave.”
The employee then asked fellow Reddit users whether managers can override HR-approved sick leave and whether sharing prescriptions with reporting managers is normal workplace practice.
Reddit reacts to ‘toxic work culture’
“No one requests sick leave. You inform and take it,” one user commented, advising the employee to escalate the matter to HR or reconsider staying in such a work environment.
Another wrote, “Choose health over donkeys. If sick leave is policy-backed and HR-approved, your manager has no business gatekeeping it.”
Several users shared similar experiences, noting how single-day sick leaves are often treated with suspicion in Indian workplaces, even for common illnesses like fever or migraines. Some urged documentation and written escalation, while others warned that demanding access to medical prescriptions could breach privacy and workplace ethics.