A US-based boss is facing criticism online after a screenshot of his response to an employee’s sick leave request went viral. It all started after the employee, Ley Sabandal, who works remotely from the Philippines, shared her supervisor’s message on Threads. The reply, in which her boss granted her time off but asked her to “make up” the hours later, triggered widespread backlash from users in Europe and other countries.
The manager’s message read, “Sorry you’re not feeling well. No problem taking the day to rest. Yes, you’re welcome to flex your time to make up hours anytime during the month. No hurry catching back up. Thanks”
The employee shared the screenshot with the caption, “This is how my American boss responds to my sick leave request.”
Even though Sabandal described the boss’ reply as considerate, it was quickly met with disbelief outside the United States.
Workplace culture around the world
“Seeing this as a German is like.. what the f–k. catching up work time because I was sick? Hilarious,” one user wrote.
A user from Poland added, “A normal sick day here. Paid 80%. No need to make up anything. No limits in sick days per year.”
A Sweden resident chimed in, too, saying: “So sick days and vacation days come from the same budget? Swede here – that sounds terrible. Really. In Sweden, if you are on a planned holiday and get sick, you can actually call in sick and get ‘new’ vacation days. Probably unheard of in the US.”
Some Americans, however, defended the message as empathetic by US standards. “It seems quite kind to me. What am I missing?” one user wrote.
The post eventually evolved into a broader debate on how countries treat illness and personal well-being in the workplace. Commenters from Norway and New Zealand shared examples of employers offering fully paid sick leave, mental health days and union-protected time off without any expectation of “making up” hours later.
“Norwegian here: I had to take a mental health day last month. I’ve got a lot going on in my life and had a lot of unforeseen things happening at once. Told my boss and he said it was okay and told me to take care of myself,” read a comment.
“New Zealander here. My boss would prob respond with. Hey anything I can get for you? 24 days paid sick leave, mental health days, two paid union days off plus 4-5 weeks annual leave. America is weird. Oh and free healthcare,” said another user.