“Don’t worry if you’ve broken your leg, I can give you a chair” – imagine receiving this message from your boss while lying in bed with a fractured leg, simply seeking approval for sick leave. Ben Askins, known for sharing content about toxic workplaces and exploitative managers, recently posted a WhatsApp chat between an employee and their boss — and it’s now gaining massive traction on social media.
The conversation reveals the manager persistently urging the employee to return to work, even though the worker had suffered a broken leg in a bike accident.
Initially, the manager asks the employee about his whereabouts. The employee replies that he has broken his leg and is currently in hospital. Instead of showing concern for his well-being, the boss replies, “But I need you for the Friday shifts.”
The injured employee explains that doctors have advised him to take bed rest for a few days. Despite this, the manager continues pushing him to return. The employee, trying to be cooperative, responds that he will definitely come back if the doctor permits. The boss then says, “I can get you a chair.”
When that doesn’t work, the manager resorts to guilt-tripping, accusing the employee of taking time off despite having joined the company just two weeks earlier.
“Then let me make it even easier for you,” the employee responds, adding, “I quit.”
Here’s how social media users reacted:
Narrating a similar experience, one Instagram user wrote:
“Years ago, while working for a publishing house that produced a fashion magazine, I fell ill. The boss/owner refused to grant me sick days (even though I was legally entitled to them), claiming ‘you’re not really sick, it’s just a cold’. Then, during an after-hours meeting — where my presence was completely unnecessary — he told me, ‘You must cough in silence, you’re interrupting me while I speak.’ I assure you, these scenarios really do happen.”
Another user added:
“I had an employer offer me a chair so I could return to work while I was off with tendonitis in my foot. When I eventually went back, I asked for the chair I’d been promised, and they said, ‘We don’t really do that. Can’t you stand on one leg?’”
A third user said:
“I worked for a company that was terrible about allowing people time off. One day, I noticed a large lump in my neck. My doctor referred me to a specialist — only available during the day. My workplace refused to let me take time off to attend the appointment. Months later, I finally managed a day off. The ENT said surgery was urgently needed due to the size of the tumour. It turned out to be thyroid cancer, requiring radioactive iodine treatment. After three days in hospital, I was released — only to receive a call from HR asking what my intentions were. I said, ‘My intention is to survive.’ She replied, ‘No, I’m asking when you’re coming back to work.’ I said, ‘I need to take care of myself. I’m not dying for you.’ And that was that.”
A fourth person commented:
“I wouldn’t have quit — not in a hundred years. Far better to wait to be fired so I could lodge a claim.”