A corporate employee shared how his manager questioned him for “informing” instead of “asking permission” while taking sick leave, which sparked a debate online about workplace boundaries and policies.
The post, shared on Reddit, came from a man who said was new to corporate life and “confused about sick leave etiquette.”
Explaining the situation, he wrote, “Yesterday I had a fever and gut issues. I called my manager ~1 hour before my shift and said I’ll be taking sick leave since I’m not well.”
What followed, however, left him taken aback.
“His first response was: ‘Are you informing me or requesting approval?’” he shared, adding that his manager felt his tone sounded like he was informing, when he should have been asking permission.
Not wanting to argue, he said he rephrased his request, but only for things to escalate further.
According to the post, the manager then claimed that sick leave could only be taken if the employee was hospitalised for three days with proof, which the employee believed was incorrect as per company policy. Instead, he was asked to use earned leave or comp-off for the day and update his health status later, something he wasn’t comfortable with.
Taking matters into his own hands, he visited a doctor, obtained a medical certificate recommending two days of rest, and applied for sick leave through the HR portal.
But even that didn’t settle things.
“Right after that, my manager called and emailed asking with whose permission I applied and said he wouldn’t approve it because this wasn’t communicated earlier,” he wrote.
The situation then moved into more uncomfortable territory, with the employee claiming he was asked to share his prescription with both his manager and team lead for review before applying for leave.
“So… Do you usually inform or request sick leave? Can a manager deny it even if policy allows it and HR approves? Is asking to share a prescription with the team leads and manager normal?” he asked, turning to Reddit for clarity.
The post flooded with comments from social media users weighing in with strong opinions.
“Check your offer letter and other documentation. Your leave policy should be mentioned there. And by the way, you should have replied ‘I’m informing you’ to your manager. No one requests sick leave. Choose health over donkeys,” one user wrote bluntly.
Others offered a more procedural take. “In many companies, if you are taking sick leave for 3 consecutive days, then a medical certificate is required. Your manager just tweaked his words. You should report to the HR or the Ethics line,” another commented.
The discussion didn’t take long before it expanded beyond one incident, touching on a larger workplace question, where does policy end and managerial overreach begin?
Several users also discussed how the takeaway was clear: while processes may vary across organisations, falling sick shouldn’t turn into a negotiation. And as they pointed out, understanding company policy, and your rights within it, can make all the difference in moments like these.