Balancing work and family can be challenging, especially during emergencies. Recently, a Redditor shared how her mother’s ill health became a struggle for her. The Redditor, whose identity remained anonymous, shared that she is employed with a prominent private bank and had requested a few days’ leave – but the response from her manager left her disgusted.
The Redditor explained on subreddit r/IndianWorkplace that her mother was seriously ill due to wrong medication, and that she wanted some time to be with her. “She wasn’t asking for anything special. Just some time,” the Redditor said.
The Redditor shared that when she sought permission from her manager, his blunt reply shook her. “If she’s not recovering, put her in a medical or shelter home and come to the office,” the manager said.
The manager, according to the Reddit post, gave her an ultimatum that either she had to join the office or stay with her mother.
The woman shared that she resigned from the company after working there for several years. “I stayed with my mother, and soon after that, resigned,” the woman claimed in the post.
The woman further sought advice from fellow Redditors on “what the right response is anymore in such workplaces”.
Here’s how people reacted:
Redditors reacted strongly to the post, expressing shock and frustration at the manager’s response.
A user wrote: “Sadly, some managers run bank branches like a proprietorship firm. Even though the bank itself doesn’t want them to, I had such a manager; she harassed everyone, especially the ones who needed the job. She couldn’t harass me as I was working there out of my will, not because I wanted the money.
One fine day, I blasted her for her attitude towards a junior officer. She felt very insulted and threw things around in her cabin; I just stood outside and saw it amusingly.
Later, I resigned in a week, citing what a sh1tty manager she was.
It’s been several years; she’s still with the bank and I’m happy and managing my business.”
Another wrote: “Damn, I empathise with her and the feelings that she had to go through. There should be some legal way to get back at this crude kind of exploitation.”
A third user said: “This is really unfortunate. Why did she have to resign, though, instead of just letting them fire her?”
A fourth user said: “If she is carrying valid medical documents, she can reach out to HR and take a long leave for a month or two instead of resigning. As a permanent employee, she can seek HR help on this. Ideally, the manager can even guide this instead of asking her, unless their company policies are different. If policies are odd, better to resign and take care of her mum instead of surviving there. Mother comes first, then job.”
A fifth user wrote: “Which toxic company is this?”
