Unless you’re an extremely lucky person, you’re going to meet someone who seems absurdly dedicated to making your life a living hell.
And whether it was a teacher , a manager , or just one incredibly unpleasant stranger , the unfortunate way that life turns out is that this person will often have some degree of power over you.
However, there’s some solace to be had in knowing that this power is often fleeting. Because even if you’re not in a position to separate yourself from that situation entirely, people who treat you this way can eventually find that they’ve made enemies of other people as well.
And as we’re about to see, some of those people can have more power than they realize.
While posting to Reddit’s r/MaliciousCompliance community, one user named kathjoy recalled a time when she woke up feeling very sick.
Between the extreme fevers and chills she was feeling and the heavy emissions coming out of her, it seemed likely that she had some sort of flu.
Obviously, working that day wasn’t going to be feasible for her and many employers wouldn’t want their offices exposed to a nasty bug like that.
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However, it seemed that her manager “Steve” wasn’t one of them as he only believed that people were sick when they were his friends.
So when she called in, the response kathjoy ultimately received was “Either come in or bring a doctors note, or you’re fired!”
It’s worth noting that this story takes place in the United Kingdom, where it’s illegal for employees to require a doctor’s note from a sick worker during an initial five-day self-certification period.
But while kathjoy knew this at the time, this story took place shortly after the 2008 economic crash so she couldn’t afford to gamble on the possibility that this threat was empty.
As she put it, “I couldn’t afford to lose my job – I was struggling as it was.”
So while her doctor was initially angry at her for coming in when she should have stayed at home, that anger quickly shifted towards Steve once she explained her situation.
Once the doctor confirmed that kathjoy was eligible for sick pay, she knew exactly what kind of doctor’s note she had in mind.
So while Steve was looking for confirmation that kathjoy was sick, this is what he received instead.
[kathjoy] has come to the surgery because [Steve] has insisted she come in, in spite of the fact that this is illegal and all employees are allowed to self certify. Due to being forced to make this unnecessary and highly dangerous trip when the patient is ill, has a fever of 39°C, and almost passed out in the waiting room, I am signing [kathjoy] off for two full weeks to recover.
Had [kathjoy] been allowed to self certify as is the law, they might only have needed a few days, but due to straining themselves, they now require two full weeks. They are not to be permitted to work until [date 2 weeks later].
After this, she arrived at work and explained the situation to a more senior manager, who accompanied her when she brought Steve the note.
As she put it, “He looked worried and tried to say ‘I wasn’t being serious about firing you'” despite growling that threat at her just hours earlier.
After this other manager drove kathjoy home, Steve was subject to a disciplinary hearing in which he tried to argue that he never threatened to fire her. However, he apparently forgot that the duty manager was present when he admitted to doing this in the statement above.
So in the end, she got to enjoy some extra days off while Steve received a severe reprimand and his final warning while also having to work overtime while the company was short-staffed.
h/t: Reddit | kathjoy
