- By Shailvee Tiwari
- Mon, 06 Oct 2025 12:40 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Viral Reddit Post: A WhatsApp conversation between an Indian employee and their manager has gone viral online, sparking debates about workplace attitudes toward sick leave. What started as a simple request for a day off due to a headache quickly turned into a heated back-and-forth that caught the internet’s attention. The screenshot, shared on Reddit’s r/IndianWorkplace subreddit with the title, “My manager when I ask for a leave,” included the caption: “How does one even work with a headache??”
In the chat, the manager repeatedly refused to grant leave. The conversation began with the manager saying, “Medicine leke ajao, koi nhi, thik ho jyga, headache hi hai.” The employee replied, “Dolo tha vo leke dekhta hu (I’ll take Dolo and see),” to which the manager responded, “Haan, office aao hero.”
Even after the employee explained, “Abhi bhi ho rha hai headache, nahi aa paunga,” the manager insisted, “Med lo na hero. Headache me chhutti thodi na milti hai. Bhai kesi baate kar rahe ho. School me nahi hai (Take the medicine, you don’t get a day off for a headache. What are you saying? This isn’t school).”
Despite taking the medicine, the employee was told, “Ab aap company me ho. Thoda rest kar lo bhale hi, but office aao (You’re part of the company now. Take some rest if needed, but come to the office),” and finally replied, “Try karta hu (I’ll try).”
Watch The Viral Post:
My manager when I ask for a leave
byu/Warthei inIndianWorkplace
The viral chat has triggered strong reactions online, with many criticising the manager’s rigid approach, while others shared their own experiences of similar workplace pressures.
"I never ask for leave. I take leave and inform. I adjust on other days to compensate. Inko sarpe mat chadhao ye naachne lagte h," a user wrote. "That is so horrible. You are entitled to sick leave, just apply for one," a second user wrote. "Manager ko bolo ki Important ye nahi ki headache me office aatey hai ki nahi, important ye hai ki if I have the god damit sick leave toh I can avail it for any damn thing related to my health as simple and as sweet as that," wrote a third user.
"Tell them, ye school nahi hai so, I'm not asking for a leave, I'm telling you that I am taking a leave," added a fourth user. "High-grade fever with chest congestion and prescribed for nebulisation three times a day! Aage se yeh bolna manager ko! Saale ko jhak maar ke chutti deni padegi," suggested another user.