Employee who asked for emergency time off stunned by boss’s shocking response

Social media users were bemused at an insulting reply one employee got from their boss when they asked for time off due to an emergency.

Life can get complex and it is always appreciated to have people around you that can empathize and understand this.

However, one Reddit user found out that their boss wasn’t in a particularly caring mood when they explained a family emergency they were having.

One Reddit user shared an interaction they had with their boss when they told them that a family member was now in hospital after a fall.

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The post has since been viewed more than 50,000 times and left Reddit users befuddled at how the boss took the news.

“Hi, I just got a call from my mom. My grandpa fell and is in the hospital with broken ribs and a collapsed lung,” the user told their boss.

“She said she doesn’t know how long he might be around for and I’d like to go visit him tomorrow when he’s awake.

"If you absolutely need me to open the shop tomorrow, I’m happy to as long as I can leave by 8:30. If you won’t be in before then, I’ll need to take tomorrow off.

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“I’m sorry for the late notice, my mom just called me. My boyfriends mom will take care of the vet appointment I mentioned the other day,”

All sounds rather reasonable, the worker attempted to compromise, had the grace to contact work at all and even apologized for it.

While the boss might not be happy about it, you would expect them to show some understanding and empathize - not the case at all I'm afraid.

The boss replied: “It’s not gonna work. We are a week before Christmas. Don’t bother coming in,”

Yep. A clear 'Boss of the Year' candidate.

Social media users were shocked by the response and even more so by the logic of the boss.

“They can’t afford to lose you before Christmas but they can afford to lose you before Christmas,” one user joked.

“[I would reply] I'm sorry for the inconvenience, I'll make sure that when my grandmother decides to die that it's during the slow season,” another user joked.

However, some users gave the boss the benefit of the doubt and suggested the worker might not be fired, as they titled the post ‘Guess I’m looking for a new job,”

What do you think? Think the boss was being just a little bit stern but giving the worker the day off, or simply gave them the chop?

Topics: Reddit, Viral, Social Media, Business, Health

Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard is a Journalist at UNILAD and has dived headfirst into covering everything from breaking global stories to trending entertainment news. He has a bachelors in English Literature from Brunel University and has written across a number of different national and international publications. Most notably the Financial Times, Daily Express, Evening Standard and Newsweek.