A Gen Z employee’s blunt reply after his boss demanded a doctor’s prescription for taking sick leave has set off a debate online, with many calling it the kind of workplace boundary more employees wish they could enforce.
The post was shared on X by the account Oxygen with the caption, “Indian managers think slaves work under them, not employees. Brutal response by a Gen Z employee.” It featured a screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation between an employee and his manager over a sick leave request.
The exchange began with the employee informing his boss, “Sir nahi aa paaunga, fever badh gaya hai” (Sir, I won’t be able to come, my fever has worsened).
The boss responded by saying, “Chalo doctor ke pass chalte hai” (Let’s go to the doctor).
The employee replied that he would visit a doctor only if needed and was taking paracetamol for the time being. The conversation then took a turn when the boss said, “Director sir ne kaha hai jo bhi bimaar ho usse doctor ki prescription lo” (The director has instructed us to collect a doctor’s prescription from anyone who is sick).
Refusing to comply, the employee responded, “Main school student nahi hoon sir, leave rehti hai, leave li maine” (I’m not a school student, sir. I have leave available, and I’ve taken it).
He then went on to sarcastically suggest that if a prescription was mandatory, the director, being a doctor, could write one in his name. He added that he did not have a prescription or a leave application signed by his parents and concluded by saying he was resting and would not be responding to any further calls or messages.
Take a look at the post here:
The screenshot quickly gained traction online, leading to a discussion around sick leave policies, workplace trust and the expectations some managers placed on employees.
Several users argued that if companies provided employees with annual leave, they should be trusted to use it without having to justify every sick day with medical documents.
Others broadened the discussion beyond the viral conversation, saying excessive scrutiny over leave requests reflected a larger problem in many workplaces.
Some pointed out that employees were increasingly being treated as if they had to constantly prove themselves, while others noted that even clients had started placing unrealistic demands on vendors and service providers, creating a culture where professionals often felt overworked and undervalued.
A few users, however, said that some companies do have formal policies requiring a doctor’s prescription even for a single day of sick leave, suggesting that such rules, while frustrating, were not uncommon in certain organisations.
– Ends
