Singapore F&B worker gets grief from manager over 2nd MC this year

SINGAPORE: An F&B worker has turned to Reddit for advice after his manager made a reproachful remark about his second medical leave (MC) of the year.

In his post, the worker said he had notified his manager three days in advance that he would be unable to work on Nov 1 as he was suffering from diarrhoea and had yet to recover.

He said he had even offered to find a colleague to cover his shift and submit a medical certificate (MC). However, his efforts did little to appease his manager, who apparently took issue with the timing of his medical leave.

According to him, his manager replied: ‘Sigh, every time there's attachment, you always take MC and if your area manager asks you, better give her an explanation.’

The worker added that he had previously covered shifts for his manager and other colleagues when they called in sick at the last minute, without making an issue of it.

“I just find this is ridiculous,” he wrote, angry about the whole thing. “I work in F&B, and it's very tough to have someone who you can trust or talk to despite him being a manager. He works as a supervisor; we joined the company at the same time, and he's a Malaysian. He just got promoted recently, and the way he's acting is so wrong.”

With his return to work due the following week, he asked fellow Reddit users how he should approach his manager and handle the situation.

‘You did the right thing’

The post drew support from several Reddit users, many of whom felt the worker should not have to apologise for taking medical leave when he was genuinely unwell.

One commenter advised him to keep a proper record of his “medical certificates and any shifts” he had covered for colleagues, so he would have evidence if the matter was brought up again.

“Just bring the receipts. Have it written down on which day you have MC, have your doctors’ certs and make a mental note next time to note down when you cover for colleagues”

Another commenter, who said they were a former outlet manager, told him: “Your reasons are valid. And it is not your responsibility to find a replacement. If you are full-time, they cannot penalise you. If you're part-time, lagi best, don't bother.”

A third agreed, saying, “You did the right thing to take a day off if you’re having diarrhoea. I’ll be concerned if the shop I’m buying food from has someone preparing food for me while having diarrhoea.”

According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), employees covered by the Employment Act are entitled to paid sick leave after serving their employer for at least three months, provided they are certified unfit for work by a medical practitioner and have informed or attempted to inform their employer within 48 hours of their absence.

Their sick leave entitlement depends on their length of service, with eligible employees entitled to up to 14 days of paid outpatient sick leave and 60 days of paid hospitalisation leave annually.

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