SINGAPORE: A Singaporean employee recently shared on social media that his manager is giving him the cold shoulder because he took a medical leave.
In a post on r/askSingapore, the employee explained that he had informed his manager via text that he was unwell with severe diarrhea and vomiting and would need to take medical leave to visit a doctor.
However, his boss never responded to his text. Moreover, instead of showing concern or understanding, she opted to ice him out upon his return to work.
“When I came into the office, she ignored me. Didn’t talk to me, she send me email but didn’t address me in the email properly,” he wrote. “She wanted me to do some things but instead of asking me she talk via my colleague and ask her to tell me.”
The employee then figured that his manager’s cold behavior was a result of his medical leave. His colleagues also clued him in that this was not a one-off incident.
“My colleagues said that she acts the same with them whenever she’s unhappy, she ignores them,” he said.
Feeling both confused and frustrated, the man turned to the online community for some much-needed advice.
He asked, “Anyone deal with this kind of manager before? It’s my first time having to deal with a manager like this and I’m just so surprised that this kind of unprofessional behaviour even exists?”
“Just behave as you would normally.”
In the comments section, Redditors discussed how this kind of ‘childish’ and ‘unprofessional’ behavior from managers is unfortunately quite common. They suggested that to avoid similar issues in the future, the employee should take a photo of his medical certificate and send it to his manager after visiting the doctor. Additionally, they recommended taking the full two days off if needed, stressing that it’s important to prioritize one’s health rather than feeling pressured to prove oneself at work.
One Redditor even pointed out a harsh reality, reminding him, “No one will remember you if you die because of your illness at work. You will be replaced quickly.”
As for how to handle his current situation, another Redditor advised the employee to confront his manager about the medical leave.
She wrote, “Go straight to her and ask nicely, “Is there any problem, coz i notice the change in your behaviour dealing with me. I hope this is not due to the MC I took”. It’s either she dismisses you by pretending it’s nothing or tell you upfront about her issue with you. But before she replies to your question, look at how she uncomfortably tries to grapple for an answer.”
“The good thing is that next time, she will not be acting that way and will just be direct with you.”
A third Redditor added, “Just behave as you would normally. Maybe she doesn’t have anything nice to say to you so she’s ignoring you till she manages to control her emotions? In any case, you don’t have to stoop to her level.
Mind what some say about going to work while on valid MC. Rest when you have the MC whether you feel well or not.”
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