My Boss Fired Me For Taking Sick Days That Were Approved By HR
I had never been a problem employee.
I showed up.
I met deadlines.
I worked overtime.
Then I got sick.
I submitted medical documentation to HR.
My sick days were approved.
My boss even emailed me:
“Take care of yourself.”
I returned to work.
Two days later, HR called me into a meeting.
My boss said I had “abused the system.”
I was being fired.
I asked how.
He said I had taken too many sick days.
I reminded him they were approved.
He said:
“Approval doesn’t mean entitlement.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
I contacted HR after the meeting.
They reviewed my records.
Everything was approved.
Then HR discovered something.
My boss had changed the attendance records after my leave.
He had reclassified my approved sick days as unexcused absences.
Apparently, he wanted to make me look unreliable.
Why?
I had refused to work during one of my approved recovery days.
He apparently took it personally.
HR reversed the termination.
But then they discovered an even bigger problem.
He had changed the records of five other employees.
He was using attendance records to justify denying raises and bonuses.
Several employees came forward.
The company fired him.
I stayed for another six months.
Then I left.
Not because I was angry.
Because I had learned something important.
A company can have policies.
A company can have HR.
A company can have rules.
But none of those things matter if the person in charge believes the rules only apply to everyone else.
