New boss accuses sick worker of scamming the company, backfires: 'They were absolutely NOT prepared for someone to know more about their claims than they did'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
May 2, 2024 10:00 AM EDT

When enforcing strict adherence to company policy and legal employment obligations, it's probably important that you understand those obligations first. It's also incredibly likely that someone who has been navigating the ins and outs of those legal obligations out of necessity for their livelihood will know more about them than you, an average Joe manager, do. Just an important reminder of the fact that being in charge doesn't necessarily mean that you have the most experience in every given situation and know all the answers, and if you go to throw your weight around without having any knowledge of the situation, you're just going to look the fool.

While this worker was working with some chronic health issues, she became certified under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), an act that allows certified workers "to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons," essentially prohibiting employers from retaliating against eligible workers. 

As these stories often go, everything was going just fine until a new boss arrived on the scene. Despite receiving constant praise and good feedback from the new boss, the worker was blindsided by a sudden summoning from HR, where the HR rep and boss tried their best to accuse her of scamming the company through abuse of her FMLA certification. A move that wasn't going to go the way that they had pictured…

This story is a heck of a read, and you can see screen grabs of the original story as it was shared online by the Original Poster below. There are important lessons to be gleaned here for workers about always being prepared to back yourself with receipts, just in case an ill-intended new manager decides they have something against you.

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  • 01
    "They were absolutely NOT prepared for someone to know more about their claims than they did."
    via charlesdeluvio
  • 02

    "Track FMLA Time? You Betcha!"

    So, not my MC, but I was orchestrating it with my wife. Note: I am typing on a full keyboard and English is my primary language. Any typos or nonsense grammer are entirely my own damned fault. So my wife has some health problems, and has fully certified and signed off on FMLA (thats the Family Medical Leave Act, for those not in the US this is the big time federal government "You do not mess with this" medical leave). Job knew this when she was hired, and they had flexible schedules so whenever
    via u/Edymnion
  • 03
    Cue new boss coming in. Couple months go by, new boss tells my wife repeatedly "You're doing great! No notes, keep doing what you're doing!" Now, new boss is an oldschool boomer Karen, and my wife has two big brass ones and isn't afraid to tell a Karen to sit down and be quiet and refuses to take her . So, total shock to everyone, a few months later without notice or warning, called into HR. HR tries to go on about the FMLA stuff, saying she hasn't been filing her FMLA claims and that she's scam
    via u/Edymnion
  • 04
    Yeah, did I mention I've worked with FMLA at a national corporate level for years and years? FINALLY came in handy! "No dear, FMLA counts as time worked. You've been flexing to make up your time, so it cannot be counted against your FMLA limit. If you need to take FMLA, its hours worked and does not need to be made up, under federal law. They can insist you use PTO alongside it, but they cannot tell you to make it up or they're committing a felony."
    via u/Edymnion
  • 05
    I could hear the dead silence on the phone. Wife finally speaks up "So, if the problem is that I haven't been properly applying for FMLA, I'll be happy to do so and stop making my time up. <Karen Boss>, I'm gonna have to push these projects back since I won't have as much time to work on them as I thought, since I won't be allowed to make up my time anymore. If you want to authorize some overtime, we can work that out."
    via u/Edymnion
  • 06
    Turns out Karen Boss just didn't like the fact that my wife is Work From Home and she couldn't micro-manage her. Thought she'd get HR to help scare her straight. They were absolutely NOT prepared for someone to know more about their claims than they did. Karen Boss tried a few more times to throw her weight around, each time my wife responded with some variation of "I am not legally allowed to do that, and I have been instructed by corporate to file all time as protected FMLA." Threats of
    via u/Edymnion
  • 07
    discipline were met with "Go ahead. I'm the only one you've got who can do X job. I work here because I enjoy it, or at least I used to. Write me up if you feel the need, but please know when you do that will be the start of my 2 week notice." And she's stuck to her guns. Any time she needs to take FMLA time off, she does so. Files everything properly, and Karen Boss can just sit and stew because there's not a damned thing she can do about it.
    via u/Edymnion
  • 08
    Its been about a month now. Boss Karen has finally realized that she's got about as much weight as a feather, HR has gone completely silent, and things have overall gotten much better for the wife since she's got much less stress now. Karen Boss keeps communications short, direct, and to the point, just how my wife likes it.
    via u/Edymnion
  • 09
    Could they fire her for some unrelated reason once the current crunch is done? Sure, but she's already got bites from multiple other companies and we can afford to have her not work for a month or two if worst comes to worse. And we of course have a giant Cover Your folder full of names and dates and everything else where Karen Boss tried to retaliate, made for a hostile work place, etc. Know your rights, people, and do NOT be afraid to stand up for yourself!
    via u/Edymnion
  • 10
    9lobaldude 3 hr. ago Karen must have felt despondent when even HR is unable to help her
    via u/Edymnion
  • 11
    Edymnion OP Oh yeah, wasn't really relative to the main story, but there were a few other complaints Karen tried to throw in. Wife had all the emails where Karen told her to do the things. They tried to hit her with "Well you need to do it this way", she'd hit back with "Well the employee handbook says its handled that way. So if you can just get me an updated copy of the rules saying it should be done the way you're asking, that'll be great."
    via u/Edymnion
  • 12
    HR is never your friend, and they will NOT come to a meeting unprepared if they've got ANYTHING on you. So pro-tip, you get called into a meeting with them and they don't have a giant folder full of stuff that they're constantly pulling from and referencing? Then they've got nothing, push back. Ask for everything in writing. Make a paper trail. Its amazing how fast "issues" go away when somebody has to sign their name to the paperwork.
    via u/Edymnion
  • 13
    9lobaldude Spot on You guys doted the i's and crossed the t's Edymnion OP Yeah, like I said, years and years of experience in national level corporate America. You cover your first, and get everything in writing so that ANYTHING blows back on you, you've got proof that you were doing what you were ordered to do, not your fault!
    via u/Edymnion

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workplace discussion employment issues antiwork workplace-stories jobs employment-discussion job malicious compliance work workplace Horrible Bosses workplace malicious compliance employment in the workplace
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