'I really have to shake everyone's hand? Okay!': Boss makes sick employee go to important meeting to hand in doctor's note, he maliciously complies to challenge new sick day policy

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Oct 16, 2024 8:00 AM EDT

The best way to explain to your boss why a certain policy doesn't work? Show, don't tell!

Here, we have an employer who falsely accused the folks on his team of abusing the company's sick day policy with no substantial evidence that anyone was actually doing so. It was probably the classic managerial way of trying to solve a productivity issue that likely has more to do with their own managerial style and a lack of a proper number of team members than anything else. Now, if any employee got sick, they had to look their manager in the eye when handing over a doctor's note. 

This Redditor was pressured to do so and ended up walking into an important meeting with higher-ups in the company in order to deliver his doctor's note. To make matters more interesting, his boss made him shake the hands of every other higher-up in the room. Keep scrolling below to see the fallout. For more stories like this, check out this post about a boss who granted his employee a $1 raise.

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    Cheezburger Image 10416663040
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)
  • 02
    I really have to shake everyone's hand? Okay! LOC English isn't my first language, so sorry in advance for all the stuff I will mispronounce in your heads.
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 03
    This happened like 15 years ago in Germany, I was in my apprenticeship in a big coal-mine, once the pride of Germany industry. We were 50 apprentice every year (here you have to do 3 years apprenticeship before you become an electrician for example) and my company employed around 4000 people at that time.
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 04
    The coal sector in Germany was in decline and it was cheaper to import coal from China, Poland or Australia, so the company got big subsidies by the state and it showed. Stuff wasn't replaced,
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 05
    people had to do more shifts, all in all there was an atmosphere (especially in management) of ,having to prove you are still useful' in a sense. While most people were pretty chill, retirement plans for the older workers were solid and
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 06
    us younger people knew we weren't going to work there long term from the beginning, the upper management still wanted to show they were the big shots.
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 07
    So one day all apprentices called into a big meeting with the top manager of our section and he told us, that we had too much sick days. In Germany you can have as many sick days as you need and
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 08
    you get paid for them in full (there are some other things about pay and sick days in Germany not important to this story, but if you want to nitpick or learn more, just read up on German labor laws, it's fun, I promise).
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 09
    He even had a full power point presentation with how many days we had, what was the reason, there were charts and figures and such stuff. The whole management spiel.
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 10
    In the end his idea was that from now on we all had to give our sick notice to him personally in his office at the first day of absence.
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 11
    This is kinda not 100% legal I guess (I am no lawyer) but we were all young people and hat little to no knowledge about this. Why he wanted to do it this way was clear,
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 12
    he thought many of us were faking their sickness to get a long weekend or whatever. Up to then you only had to phone in when you were sick and could either send your doctors notice by mail or bring it in and leave it at the office receptionist. Wasn't good enough anymore I guess.
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 13
    Directly the week after the meeting I got a bad stomach bug. Don't ask me what it was, maybe I ate something bad or it was just the season, no idea. After I spray- painted my parents bathroom all night I got to my doctor first thing in the morning and I got a doctors
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 14
    notice and was instructed to not go under people for the next couple of days in case I was contagious. So I went home and phoned the receptionist at the office to tell them I was sick and I couldn't come in. He transferred me to the manager who told me I had to hand him the notice personally. No ifs or buts. If I didn't I would get a write up or worse. I
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 15
    knew he thought I was lying and that didn't sit right with me, in all the time there I only missed work for one week and that was because I had a broken foot (yes, I worked in a coal mine with a broken foot, I
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 16
    am not nearly as tough as this makes me sound) and I didn't like to be accused like that, even though it was only implied. By law you are not forced to tell your employer why you are sick, only that you are sick...
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 17
    Cue my malicious compliance. I said sure, I will be right there. I got into my car, drove to my workplace and got to the office. My manager was in a meeting with some higher-ups in the company
    via Muted_Problem7700
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    and I was instructed to wait, but as he heard I was there, I was invited into the room full of people in expensive suites who looked like they had serious business to do (or whatever, maybe the cookies were good there, I don't know). So he
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 19
    made me stand in front of all these important people in the company and made me introduce myself to everyone, with a handshake. I didn't protest, why would I? He insisted. I shook the hands oft he manager of production and finances and development,
    via Muted_Problem7700
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    everyone who was there and I introduced myself. I am sure it was meant to scare me into not having any false sick days anymore. Then with a triumphant smile he asked me why I was there and I pulled out my doctors notice, gave it to him and said.,,As you instructed
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 21
    me I have to give you my doctors notice in person. I got a bad case of stomach flu this night and just wanted to let you know I will be sick for the rest oft he week."
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 22
    Their faces were priceless and he pushed me out way too fast for me to really cherish the situation. My stomach was better by next week and the rule about our sick days was lifted.
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 23
    Sharp_Coat3797.5 hr. ago Any idea if the suits had to personally hand him sick notes after about 2 days of flu incubation period? Hee Hee
    via Muted_Problem7700
  • 24
    Muted Problem 7700 OP . 4 hr. ago I wish I would know, but that information was not given to a lowly aprentice like me But it must have had a lasting impact as there was no more talk of sick days and the rule was silently fazed out the next week
    via Muted_Problem7700

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workplace-stories work stories toxic-workplace job malicious compliance work sick reddit thread Reddit company workplace malicious compliance toxic-work-environment
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