Boss puts employee with the flu on speakerphone with whole team to confirm their illness, coworkers laugh in the background: 'Find a new job'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Dec 29, 2024 11:00 AM EST

Being ill is absolutely no fun. If it's a certain degree of bad, it will make you feel like you can't see or speak to anyone. You just want to crawl into a deep dark hole until you're fully rested and healed again. You don't want to get out of bed. You don't want to eat or drink. And you certainly don't want to talk to your boss. Of course, you'll have to get them on the phone every now and then so you can call out of work, but it's the boss' job in this situation to be understanding. You have to trust your employees and give them the grace that you would want someone to give you. 

But that's not what happened in this story, where a worker's trust was betrayed by their boss. Read on for the details and see what you would have done in their situation. 

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10447834368
    via Unsplash+ (Ave Calvar)

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    Boss put me on speaker phone to the whole team when I called in sick.
    via u/Lethalspudgun
  • 03
    Hate my job enough already (retail). I had a bad bout of flu over the Christmas peroid. This morning my boss declined my call and then called me back on speakerphone. Although he was accepting of my condition, I am annoyed he put me in this situation. I could hear my colleagues laughing in the back ground.
    via u/Lethalspudgun
  • 04
    Im back in bed but raging at the unprofessionalism. Sorry had to vent.
    via u/Lethalspudgun
  • 05
    MrWonderfulPoop • 10h ago "Hello? Hello? I can't hear you" will often work and they will take you off speaker.
    via u/MrWonderfulPoop
  • 06
    kungpowgoat • 9h ago Edited 9h ago • I just straight up ask people to please take me off speaker. I don't like this crop at all. If they can't or won't, then I tell them I can't hear them well and simply hang up. I don't want everyone in the room to listen to my one on one conversation.
    via u/kungpowgoat
  • 07
    Independent_Ha... • 9h ago Speaker to The entire team? Perfect moment to Tell them your pay rate and watch The world burn
    via u/Independent_Hat_1407
  • 08
    Dommccabe • 9h ago • Especially if you lie and make it more than theirs
    via u/Dommccabe
  • 09
    sugarrayrob 9h ago. "I have the flu. Sorry I can't make it in. It s ks because I really need the $24 an hour that I'll be missing out on. But I'm sure you'll pay the rest of the team extra for the extra labour".
    via u/sugarrayrob
  • 10
    TheHip41 7h ago • Use up any PTO if you have it Find a new job Quit without notice.
    via u/TheHip41
  • 11
    . naypoleon • 10h ago I'm no expert but I'm sure they ain't allowed to do that as it could of had personal stuff on that call
    via u/naypoleon
  • 12
    • Oni_K 9h ago • Sounds like he disclosed private medical details to people who had no need to know...
    via u/Oni_K
  • 13
    BabyBundt Cakes • 7h ago. Unfortunately, jobs don't have any protections in place like that, that's only for healthcare professionals. If we want that we have to vote for people who would legislate those things to protect us
    via u/BabyBundtCakes
  • 14
    alesiaaisela 9h ago. • I'd call them out in person. "It made me uncomfortable when you made me share my personal information on speaker with others around. I would appreciate our conversation to be private" or
    via u/alesiaaisela
  • 15
    something similar. I'm sure they will be embarrassed or maybe they won't care and then you can report it on higher. It sounds like you don't want to make a big deal of it but it would make me uncomfortable to ever call or tell them personal information moving forward
    via u/alesiaaisela
  • 16
    IronMonopoly • 5h ago "Oh, cool, thanks boss! Now that everyone is on the call, can someone in HR explain. medical privacy laws and how speaker phone might be problematic to me?"
    via u/IronMonopoly
  • 17
    Surelssue6971 9h ago. What kind of immature shis that? I bet you hope they all get sick too!!!
    via u/Surelssue6971
  • 18
    Chirotera 8h ago . They don't need any details beyond I'm not feeling well and I won't be in. If they really push I always liked to go into morbid detail, however. Most people don't like descriptions of diarrhea or vomit. Usually shuts them up pretty quick.
    via u/Chirotera
  • 19
    snorkblaster • 7h ago. Boss had you speak publicly about your personal medical issue. Start keeping notes. (date/time/event) of borderline illegality.
    via u/snorkblaster
  • 20
    Marysews 10h ago . That's a potential privacy violation.
    via u/Marysews
  • 21
    iownp3ts • 7h ago Document the details. Name you coworkers you believe. heard. Contact a workplace lawyer like HKM. This was super inappropriate.
    via u/iownp3ts
  • 22
    heuristic_dystixt... • 7h ago. That's awesome! Now you and everyone in the office. can be perfectly aware of how miserably petty and vindictive this person is. I wouldn't be surprised if several in that office start looking for employment elsewhere.
    via u/heuristic_dystixtion
  • 23
    Majestic_Plane_... . 10h ago This is harrassment. Go to HR.
    via u/Majestic_Plane_1656
  • 24
    big_loadz 4h ago • . Our team lead did this with a member who said he couldn't come in because of the snow. Put him on speaker and told him to get there as the rest of the team laughed at him. He crashed on the way. Think the company did anything for him? Lesson: don't go out of your way for them.
    via u/big_loadz
  • 25
    Apprehensive-L... • 10h ago Bad bosses everywhere it's not just yours. Remember you will only be a slave for 40 to 50 years.
    via u/Apprehensive-List927
  • 26
    Eternal_Practice · 6h ago I bet this isn't common practice and you might be singled out. HR might be a "friend" in this situation, and your boss just ensured that you have plenty of witnesses.
    via u/Eternal_Practice

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