Minor employee calls out of work due to their dad being in the hospital, manager insists they come in anyway: ‘What part of ‘family emergency’ did you not understand?’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Apr 18, 2025 6:00 PM EDT

Do you get nervous when you find yourself having to call your boss and tell them you can't come to work?

Even if one has a perfectly good reason for calling out, for some reason, that conversation might make one a bit uneasy, like they're doing something wrong. Maybe this experience only happens to those of us who also had perfect attendance in school, or never missed a day of college. For other people, having to tell their boss they can't come to work is not a big deal whatsoever. They do it, get the okay, and move on with their lives. They don't think anyone hates them, and they definitely do not think they are going to get fired, stuff that constantly crosses the minds of those who dread these sorts of calls.

If you have a family emergency, you shouldn't feel bad if you cannot come to work, and any normal boss would agree with this statement. However, if you are a person who constantly misses work, your boss might not believe you when you have an actual reason to not be there, and that can lead to a real threat to your job.

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  • It seems like the employee in the story below, who is just a teenager, has no problem calling their boss and telling them they have to miss work. The problem is, they've done it so much that their boss no longer believes them when they provide an excuse.

    This problem only grows bigger when the employee had to drive with their father to the hospital, but was told by their boss to still have to come in to work.

  • 01
    "Call an Uber and get here"
    via oadtz

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02

    "Told to "call an Uber" because i couldn't make it work"

    I am still a minor & had to call out of work today because i physically had no way of getting there, my mom just drove my dad to the hospital & i still don't
    via Ace_of_spades1328
  • 03
    have my driver's license. I was told by my mom, who is a manager at the same store, to call out because i'll have no way to get there, so i do,
    via Ace_of_spades1328
  • 04
    Manager responds with something along the lines. of "Call a taxi or an Uber, do you want to work or not, you can't keep calling out,
    via Ace_of_spades1328
  • 05
    get a friend or family to pick you up & get here". What part of "I can't make it, My dad is in the hospital" did she not understand?
    via Ace_of_spades1328
  • 06
    Edit's: 1. As so many people have asked about it, i used to be that employee, the one who would call out whenever they didn't want to work,
    via Ace_of_spades1328
  • 07
    however that's changed & in the past two months i have called out three times, once because i was sick, the 2nd time because both my dad & great grandmother were in the hospital & Now.
    via Ace_of_spades1328
  • 08
    2. I live in a town with absolutely no public transportation, i have never seen a bus other than a school bus.
    via Ace_of_spades1328
  • 09
    3. Uber needs a parental figure to ride with any minor, and as my mom & dad were both at the hospital, there is no parental figure i can ride with
    via Ace_of_spades1328
  • 10
    4. I work in a market basket, a supermarket corporation in New England, my mom is a manager up-front well i work in the kitchen.
    via Ace_of_spades1328
  • 11
    HOSPITAL Complex NA
    via peterspiro

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 12
    mu erdeity "My dad is in the hospital. This would be considered an excused absence at basically any job across the country. I am a minor. I will not be coming in. If you choose to fire me I will simply find another job. Good luck!"
    via mu**erdeity
  • 13
    PassThePeachSchnapps "These jobs are for kids, that's why they pay minimum wage, they're not meant to support an adult" "Hey, my dad is in the hospital and I don't have a car" "No not like that"
    via PassThePeachSchnapps
  • 14
    sarcasmismygame Sorry you had to deal with that, THAT is ridiculous. I'd suggest finding another job ASAP as this is a pretty ghoulish thing to say to someone, minor or not. And I hope your dad is okay by the way. That takes priority over everything else.
    via sarcasmismygame
  • 15
    No_Hedgehog750 While you do have cause for an excused absence in this scenario, you have told us you have a history of poor attendance. If I were your manager I wouldn't believe a word out of your mouth
    via No_Hedgehog750
  • 16
    at this point. You think calling out three times in two months isn't excessive and that's where you're getting hung up. On the other hand, f em.
    via No_Hedgehog750
  • 17
    gwtvulpixtattoo The issue here is that you have called out so many times your manager doesn't believe you any more. It s 's but it's the truth.
    via gwtvulpixtattoo
  • 18
    axcl99stang Hope your dad's ok. F I work. It'll be there for the rest of your life, your family won't.
    via axcl99stang
  • 19
    d th11 I will be an unpopular opinion. Your dad is in the hospital, but not you. Your mom drove him there, but not you. So you must be available to work if it wasn't a big deal enough for you to also accompany your dad.
    via d**th11
  • 20
    Uber might be out because of terms and you're a minor, but taxis are still an option. There are solutions, but you would rather be told that it's ok for you to be in a permanent state of learned helplessness.
    via d**th11
  • 21
    mediocredud Your mistake was not leading with, "My dad is in the hospital. It's a family emergency. I can't come in."
    via mediocredud

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boss workplace-stories emergency employee manager job teenagers hospital tales-from-the-workplace reddit story workplace family Reddit company parents
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