Workplace writes up employees for every time they call out of a shift, no matter how far in advance: 'In an industry that's hemorrhaging workforce, these threats seem pretty silly'

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Dec 30, 2025 10:00 PM EST

Everybody wants to be respected at work, and that can come in a lot of forms. It can come in the form of payment, of treatment by your coworkers and higher-ups, and it can come in the form of flexibility. Not every job can be flexible, but every job can try to accommodate its employees. This is part of running a good business. If you don't at least try your best to make everybody happy, then you're going to lose employees left and right. Especially the good ones who know they're worth. There are lots of ways you can do this as an employer. You can support them with generous time off packages, incentivize them with bonuses, and supply them with benefits. But these all cost money, so employers can be reluctant to use them. But there are ways to support your employees even without spending extra dough. 

You can start by treating them like humans. Humans are famously fallible, and sometimes stuff comes up that we can't avoid. Things happen, like illnesses or accidents, and there's nothing we can do to prevent them. The least we can do is expect our employers to have our back in this situation. Sometimes you have to call out of work, and it's not your fault. You do your best to give notice, but sometimes life just happens. You would expect a little bit of grace in this situation, especially if you're a loyal employee. But one workplace decided to skew all of that goodwill and instead punish those who had regular life stuff come up. 

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  • A healthcare worker looks stressed out at her desk
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • They decided they would write up an employee every time they called out of work, no matter if they gave them enough notice. This is not a sustainable policy, and the employees were unsurprisingly miffed. This was a huge sign of workplace disrespect, and they didn't feel like they wanted to put up with it. But they weren't sure if they had any recourse against this policy. Read on to see what happened, read the full write-up that the employees received, and decide what you would have done in this situation.

  • Every call off is a write up.

    As 12/29/25 I know the last few months have been difficult for everyone, and there have been several changes. We have added to our team new nurses, MAs, and PCAs. I want to make sure things are getting passed on correctly, and everyone is aware of changes. Starting today, 12/29/25, I will be implementing communication binders. There will be one for the Nurse/MOD/Mas, and one for the PCAs. It will be your responsibility to check it every shift, and you will need to initial and date when you have
    via u/catlover665577

  • Commenters came in with their thoughts.

    iamacheeto1 "we know the last few months have been difficult for everyone" "so here's how we're going to make it even worse"
    via u/iamacheeto1
  • metao My thought is "Write me up, daddy"
    via u/metao
  • teresajs That's a recipe for spreading illness.
    via u/teresajs
  • saw89 In an industry that's hemorrhaging workforce, these threats seem pretty silly
    via u/saw89
  • jeep-olllllo The way this is written, I am assuming this is a 25 hour a week $400k a year position.
    via u/jeep-olllllo
  • catlover665577 OP $21 an hour, 37.5 hour week
    via u/catlover665577
  • medical worker puts their elbows on a table at work
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • Odd-Egg57 Well, this would be certainly very illegal where I am. I'd be dropping my boss an email to confirm it is an official document before sending it and his response to whoever the relevant bodies are for you. It's even better if you are part of a union.
    via u/Odd-Egg57
  • KellyAnn3106 This is amateurish and poorly written. It's fine to have an attendance policy and consequences. However, sentences like "if you continue to be late for your shift, it will result in a write ups" are grammatically flawed and vaguely worded. This wouldn't hold up to any legal scrutiny and is open to uneven enforcement.
    via u/KellyAnn3106
  • roova_nymm sounds like a whole circus over there
    via u/roova_nymm
  • DrewNumberTwo Verify that you get written up for sick days now. It sounds like it's time for everyone to get sick at the same time until this policy changes.
    via u/DrewNumberTwo
  • OIL_COMPANY_SHI.. Are they trying to cause a staff shortage? Because that's quickly how you start "letting people go" without having an official layoff, just make it unbearable for people to stay and using the write ups to justify it.
    via u/OIL_COMPANY_SHILL
  • ScottyOnWheels Considering a call off within 2hrs a no call, no show seems legally dubious.
    via u/ScottyOnWheels
  • Moontouch Two hour advance notice for call offs is luxury treatment that management is getting from the workers. Insane to spin it as a problem.
    via u/Moontouch
  • banan3rz Oh no! Everyone came down with a stomach bug at once! Looks like the entire staff is going to have to call off! :)
    via u/banan3rz
  • Wi-Platypus As I get older, and simply want to spend my days with my wife and kids, the less I tolerate behavior like this from employers. Update your resume, get the hell out of there.
    via u/Wi-Platypus
  • Wolfy4226 You know I'm noticing "every call off is a point" doesn't mention calling off multiple days in one call.....
    via u/Wolfy4226
  • Tiny_Economist2... Are you unionized? Because if so, this would be a real fun thing to send to the union reps.
    via u/Tiny_Economist2732
  • persondude27 "A call less than 2 hours before is a no- call, no-show." This sort of inane behavior makes it very clear why they're having staffing issues.
    via u/persondude27
  • mephitmpH Why should RCCs (I assume these are managers) be called last? They're all nurses. I think they should all rotate on the floor; maybe there wouldn't be such a huge freaking disconnect between what they think it's like and the actual hellscape it is
    via u/mephitmpH
  • Long_Try_4203 Write ups are like demerits in middle school. Meaningless and stupid.
    via u/Long_Try_4203
  • Moonjinx4 I hate policies like this. "You're not allowed to have a life. All emergencies must be scheduled through the premonition department. Failure to predict an emergency is grounds for immediate termination." And for some reason, no one questions this asinine policy.
    via u/Moonjinx4

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shift antiwork employee work workplace story healthcare call out
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