Boss mandates overtime to warehouse staff after most workers call in sick, then refuses to let new hire take days off when they catch it too: ‘I'm stuck here for 12-hour days now’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jan 10, 2026 7:00 PM EST

You should not come to work if you are sick. 

Let that sink in for a few seconds.

When you are feeling under the weather, you have a responsibility to minimize your social interactions as much as possible. You are not doing anyone a favor by going outside, especially not if you decide to go to work and hang out with your coworkers for 8 long hours. Obviously, if someone comes to work while they are sick, they will probably spread it to other people around the workplace. Once that happens, it is only a matter of time before every single person has to take a sick leave to recover from whatever it was that the first employee brought upon the place.

However, it seems like some people don't really get to choose whether or not they can come to work while feeling unwell. Some bosses would rather risk the entire workplace than manage without one employee for a few days. They will pull rank, demand, and even threaten to ensure their employees are there every day, no matter what they are feeling inside.

That is what happened in the workplace in the story below. It started when a few irresponsible employees showed up at work with the flu. They coughed their way through the office and easily shared their germs with the rest of the staff. When the janitor also caught it, it was game over, because there was no one to clean the place without them.

This led 59 out of 100 employees to call in sick.

When one of the last warehouse employees realized that they were also feeling under the weather, it was already too late. Their boss wouldn't let anyone else take any more days off, and overtime was mandated for everyone. He even told the employee that if they took a day off, they would be immediately fired. 

Now, even those who are sick are forced to come to work and stay there for 12-hour days. Instead of recovering in bed, they must work, and those who started it all get to spend their days at home, far away from this mess.

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  • 01
    Warehouse worker taking package in the shelf
    via Wavebreakmedia

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02

    I was just told I can't call off or I'm "fired" working at a warehouse where 59 of 100 people are off sick

    just so happened to be one of the employees who washes their hands, coughs into their elbow, and uses hand sanitizer nonstop.
    via brokenpa
  • 03
    Overtime was mandated just yesterday for the entire warehouse because the rest of the employees have the flu.
    via brokenpa
  • 04
    The ones missing are the ones who were jokingly coughing all over each other in the break room and absolutely never wash their hands in the bathroom because it "cuts into their production time".
    via brokenpa
  • 05
    The janitor who goes around the entire warehouse twice daily with bleach and disinfecting chemicals has been off all week.
    via brokenpa
  • 06
    So, no bathrooms have been cleaned. Not once. I am currently on break and am absolutely sick.
    via brokenpa
  • 07
    When I mentioned calling off tomorrow, my boss said over the phone I will be immediately terminated because I've only been here 6 months.
    via brokenpa
  • 08
    The janitor has been here 6 months and this is a lie. Also, this same boss is currently locked in his office and refuses to come out because he doesn't want to get sick.
    via brokenpa
  • 09
    Is anyone else dealing with this C c p? I'm also stuck here for 12 hour days now.
    via brokenpa
  • 10
    Employee blowing his nose during a meeting at work
    via dragana991

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • What can this employee do to fix the situation? Should they stand up to their boss and demand time off?

    Share your thoughts in the comments below.

  • 11
    3cto If you're in the US this is something you can report to OSHA - it's a legit safety issue. Pretty sure that you can report it anonymously online too.
    via 3cto
  • 12
    brokenpa Original Poster's Reply I feel it's a safety issue also because people here are operating forklifts jacked up on cold and flu meds
    via brokenpa
  • 13
    benfoldsgroupie Also, are there more people than legally required bathrooms, when everyone is at work? Turns out my employer didn't have sufficient bathrooms for the number of employees for a few years, per OSHA rules, before they rented out the building next door with several extra stalls and a few urinals. I wish I had known and reported it when I was still there!
    via benfoldsgroupie
  • 14
    brokenpa Original Poster's Reply There are 100 people and three women's stalls. Two women's rooms. One women's room is one stall only. There are two men's room's and two stalls in each. That's it.
    via brokenpa
  • 15
    SailingSpark go to work and p ke all over. They will send you home. They cant fire you for trying to work. Bonus points if you do it in front of the boss' locked door.
    via SailingSpark
  • 16
    starscout123 Yep, this is exactly the kind of thing OSHA exists for. Forcing sick employees to work in unsanitary conditions while threatening termination is a legit safety issue, and reports can be anonymous. Also wild that your boss is hiding in his office while telling everyone else to sk it up. That alone says everything.
    via starscout123
  • 17
    dont_touch_my_p e classic they dont care if you get sick as long as numbers look good, then act shocked when half the place drops. document everything, if you can get texts or write down dates and what was said. start applying out quietly, warehouses are a dime a dozen but finding a decent job right now is h I
    via dont_touch_my_p*****e
  • 18
    employedByEvil Only 59 out of 100? Idk I was always taught to strive for 100%
    via employedByEvil
  • 19
    YomiKuzuki Take pictures of the bathroom and any unclean areas and submit them with an OSHA report for sanitation standards. I also saw that you mentioned that they have workers operating forklifts while potentially impaired (jacked upon cold and flu meds), so that's an OSHA safety report. And then start coughing on your bosses door.
    via YomiKuzuki

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boss workplace-stories employee fired manager job sick day overworked-employees workplace sick warehouse company
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