Employee's bold reply to manager who asked him for doctor prescription when he requested sick leave goes viral

An employee’s sharp and straightforward response to his manager’s unreasonable demand has recently gone viral on the subreddit Indian Workplace. The incident unfolded when the worker informed his superior through WhatsApp that he wouldn’t be able to attend the office due to a fever. Instead of simply approving the sick leave, the manager instructed him to visit a doctor.

Remaining calm but firm, the employee responded that he would consult a doctor if necessary but had already taken paracetamol and needed rest. However, the manager continued to insist, saying that the company’s director expected every unwell staff member to visit a doctor and submit a prescription. The implication was clear—he wanted the employee to share a medical certificate.

The worker, irritated by this needless micromanagement, decided to respond assertively. He reminded the manager that he was not a school student seeking permission from teachers but a professional entitled to his leave. He sarcastically added that if the director—who happened to be a doctor—needed a prescription, he could write one himself, since the employee didn’t have either a doctor’s note or a leave application signed by parents. Wrapping up his message, he stated that he was unwell, would be resting, and would not be responding to further messages or calls during that time.

After sharing the screenshot of this exchange on Reddit, the user asked others if his reply had been too harsh.

Online Reactions

The post quickly caught attention, receiving thousands of upvotes and sparking a lively discussion. One commenter said that while the response was understandable, they would have simply informed the manager and then ignored further messages or turned the phone to flight mode. Another supported the employee’s stance, saying that it was the perfect example of calling out unnecessary micromanagement and toxic work culture. They criticized companies that demand doctor’s prescriptions just to question employees’ honesty instead of trusting them.

A third user cautioned that while the message was valid, it might not have been worth risking his job, suggesting he could have conveyed the same point with a gentler tone. Others shared their own experiences with overly strict workplaces, comparing them to schools where employees were treated like disobedient children.

The Reddit poster later revealed in the comments that the conversation had taken place in August and that he had since left the company to join another organization.