Calling in sick can make anyone nervous.

So some people emphasize how sick they are through their voice.

But not everyone needs to or wants to.

What if your affliction doesn’t affect your voice at all? Should you work on your acting skills and fake it?

Or risk having your boss doubt if it’s true?

This is the question this malicious compliance story answered.

Let’s see how things transpired.

Another you don’t sound sick to me

When I was managing a retail team, I had a call from one of my team while I was in an early meeting with the company owner.

I answered it and put it on speaker (just force of habit).

Me: “Hi Danny, what’s up?”

Danny: “Hey, boss. Not feeling well, so won’t make it in today.”

Now, Danny sounds as chipper as can be. No croakiness or fatigue in his voice.

Still, he took his word, as one should.

Me: “No worries. Thanks for the notice. Rest up. If you don’t think you’ll make it in tomorrow, make sure you get a sick note clearing you for work if you can. You’re clear on the policy, right?”

Danny: “Will do. Hopefully, see you tomorrow. Bye.”

But someone wasn’t happy about this exchange.

Hang up phone and go to resume meeting and boss starts grilling me.

He didn’t sound sick. What’s even wrong with him. Your team mustn’t respect you. Blah blah blah.

Now while Danny wasn’t our best worker he was up there and the team and customers loved him.

And him calling in sick was rare.

He didn’t have a reason to doubt Danny, and what his boss said wasn’t nice.

Honestly my feelings were a bit hurt by him telling me they didn’t respect me.

I wasn’t long in that position but I worked my way up there and they all knew that.

Proceed to a debate that my team’s stats were brilliant per what we were meeting about, that I disagree about them not respecting me, because he didn’t feel the need to put on a voice.

And the reality was that what was the matter was irrelevant. He’s calling in sick, he’s sick.

He’d never given me a reason not to trust him.

But his boss still wasn’t happy.

I thought that was the end of it. Not quite.

Next day Danny comes in and the boss immediately calls him and I into his office. He starts giving Danny “the talk”.

Commitment to the company, sick days are for when you’re sick and unable to work, and how he didn’t sound sick.

He wasn’t expecting what followed.

Danny starts grinning and just pulls up his sleeve, showing a very recently bandaged arm.

“I’m not sure how I should sound to convey this over the phone. Should’ve coughed? How many stitches does it take to give me a croaky voice?”

I burst out laughing.

Boss to his credit took it in stride (he was usually a pretty good guy). Danny obviously told the team about it too.

It became an inside joke.

Now whenever any of the team happened to call in sick when they knew I had a meeting with the owner, it went like this:

Becky calls. Coughing and spluttering.

“Sorry boss *coughs* again won’t make it in today. Another fit of coughing. Child has gastro so need to take the day off to take care of him *coughing continues*.

Mitch calls. Very croaky voice.

“Can’t make it in. Twisted my ankle and need to stay off it for a few days.”

Everyone was in on it.

Belle calls. Coughing, spluttering, fatigued voice.

“Not sure I’ll make it in today. Car won’t start. Can I take TOIL to arrange repairs today?”

Queue the next staff all hands (usually beers and a BBQ in the carpark and talking upcoming changes for the next quarter) where as part of that, the owner gives out a best acting award and also asked them to cut it out.

Nobody was mad anymore.

I’ve worked there for quite a few years. I knew the owner personally before I started working there.

While the owner and I didn’t always see eye to eye he was usually a good guy, just had some bad staff and managers in the past and definitely needed more coffee that morning.

This was a wholesome ending.

Let’s see what Reddit has to say about this.

Someone shares a similar experience.

A reader shares their thoughts.

Easy.

Cute.

Another reader chimes in.

Saying you need rest is not a crime!

He learned from his faux pas, learned to trust his employees, and let an awkward situation become an inside joke.

This is the way to get true respect.

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.