Some workplace policies create more problems than they solve — especially when they drag busy emergency room doctors into petty bureaucracy.

One woman waited over five hours in the ER not for treatment, but for a doctor’s note to satisfy a company too lazy to trust its own employees.

But how this doctor responded is what really makes this story.

You’ll want to read on for this one.

Employers – careful what you ask for!

I’m an emergency physician — I work in emergency departments in hospitals.

The end of the year is typically a very busy time for them.

Now, especially in the wintertime, emergency departments are full of people, with usually long wait times — and we take people in order of severity, not first come, first served.

So, I’m at work and get a new patient — the chart says “needs a work note.”

I go into the cubicle and see a patient that is obviously ill.

After 40 years of experience, I can size patients up pretty well from across the room:

This woman was ill.

He examines her further and asks her why she’s there.

Vitals were not good — fever of 102°F, the works.

The monitor shows her heart is OK, pulse is a little high, BP is a little low, high fever…

Talking to her, she tells me she’s got a cold.

Patients typically don’t wait in the emergency room for just a cold.

Now, I tend to appreciate it when patients just tell me the truth.

She didn’t claim to have COVID, pneumonia, anthrax (don’t ask), or anything but… a cold.

Which, being a virus, there’s not a heck of a lot I can do for her.

So I ask why she came in.

So he soon uncovers the real reason she’s there.

Turns out she’s been ill for two days, her fever is actually down with her taking Tylenol and drinking fluids (no kidding!), and her employer wants a doctor’s note for more paid time off.

This woman waited in the emergency department waiting room for (checks the record) five and a half hours to get a note for work?

Not her fault, though.

It’s her employer’s.

Peeved at her employer for wasting the hospital’s time, this doctor proceeds to go above and beyond for the patient.

So, I ask her how much time they will give her paid off.

“There’s no limit,” she said. “I just need a doctor saying I need it.”

Got it.

So, she went home with a lovely note giving her two weeks off with pay.

And instructions to return for additional time if she needs it to recover.

He hopes this will serve as a lesson for any employer looking to do the same!

I REALLY hate employers that demand asinine notes like this.

Fight the stupidity!

At least this doctor was on the patient’s side!

What did Reddit have to say?

Some people don’t realize just how bad they need time off until it’s finally granted to them.

When you put work above your health, unfortunately there can be dire consequences.

It’s always satisfying when a toxic employer gets their just desserts.

This doctor gets a sincere thank you from this commenter.

Ultimately, she didn’t need medicine — she just needed humane treatment from her employer.

Luckily, this compassionate doctor stepped in to save the day.

If you liked that story, check out this post about a group of employees who got together and why working from home was a good financial decision.