Corporate policy loves rules… until an employee follows them too literally.

So when one Ph.D. employee returned from a medical absence and HR demanded a doctor’s note, he wrote one himself and reminded them his title was literally “Doctor.”

And once legal got involved, HR was forced to confront a loophole they never planned for.

You’ll want to keep reading for this one!

you need a note from a doctor.

My friend had an extended absence due to some medical issue.

HR had contacted him with the specific pages from the employee handbook which stated that “an absence of more than X days require a note from a doctor”

So that’s exactly what this employee did.

MC on Cue:

My friend, who has a Ph.D., but is not a medical doctor, wrote himself a note and submitted it to the HR department.

The following hilarity ensued.

HR quickly objected, but the employee made it clear he was quite serious.

HR: the note must be from a medical doctor.

Friend: The manual states “from a doctor”.

HR: Your can’t write yourself a note, you are not a doctor.

But that’s where HR was wrong.

Friend: According to my degrees and my legal title, I beg to differ.

HR: <has legal review the manual>

Turns out, HR had overlooked this vague language.

Attorneys: based on the section in the employee manual, as written, you must accept the note because he is a doctor.

HR: <accepts note from my friend for his own absence>

HR quickly revises it, but this employee is off the hook!

HR and attorney: <Revamps that whole section of the text to specifically state that the note must come from a medical doctor that is not yourself, as well as any other gray area in the manual>

Friend: Well, I thought they were going to argue a little more. That was fun.

Always read the fine print, folks!

What did Reddit have to say?

It’s great when overstepping management gets their just desserts.

Having an advanced degree affords you all sorts of perks.

Employees generally have a leg up in these kinds of disputes.

There’s nothing better than when the doctor is on your side.

HR wanted compliance, so the employee gave it to them! Just not how they expected.

Gotta love a good loophole!

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.