February 8, 2026 at 7:55 pm

Employee Was Severely Ill At Their Job, But Their Work Mandated They Use PTO Or Come In

by Liz Wiest

man at work coughing into his elbow

Pexels/Reddit

Very few people learned anything about sickness etiquette despite the nature of the past few years.

What would you do if your job forced you to come in despite being seriously ill? One person vented about their employer’s antiquated approach to sickness on Reddit.

Here are the details.

Being sick at work is torture

This is my 2nd time sick in a few weeks span, due to my child bringing home the disease of the month from Pre-K.

My main gripe right now is a stubborn stuffy nose.

The most common, but somehow devastating affliction.

It’s torture sitting at a desk all day in a place with no airflow.

I have to keep excusing myself to the bathroom just so I can breathe for a bit.

This makes focusing on work nearly impossible.

Trust me, if I had sick time, I would’ve called in today.

Sadly, I only get 5 days of PTO a year into the job, and that’s still months away.

I love the US!

Promoting this type of work environment is toxic and dangerous. Let’s see if Reddit agrees.

Far too many people could immediately relate.

Screenshot 2026 01 13 at 7.58.19 AM Employee Was Severely Ill At Their Job, But Their Work Mandated They Use PTO Or Come In

Others were disgusted by the nature of the story.

Screenshot 2026 01 13 at 7.58.27 AM Employee Was Severely Ill At Their Job, But Their Work Mandated They Use PTO Or Come In

One person couldn’t fathom why things are still this way.

Screenshot 2026 01 13 at 7.58.41 AM Employee Was Severely Ill At Their Job, But Their Work Mandated They Use PTO Or Come In

Another person shared an ominous memory.

Screenshot 2026 01 13 at 7.59.12 AM Employee Was Severely Ill At Their Job, But Their Work Mandated They Use PTO Or Come In

Some commenters could even relate in real time.

Screenshot 2026 01 13 at 7.59.27 AM Employee Was Severely Ill At Their Job, But Their Work Mandated They Use PTO Or Come In

The real contagion is toxic work culture.

If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.