When you are seriously sick, you should stay home from work so that you can get better, but more importantly, so that you don’t get anyone else sick.

What would you do if you called in sick to your job, but when you did, your manager said that if you don’t come in, you’re fired?

That is what happened to the young lady in this story, so she called her dad for advice. She didn’t expect him to take over!

Keep reading to see how the story plays out.

“You can’t fire me, I quit!” Or the story of how I left retail only yesterday.

I worked at a retail store where everything was very cheap, and every item cost the same amount.

That amount may or may not be 1 dollar.

Let me begin the story on some background info about my work ethic.

She must have made a great first impression.

I was hired by the boss (we’ll call him Jack) not kidding, five minutes after he met me. He said he liked my smile, and my attitude.

I’ve only worked at the store for 6 months but in those 6 months, Jack made it very clear that I was a valued employee.

He told me on a weekly basis that he was very happy he hired me, and thanked me for all the slack I took up from other coworkers. He told me I worked harder than most of his employees and that he was very grateful for my help.

Sometimes it is better to stay home when you’re feeling sick.

I have been sick since Friday June 6th. I was powering through and going to work anyway because I knew how much of a pain it is for employees to call in, and I needed the money.

However yesterday, Wednesday the 11th, I woke up with my head pounding, a hacking cough, rapid heartbeat, and a fever so high it was turning my skin red.

So, I call the store. Jack answered.

Now, I’ve called in sick a few months ago when I was sick with tonsillitis and staying home was no problem. When I called in that time, Jack replied, “Okay, you get some rest and I hope you feel better.”

This time was different.

So naturally I thought this time would be no problem, especially if I’m his favorite employee.

Now keep in mind this phone call took place 5 hours before the start of my scheduled shift, more than enough time to find someone to cover me.

“Hey Jack, I’m calling because I’m really ill and-“

“You WILL come in tonight. I’m short staffed. You WILL be here tonight.”

There’s no way she can go to work.

Now, earlier in the day I walked up a flight of stairs and almost passed out from the little effort it exuded.

My job requires that I stand for a minimum of 5 & 1/2 hours, with only a ten minute break, (if they schedule me for 6 hours they have to give me a longer break so they usually schedule me for 5 & 1/2 at night time, 8 hours during the day time).

And my job also requires a lot of lifting, running back and forth through the store, and talking to customers and touching all of their items/bags and potentially getting them sick, too.

Come on, Jack. Just find someone to cover.

“Jack, I can’t. It’s unsafe.”

“If you want your job, you’ll come in tonight.”

“So you’re going to fire me because I’m sick?”

-click-

Now that is unprofessional.

My boss hung up on me.

I am stunned because he’s never acted any way except extremely pleasant to me.

Other notable things: When I first started working at the store, Jack once called me in for a shift last minute because he was sick and needed me to come in so I could work the register instead of him.

So he’s a hypocrite as well. Nice.

I remember him thanking me over and over again for coming in because of how sick he was.

I am currently just as sick as he was then.

Also a few days ago, my coworker Billy shouted at a customer and called him a “clown” right to his face, and didn’t get fired for it.

The point here is, he did not get fired for calling a customer a clown, but I was threatened with being fired for calling in sick.

She has every right to be upset.

Now I am very upset because my options are this;

1. Walk more than a mile to my bus stop which brings me to another city, to work my shift when I’m so delirious and feverish that I can barely stand or read words, and then wait for the bus in a thunderstorm to go home.
2. Stay home and protect my health, and get fired.

Hopefully Dad can help.

I was screwed.

So I did the only thing I could think to do, I called my dad.

Now, I’m a practically a baby, I’m 19. Also the youngest employee at the store despite being the ‘hardest worker’.

Ok, well this is awkward. She shouldn’t have her dad call in for her.

I told my dad the story, and he decided to call my boss and give him a ‘piece of his mind’.

At first I asked my dad to please not do that, as it would probably get me fired for sure.

My dad replies,

“Honey you need to shake the dust of that place off your feet and move on. They don’t pay you enough for how hard you work and now they’re trying to tell you you can’t take care of your health. You don’t have to quit I’m gonna quit for you.”

This really isn’t the right way to handle the situation, but it is funny at least.

My dad is southern and very very protective.

Before I could even decide if that was the right thing, it was happening.

My dad called me right after he called my boss. Here is the conversation he relayed back to me:

Jack: Thank you for calling store, this is Jack.

I bet Jack was shocked.

Dad: Did you tell my daughter she was gonna get fired for being sick?

Jack: Who’s your daughter.

Dad: MY NAME!

Jack: /Stutters incoherently

Dad is very protective.

Dad: There are labor laws against this kind of thing, sir, and you are WAY out of line. And I know for a fact all you’ve been doing is praising my daughter for her hard work, haven’t you? Haven’t you?

Jack: Uhhh, but, um, she has a lot of absents and late days (not even true)

Dad: Can you prove that?

Jack: I don’t have to.

He is spot on.

Dad: Well this is not how a manager treats his employees and I should know because I’m a manager, too. And when your employees get sick or they’re in trouble and can’t come to work, that becomes your problem to find someone to cover them, it’s not her fault she’s sick, and it’s not her fault you’re short staffed. It’s your JOB to find a solution, not put my daughter’s health at risk.

Jack: Is she at the hospital? Is she going to the hospital?

Dad: She doesn’t have to be at the HOSPITAL for her to be sick. And you’re not giving your employees their legally required minimum time for breaks!

Jack: …

It is a little embarrassing that Dad had to call in for her, but good for him.

Dad: And this call is being recorded sir, (it wasn’t, lol) so I’d watch yourself if I were you. Also as of right now, my daughter officially resigns. She’s not gonna work for someone like you.

Jack: I’ll consider this.

So there it is. My options were 1. go to work when I’m practically dying. 2. stay home and get fired. 3. stay home and quit.

So that’s how my time at retail ended. I was planning on getting a new job anyway, I just hoped it wouldn’t be like this.

She’ll get through it.

In August I start my work study job at my college, where I get to talk to students and wear pretty office clothes instead of a brightly colored horrible polo.

I’ll be broke until then, but at least I won’t work for that place anymore. I made only a few cents above minimum wage doing the work of 4 people. Not enough money to save up, which is my goal.

The funniest part is, when 5 o clock rolled around (the time for my shift) one of my female managers texted me saying “Hey when are you coming in?”

The manager was a coward.

She was the shift replacement for my boss, he was going home. He left without even telling his replacement what was going on. Threw everyone under the bus.

I explained to her what happened and oddly enough, she was proud of me. She said “You’ll go far, girl, keep following your dreams.”

I’m still so confused about what happened, I’m still really sick.

I still don’t know if my boss understands that I’m quitting, or if he is so deluded that he thinks he’s going to fire me.

Let the boss think he fired her. Then she can get unemployment on top of it all.

Read on to see what the people in the comments on Reddit have to say about this situation.

It will work out for her in the end.

Yup, this would have been the smart move.

This sounds miserable.

Getting advice from Dad was a good idea.

Yup, you can always find a new job.

The manager couldn’t have her gone for one day, so now she is gone forever.

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.