June 27, 2026 at 10:15 am

His Supervisor Demanded a Doctor’s Note to Miss Work for Covid — She Should Have Been More Careful What She Asked For

by Jayne Elliott

sick man looking at his phone

Shutterstock

Imagine feeling sick and testing positive for Covid. You obviously wouldn’t go to work.

What would you do if you called in sick, but your supervisor insisted that you had to go to work anyway unless you had a doctor’s note? Would you go in sick or call your doctor?

In this story, one employee was in this situation and decided to call his doctor. I love how the doctor handled that situation. It was definitely malicious compliance. You can tell from his response that he doesn’t like employers who insist on a doctor’s note.

Keep reading for all the details.

New supervisor asked me for doctor’s note

My company is very busy and very short of staff and is asking everyone for overtime and imploring to come and work on their days off.

I got sick last week was feeling very poorly and took a Covid test and it was positive, this was on my day off,called work said I’m positive for Covid and won’t go to work on the next couple of days.

They said ok no problem.

It can take awhile to get over Covid.

Two days later on Monday I’m feeling worst and called again and asked for my supervisor.

He wasn’t there and I talked with the new assistant that started 2 weeks ago and tell him I’m taking another couple of days since I’m feeling very bad with coughing and muscle pain.

And he tells No,I have to come to work sick or get a doctors note(it’s very hard to see a doctor where I live if you have Covid) where I am the government asks employers not to ask for doctor’s note for Covid since all doctors are busy and overworked.

The supervisor insisted on a doctor’s note.

I asked him are you sure you want me to get a doctors note for Covid and since when do we need a note.

He keeps affirm I need one.

I said sure I will call my doctor.

Called my doctors office and asked for appointment with doctor reason I have Covid and I need a note.

This doctor is awesome!

Secretary tells doctor will call me in a couple of hours (I was very lucky ).

When I talked with the doctor he tells me sure no problem I’m putting you off sick for 10 days.

I emailed the note to my supervisor and Human resources saying instead of the 2 extras days that I asked to be off work,my doctor decided that I needed more time off so I will be back only next week. Here is the note.

Haven’t heard a peep from them.

That was definitely malicious compliance on the doctor’s part. He didn’t even need to see OP. He understood the workplace rules and proved what he thought of them by giving OP a generous amount of time off. I love it!

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a man who stops speaking up in his Zoom meetings after getting constantly interrupted.

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

One person points out a scenario where this situation doesn’t work.

2026 06 23 at 8.26.30 PM His Supervisor Demanded a Doctors Note to Miss Work for Covid — She Should Have Been More Careful What She Asked For

Another person thinks the time off is wise.

2026 06 23 at 8.27.01 PM His Supervisor Demanded a Doctors Note to Miss Work for Covid — She Should Have Been More Careful What She Asked For

This person shares what happened when they needed a doctor’s note.

2026 06 23 at 8.27.29 PM His Supervisor Demanded a Doctors Note to Miss Work for Covid — She Should Have Been More Careful What She Asked For

An urgent care employee weighs in.

2026 06 23 at 8.27.47 PM His Supervisor Demanded a Doctors Note to Miss Work for Covid — She Should Have Been More Careful What She Asked For

I love that some doctors give their patients too much time off when they ask for a doctor’s note. It’s nice for the employee. It’s revenge on the employer.

What I particularly love about this situation is that the employee didn’t even have to go to the doctor’s office. A simple phone call was all it took.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a team that agreed to work overtime, but then not everyone showed up, leaving the rest holding the bag.

Jayne Elliott | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Jayne Elliott is a contributing writer and editor for TwistedSifter specializing in human interest stories, internet culture, and family dynamics. With over 12 years of editorial experience in digital publishing, Jayne excels at analyzing complex online communities and transforming viral social debates into thoughtful, highly engaging narratives.

Rather than simply aggregating internet drama, Jayne brings a sharp, empathetic editorial eye to everyday dilemmas. She has a unique talent for unpacking the nuances of pop culture and online conflicts, providing readers with relatable, well-researched commentary.

Based in California, Jayne spends her free time outside the newsroom exploring theme parks with her family or beach-combing along the coast.

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