Some coworkers really need to learn that a day off means you’re off.

Today, we’ll meet a woman who recently learned this after a coworker called her at home one evening about the work schedule.

At her job, employees aren’t supposed to call each other at home, so when the phone rang, she assumed something was wrong. Instead, the coworker just wanted her to switch days so she could attend a family reunion.

Unfortunately, the day she wanted was also one of the woman’s cancer treatment days, so she told her she couldn’t do it.

But it didn’t stop there. Afterward, she asked management to remind everyone about the rule, which really upset her coworker after she got called out.

Keep reading to see how the whole scenario played out.

Aitah for asking my manager to remind the office not to call me about my work schedule at home?

I, 41F, work in an office.

Our work schedules are publicly available to everyone in the office. It has been a rule since before I started that if you have questions about the schedule or someone not showing up, etc., you are to call management and not call the coworker directly.

I have cancer that I’m currently receiving treatment for. The doctors are hopeful; so far, all is going well. My treatment days are my days off, and everyone in the office is well aware of this. I have been at this office for 4 years.

After two years of working together, you’d think this coworker would’ve known.

A few nights ago, a coworker who I’ve worked with for 2 years called me at home. We had given our numbers out for a group chat concerning a work-from-home situation during a huge ice storm, and sometimes people still use it for funny photos, etc.

I thought something was wrong for her to be calling me at home, like they were in an accident or maybe the building was on fire (you never know, it could happen), and she said she noticed I was scheduled off on a certain day.

She asked if I had requested that day off, and I informed her no, this was my scheduled day off. Not sure why it would matter if it was scheduled off or requested. A day off is a day off.

Apparently, she needed time off at the last minute.

Turns out this coworker was wanting to go to a family reunion and had not asked for the time off. She was calling me at home to see if I would switch with her.

I reminded the coworker that my day off is my cancer treatment day, and I told her I would not switch with her.

She seemed put out and annoyed that I would not switch with her and hung up.

I then texted my manager. As stated before, the rule is that if you have a question about the schedule, you are to call management. Even if someone is scheduled to show up and doesn’t, you don’t call them. You call management, and management will handle it.

Though she didn’t mention names, she did turn the incident into her manager.

If you need to speak with a coworker or want to ask them to switch, you are to do so during office hours.

I asked management to remind everyone that we weren’t to call people at home about their schedule.

I did not mention my coworker by name, but she must have informed them that she’d be asking to switch because they went to her directly in front of everyone and told her not to do that again.

I also reminded them that I was undergoing cancer treatment on my day off and that I was not available outside of my scheduled hours.

The whole ordeal has left her coworker upset.

Now my coworker is mad and has been “going off” on fellow coworkers about how I didn’t need to go to management and I should have just come to her directly.

I disagree, as she was well aware that she wasn’t supposed to be calling me at home, regardless of what I have going on, and she knew that the rule is we go to management with any issues about the schedule.

I think she was maybe embarrassed at being called out in front of everyone, but that’s not on me. As I said, I didn’t even mention her by name. I have to work with her tomorrow, and I know she will say something. I’ve been working on how to phrase what I want to say in a professional tone that affirms my boundaries.

AITA?

Eek. There’s a lot to unpack here on both sides.

Let’s start by checking out how the readers over at Reddit feel about the whole situation.

Here’s an interesting point.

According to this comment, the coworker brought it on herself.

This person thinks the woman was out of line.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a delivery driver who tried warning his boss the truck needed new brakes and tires, only to find his truck sidelined during their busiest season.

This person could be onto something.

The coworker really needs to let this go.

She knew the rule, and she also knew that those days off were for cancer treatment.

On top of that, the woman didn’t even name her when she went to management, so the fact that they called her out directly isn’t really on her.

If she says something tomorrow, she should simply remind her of that and leave it there.