Sick and Tired
u/Kanaraketti: “I was employed at a restaurant and already knew I was sick. However, our managers were difficult to deal with, and I was aware that if I called in sick, they would be extremely upset. I reported to work around 8 a.m., but by 9 a.m., I knew I wouldn’t be able to endure the rest of the day. Despite this, the managers insisted I stay. Around 9:30, as I was pre-bussing my tables, just the sight of half-eaten food pushed me over the edge. I managed to hold back my vomit until I reached the dishwashing area, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer and ended up vomiting into a trash can right after setting my plates down.
“A coworker witnessed the incident and vouched for me when I went to inform my manager that I needed to leave for a doctor’s appointment. His response was, ‘Even with a doctor’s note, if you leave work today, you’ll be fired.’ I retorted, ‘There’s human waste in a kitchen trash can, and you haven’t taken any action. It’s on camera. I’m leaving.’ I returned to work a few days later and didn’t hear anything more about it. Eventually, I decided to quit a few weeks later in favor of a job at a couple of considerably higher-scale restaurants.”