Employee cleverly outplays incompetent HR for writing her up for ridiculous reasons

Employees have a set of rights and incentives they’re entitled to as part of their contracts. However, management and other recruiters tend to take advantage of employees and play mindless games. Reddit user u/pharmtechchick shared how she was written up for a ridiculous reason and quite frankly, the carelessness and neglect on the part of her HR department. She mentioned that she had never been written up before at the pharmacy she had been working for 5 years, indicating that she was a responsible employee. However, her company decided to make a few changes to their leave policy.

She said, “In July, they changed the attendance policy. Our managers and supervisors came around and apologized for relaying incorrect information about the new leave policy.” Things took a tragic turn towards the end of August and the beginning of September. “I got into an accident and didn't have a car around the last week of August, the first week of September, my pipes under my house broke and I had no water for two days. Then, at the end of September, I was at work and got a migraine so bad I got physically sick and asked permission to leave work early,” the employee said. She also mentioned that leaving work due to sickness was considered an excused absence.

Revealing the confusion, the woman said, “First, with the new policy, although we get sick time, it is considered unexcused if we take it regardless of why we took it. Second, our sick policy states if you are sick, you have to leave immediately.” Her entire month of September became havoc and she walked into her office in November only to find a write-up given to her by the new manager. When she confronted them about the same, she came to the understanding that the HR department was responsible for her write-up claiming her leaves to be a “pattern.”

The woman mentioned that she had been present throughout the month of October and asked her HR why an emergency leave accounts for a “pattern.” On receiving no response, the employee set up a meeting with HR only to have it canceled on her day off. “I don't check my email on my off days. I only work 14 to 15 days a month,” she added. On trying to follow up with HR, the employee was only ignored and toyed with for days. “I ask for another meeting (and that she calls or texts so that I can get it whether or not I worked that day) and HR sets a date, then cancels it almost immediately, again,” she said.

Having tried her best to clarify and reach out to HR, the woman decided to stir things up. “As per the policy, the only excused absence outside of planned vacation is family or medical leaves,” the woman said. She shrewdly contacted her doctor and managed to get granted 5 days a month of intermittent leave for the next year due to her health issues. “Now instead of working 14/15 days a month, I only work 9 or 10, all because HR wanted to be d**ks. They got what they asked for,” the employee concluded. u/Head_Room_8721 said, “Usually companies do this kind of crap when they want to get rid of you without paying for unemployment.” u/Ryugi said, “How immature of them. I'd send an email every time they canceled, requesting them to write themselves up for unexcused absences.”

Editor's note: This article was originally published on  November 30, 2023. It has since been updated.