Employee gets hit by a car and the very first question her boss asked was when she would return to work

Most employees refrain from taking work holidays during critical business periods to ensure operations run smoothly. However, they shouldn't be held accountable for last-minute emergencies, especially when personal matters are at stake. Recently, a boss sparked outrage online for being overly pushy toward a co-worker to meet a deadline, even after the latter had an accident. Commenting on the boss's approach, popular internet personality Ben Askins—who goes by @ben.askins on TikTok—advocated for a more reasonable approach in such situations.

In a widely circulated video, Askins criticized the "worst boss ever" for their insensitive text message in response to a co-worker being hit by a car. The exchange occurred between the "rude" employer and another employee, who was trying to convince the boss not to disturb the colleague who had been in the accident. However, the manager showed little concern for the situation and was solely focused on a meeting scheduled for the same evening. “Where is Stacey? I haven’t seen her today and she isn’t responding to my messages,” the boss asked.

The co-worker responded, “Oh, you didn’t hear! Stacey got clipped by a car, I think she is okay. It wasn’t going quickly but she was pretty shook up. Beth just took her to the hospital to be checked out.” Upon hearing such distressing news, any typical boss would likely express concern for their injured co-worker’s well-being. However, this senior employee showed no signs of empathy. The boss’s next message read, “When will she be back? We have a pitch this afternoon, and she’s supposed to be presenting.”

The bizarre response left the employee, who was trying to de-escalate the situation, almost in shock. “I’m not sure. I doubt she’ll be back today, but I have her deck and the notes so I should be able to step in for her if that’s okay?” they reassured the boss. However, the boss remained persistent and referred to their colleague’s injury as "the last thing" they needed that day. “Would you mind just keeping in contact with Beth and Stacey and seeing if she can come back and present? We really need this win,” the boss added. The employee continued to do their best to avoid further conflict by offering to cover for Stacey.

“I don’t think we should be bothering them, but I promise you I can cover for her if it comes down to it,” the WhatsApp chat revealed the co-worker replying to their boss. This prompted the boss to soften their stance and finally reach a compromise. “Fine, yeah, worst case scenario we go with you,” the boss’s final message read. The one-and-a-half-minute footage further showed Askins appalled by the boss's dismissive attitude. “If one of your team gets hit by a car, your first response can’t be, ‘When will she get back to work?’” the British entrepreneur said. He added, “On a basic human level, you have to start with, ‘Oh my god, is she okay?’”

Furthermore, Askins was critical of the boss's reference to the “helpful gesture” extended by his co-worker as the worst-case scenario. "This is really terrible," the internet personality remarked, sparking reactions from his 487.5K viewers. “If Stacey was crucial to the pitch, most clients would agree to reschedule if told, ‘She’s been hit by a car. Can we reschedule?’ Managers need to push back more,” @upgradeplease remarked. @hakuroww shared, “My colleague's house burned down during our nightshift, and he left immediately after his neighbor called. Our boss gave him a month of paid leave to rebuild his life.” “In the worst-case scenario, the boss would need to deliver the presentation because the entire team had left,” @sithlord.wanna.be wrote.

 You can follow Ben Askins (@ben.askins) on TikTok for more corporate and job-related content.