Employee gets back at company after boss asks him to choose between job and critically ailing wife

Some employees spend so much time at work that it becomes their second home. Many of them also live under the misconception that their loyalty will be addressed and rewarded by the corporation in the end. Sadly, years of service are more often rewarded with underappreciation and by being taken for granted. According to the Zeta Survey, this sentiment is shared by four out of five employees in America. Companies often believe that after some years, they can treat employees however they want and come out unscathed.

But u/Bripaticus refused to take this treatment silently and decided to teach his employer a meaningful lesson. After being mistreated at a time of need, he decided to leave the company without serving the required notice period.

"I loved my job and I really enjoy working with most of my coworkers. I was, directly and indirectly, responsible for a lot of significant website development and streamlining various processes for them. Overall, this was a role that I had enjoyed, despite having to commute a total of three hours each day," the employee wrote, giving context on his job of 8 years.

Due to the Reddit user's contributions to the company's success, he expected to be valued by his bosses for the effort he put into his job. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

The first time u/Bripaticus felt weird about the company was when, two years ago, they gave him a hard time for arriving late to a meeting following a tough couple of days. He explained: "Two years ago, my daughter required surgery and the following day, I fell and broke my arm. I was late for an important meeting the next day. I was issued a written warning and placed on a probationary period. That should have been enough of a warning to me, but I put it behind me." The company did not give him even a little bit of grace for such a serious situation, showcasing its lack of empathy. As a loyal employee, it hurt u/Bripaticus, but ultimately, he chose to move on and not leave the company.

However, things got heated when the corporation refused to show even a modicum of empathy after his wife had a heart attack. He explained in his post that she was admitted to the hospital and "placed in a medically induced coma, connected to a ventilator and had a pump inserted into a major artery to help relieve the workload on her heart, and had an angioplasty performed with 2 stents inserted."

The Reddit user did his due diligence, informed his boss and team, and also kept them updated on everything. But after a week, he was again put on probation and called for a meeting with his boss and HR. He was ordered to return to work as soon as possible. "I was placed on another probationary period and written up yet again. He told me that there comes a time when I just have to decide what is more important, my job or my wife. I was to come back in the office, 5 days per week or I would be fired," the concerned husband shared.

The HR ultimately gave him a way out and asked him to take the FMLA leave. "I have heard that the manager talks about how projects will move forward once I am back in the office. I intend to use every last PTO day I have left, then I will return my development laptop and quit," u/Bripaticus revealed.

Later, he got in touch with a recruiting agent and found a new job that was better suited to his current situation and understanding of the tough time his family was going through as his wife recovered. "The new company was more than willing to wait a couple of months for my wife to get through the bulk of her medical appointments before I started working there. I will start there in just over a week from now," he explained. As his joining date is closing in, the Reddit user wondered if he was wrong to leave his current company so abruptly with incomplete projects.

The comment section supported the Reddit user on his decision. u/WestCoastThing did not find any fault with the action undertaken by the user. They wrote: "You owe it to them to string them along as much as possible and leave them hanging." u/Douggiefresh43 expressed shock at the company's behavior, commenting: "Getting written up for missing meetings due to genuine medical emergencies? Yeah, I'd be pissed off if you DID give them notice. Good luck with finding your next step!"

Editor's note: This article was originally published on September 4, 2023. It has since been updated.