Dad goes on paid sick leave after toxic boss tells him to keep his baby 'in daycare longer' and work

Paternity leave is, unfortunately, a huge cause of contention between employers and employees in many places. According to a survey by McKinsey, an overwhelming majority of new fathers desire parental leave and have experienced better relationships with their partners because of it. However, some employers want employees to power through it as they believe parenthood is not something out of the ordinary that requires any special benefits. But nowadays, employees like u/DeputyDangle19 are learning to stand up to such toxic practices and give time to their families. 

He faced criticism from his superior for prioritizing his family after he and his wife welcomed a child. For a while, he withstood everything but when one of his boss' comments hit close to home, he refused to put up with the toxic management. The new father shared in his post how he and his employer came to this conundrum in their work relationship. About 15 months ago, he and his wife welcomed their baby. In order to help her with the first few months, the man decided to take 3 months of paternity leave in his company. It was something his boss did not like. After returning to work, the man, who was one of her most trusted employees, found that his boss' attitude towards him had turned caustic. "When I returned to work, I felt judged and a bit retaliated against by my toxic (female) boss. All of a sudden, ‘I wasn’t pulling my weight’ and leaving at 4 pm was ‘the bare minimum'," he shared. 

The father's boss began to criticize his output, making him feel he was not pulling his weight. In indirect ways, he was getting pressured to do overtime. Her behavior shocked the man because he was well-regarded in the workplace and was their longest-tenured employee. Before he took the leave, he was also being considered for a higher position, with his boss signing him up for a leadership training program. Despite this, the employee decided to take it on the chin as he had been there for five years and had become somewhat used to the workplace.

The father lost his temper when he had to hear an unsavory comment from his boss because he wanted to pick up his toddler from daycare. He had requested some flexibility in his work hours to get his kid from daycare and in response, he was told, "We've all been there" and to keep his kid "longer" in the facility. It really hurt him. The boss also accused the father of abusing the perks that the employer had given him.

Being upset with the boss' behavior, the father decided to talk to HR. The HR was no help and instead, informed his boss of the complaint, leading to more complications. After the father had enough, he decided to leave the establishment: "I finally said f**k it and went on a full paid sick (stress) leave since mid-July and I’m actively looking for other jobs. I can’t wait to email her to let her know that I’m not coming back." 

The comment section supported the father and cheered on him for standing up for his family. u/minipanter loved that the father prioritized himself and not the employer, "Employer loyalty is near impossible to find. Better to find better opportunities. Good on you!" u/SnooBunnies7461 found the manager and her tactics toxic, "Good for you putting yourself and your family first. Managers like this are horrible."