Stephanie Heath
When it comes to workplace requirements and atmosphere, different countries have different expectations. However, in this one regard, it seems that many countries are stumped by American policies. Recently, an employee of the United States went online and shared her boss’s response to a sick day request. The response left non-Americans shocked.
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The Details: The NY Post shares that “Ley Sabandal lives and works in the Philippines but has an American boss.” Therefore, she is obligated to follow American rules when it comes to her workplace.
- Sabandal was feeling under the weather one day, so she asked to take a sick day.
- Her boss responded in a way that shocked her, so she shared it on her Instagram Threads.
- Now, many non-Americans are shocked at the “normalcy” of this response in America.
Non-Americans Are Shocked By One Boss’s Response To A Sick Day Request
When Sabandal asked her boss for some sick time, I think she was expecting something along the lines of, “Of course, feel better, take all the time you need.” After all, that is what we all want to hear when we are sick. The last thing we want to worry about is making up lost time while we are trying to recover. Unfortunately, that is exactly what her American boss asked her to do.
When she explained her situation to her boss and placed her sick day request, she was met with the following response.
- “Sorry you’re not feeling well. No problem taking the day to rest. Yes, you’re welcome to flex your time to make up hours anytime during the month. No hurry catching back up. Thanks.”
Now, maybe this is because I am an American, but I thought this response was nice. The boss allowed her to take the sick day, and they offered her the chance to make up the hours, so she didn’t need to take a day with no pay. Additionally, they even told her that there was no rush, therefore no pressure, to make up the time.
However, I guess that we do things a little differently here, and what is “normal” to us is not normal in other countries.
The Internet Rages
As is the case with many issues in today’s society, this woman took to the internet to share her boss’s reaction, and non-Americans were shocked. The NY Post shared some of the comments left under her thread.
- “Seeing this as a German is like.. what the f–k. catching up on work time because I was sick? Hilarious,” one person shared.
- Another wrote, “Poland here: A normal sick day. Paid 80%. No need to make up anything. No limits on sick days/year.”
Now, I will admit, seeing that you get paid for sick days in other countries made me rethink the kindness of our workplace environment. A fellow American noticed the difference between American and non-American responses to the situation and made light of the situation.
- “Lmao at us Americans here like ‘Aww what a kind, understanding response’ meanwhile the rest of the world is like “MAKE UP TIME LOST?!”
Furthermore, other commentators from countries such as Sweden and New Zealand shared that not only do they get sick days, but they also get mental health days. After reading several of the comments, I am feeling slightly differently about the boss’s response to the sick day request.
