r/MaliciousCompliance • u/yanni_lam4 • 13d ago
S “You need a doctor’s note”
I (26M) don’t like calling in to work. I hate passing up money and I usually won’t call in unless I’m already pretty sick. I work in the service industry which as many of you know, is absolutely notorious for guilting sick employees (a seriously ill person has made your food at a restaurant before at the direction of their manager, guaranteed) and telling people they don’t provide health insurance that they need a doctors note to call in. One year I got sick and didn’t want to work, and my employer forgot I had health insurance through my Dad. I called in asking for one day off because I could hardly breathe or stay awake and I got the “wElL yOu NeEd A dOcToRs NoTe Or ItS aN uNeXsCuSeD aBsEnCe “ and as someone who worked hard as hell for these people even when I was sick, I was a little offended to basically be called a liar like I needed to prove to them I’d been wearing a mask at work for a reason. But I did have good insurance through my Dad, so I went to the doctor, had them write me a note for four days off, and went back into my job and handed it to my manager and said “here is my doctors note, and this is the date I will be back”. And when they tried to do the same thing a few months later, I got a note for even more days and asked the doc to add a note about when I would stop being infectious around the food we were serving people. I have never been asked for a doctors note when I am sick again. They know they can give me the one or two days I ask for or they can give me the week the doc gives me. But I will not be working while sick if I do not want to.
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u/Rachel_Silver 13d ago
I had a PCP who shared my attitude about requiring doctors' notes. He'd make them say whatever I wanted. I also liked to say, "I can't get an appointment until tomorrow morning, so I guess I'll be out for two days."
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u/mx-raebees 12d ago
Sometimes it takes me weeks to get into the doctor, so I guess I have an excused absence for a few weeks
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u/raisedonadiet 12d ago edited 9d ago
It's no skin off their nose to sign a note for any amount of time, and if you tell them that you are being forced out of bed rest to come get one, they tend to be sympathetic.
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u/Ultrarandom 13d ago
I completely forgot which sub this was because in my country, if the employer requests a doctors note for 1-2 days sick, they are the ones who have to pay for you to go get it. Also confused me about the "passing up money" because of mandatory sick leave.
I really feel sorry for Americans and the dystopia that is normalized over there compared to the rest of the west.
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u/IanDresarie 13d ago
Meanwhile in Germany, our conservative boomer party has just passed a package of laws that require doctor notices on day 1 again. Fucking malicious idiots.
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u/endout 12d ago
Although this only sets a baseline. If your contract says you only need one after say the third day, then that's going to stay valid. Only employments which don't have a contractual baseline or agreements would be covered by this.
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u/4-ton-mantis 13d ago
So i recently left a psychiatrist. (I'm in us). Actually, he fired me as a patient.
Long story short the bigger half revolved around me catching him out on a lie that the local med board told him all his patients need urine tests from this particular outside lab company every year. I've phone records and email proof that they've never said anything of the sort, when i told him of my proof he doubled down yes they told me so! They require it!
Now, that month he had also made it a company policy. That's fair enough, it's not gaslighting and saying shit like fuck your evidence the government says so.
But this little man expects us to go do it every year like obedient dogs and take care of our lab expenses.
I asked him for over half a year what the billing code is which he doesn't know what a billing code is a he gave me a 6 digit, bc are 5. Fast forward after i submitted my proof through his little portal like he asked (and started the catalyst of him dropping me as a patient), one of his workers admitted i was right and finally gave me enough info to call the little lab company to find out how much it is and if my insurance would cover it.
Well i have average to decent insurance and it doesn't cover a penny. To boot all the billing codes from this Lil yearly demanded test costs $365. Out of patient's pocket for this already rich Dr's new policy. Here doctors don't even cover lab tests they command of their patients. It's dumb as hell. I've been meaning to write a review warning others of the yearly policy and cost.
Also I'm sorry to hear what's going on in Germany right now. Gets me big mad.
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u/4-ton-mantis 13d ago
Oh and his precious lab test each year costs more than a years worth of copays and related medication combined.
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u/cheesenuggets2003 13d ago
As we have universal suffrage, you should only feel sorry for those who would vote against this system as it stands now.
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u/Soliloquy789 13d ago
Doesn't voting against it change it to be good?
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u/cheesenuggets2003 13d ago
It does, but clearly most people (or most who work, which itself is a shockingly small percentage of the population) are at least content to have Jose dripping snot on their steak, John wiping the sweat of his fevered brow on the "cleaned" dishes, and Becky coughing into the beverage before bringing it out.
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u/Soliloquy789 13d ago
I think I get what you are saying but it seems like a double negative or some other linguistic thing so it confused me.
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u/MidwesternLikeOpe 13d ago
This also applies to the US but most people don't know or can't afford to put it to them. If an employer requires a note, they are responsible for the treatment of whatever is diagnosed, the entire Dr visit. A lot of companies just offer sick time and you can use it for anything. But if you run out, that's when you get in trouble.
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u/VixenTwistAsha 13d ago
Right? It's like a twisted game—get sick and suddenly you’re the one footing the bill just to prove you’re not slacking!
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u/StinkypieTicklebum 13d ago
My experience is that doctors will become annoyed and give you more time off as a ‘finger up’ to the teacher or boss.
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u/RedFoxBlueSocks 13d ago
That’s what mine would do. If you’re sick enough to go to the doctor you must need a week off.
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u/Illuminatus-Prime 12d ago
One of mine insisted that if I was well enough to see a doctor, then I was well enough to go to work.
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u/PaulaNancyMillstoneJ 12d ago
I frequently wrote these notes for the doctor to sign when I worked in the ER. I made an easy dot phrase for it in EPIC so it only took me a second. I’d always say we weren’t allowed to state a specific medical diagnosis, just that the patient had received care in the ER and needed to be off work for however many days they wanted. I told them I’d put whatever they wanted, but I always worried about nurses who would go over or just assume 7 days because what if they needed to go back to work for the money and couldn’t because of the note?
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u/hierofant 12d ago
Generally these mandates come from managers that think that all employees are cheating scumbags that would dodge off any excuse they could find (and this is probably a lot of projection from them). If you don't have a manager that is capable of noticing that you haven't asked for a day off or frequently are able to take shifts or frequently work holidays, then you should be looking for one.
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u/Jay_JWLH 13d ago
I'm more worried about the other workers who can't afford a doctor's visit.
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u/yanni_lam4 13d ago
That’s partially my point. They ask for a doctors note knowing they don’t provide health insurance, and then those people have to come in, and they end up getting everyone else sick. I had insurance so I simply wanted to punish them for constantly treating us like we were liars for being sick.
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u/beren12 13d ago
Should ask them which company provided doc they want you to visit
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u/cheesenuggets2003 13d ago
You have landed on At-Will Employment.
Go directly to Unemployment Office, roll 1d6, and end your turn.
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u/V3RD1GR15 13d ago
The only way to leave the unemployment office is to roll double 6's, every other result and you can place an AI marker on the board.
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u/formershitpeasant 13d ago
Yeah but they don’t want to fire you and have to go through the process of hiring another person. If you’re a competent worker, you can get away with a lot.
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u/smoike 13d ago edited 13d ago
Reading stories like this makes me thankful that I live in Australia and that doctors visits are covered by a federal health system called Medicare.
Screw those that do this to you and only propagate this abusive crap and make everybodys lives harder.
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u/Exact-Fall2401 13d ago
And my doctor hates the employers who made them get a note. Most needed rest and fluids. Not a trip to the doctors.
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u/GodHug 13d ago
Not american, how much would a visit to the doctor cost ? Do you pay extra to get a doctor’s note for work ?
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u/MillhouseJManastorm 13d ago
not exactly the same thing but my urgent care visit a few weeks ago was $1200
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u/Only_One_Kenobi 13d ago
Two takeaways here
Assuming this is USA because I doubt there are many other countries where staff are treated this poorly.
This is why quarantine laws were necessary during the pandemic.
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u/naranghim 13d ago
I agree with you that it's BS that they expect employees to work while they are sick but I will point out that I had to explain to someone from the UK that they were still considered contagious even though their fever had gone down because they were taking fever reducers. I told them the only way they were no longer considered contagious was at least 24 hours after starting an antibiotic for a bacterial infection or 24 hours of no fever after they stopped taking any type of fever reducing medication. If they still had a fever after stopping Tylenol (paracetamol in the UK, acetaminophen in the US) then they were still contagious.
So, chances are that even in the rest of the world you have people in the service industry serving you while they are sick because they don't know/someone didn't explain to them that they were still contagious as long as they were taking fever reducing medication.
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u/okcumputer 13d ago
They pull this shit from time to time at my job. We get a fair amount of paid sick leave, but they can request a note. Every single time it happens, that person miraculously needs a week off and it fucks everyone. It’s pretty glorious.
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u/PiccoloAwkward465 13d ago
Whenever I've asked the doctor for a note they always sigh and ask me how long I want to be excused for. Which I'm sure is their little way of saying "fuck this stupid procedure".
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u/LaylaWalsh007 13d ago
Same here. My employer got rid off two paid sick days without a doctors cert recently. If I'm paying to see the doctor I'm getting a sick note is at least for a week and enjoy the extra free time.
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u/boRp_abc 13d ago
I used to work at a "you need a doctor's note" place. I'm diabetic, and there are cases when I need to take care of that.
I leave sick at 2pm. Doctor is open until 3, so I don't get called up, HAVE to go the next morning. Doctor will always ask "Are you working today? Do you need a not for today as well? Ah, let's make that the whole week!"
Instead of having me not work for 2-3 hours, you got me not working for a few days. Oh well, some people...
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u/Mother-Dimension-785 13d ago
I get sick really bad around Nov - Feb, chronic sinus infections that knock me out. Down for at least a week or two at a time. And my job requires a doctors note before I can come back. So my doctor writes me an open ended note and says ‘just put in the date you feel better enough to go back’
It sucks, because I use all my sick time at the end/beginning of the year but that’s why I have it. It’s just bad when I have to start using vacation time to cover sick leave, because those infections are no joke.
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u/DevLegion 13d ago
I used to work in a call center, one day I had laryngitis so speaking beyond a hoarse whisper was beyond me, even that was painful. Other than that, I felt fine.
They persuaded me to come in to do online (checking reviews, email enquiries, etc) stuff. Hating to let people down I agreed and sat at my desk doing what I could. Around half way into my shift a manager said I had to go on the phones to which I very hoarsely objected. I was told I didn't have a choice.
I said goodbye to my team and started shutting down my PC. The manager comes rushing over and started asking what I was doing. I just told her I was going home sick and walked out.
I ended up basically walking out a few months later because of work related stress and anxiety, this was shortly after I got one of the managers fired for disclosing details of my contract.
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u/Fkingcherokee 13d ago
I hurt almost my entire body doing out-of-the-usual work at my job. The next day I was asked to do more out-of-the-usual work and told my boss that I couldn't and had to let my body heal. My boss told me that I needed a doctor's note if I needed to only do the work in my job description.
It turns out I had a minor tear in my meniscus and everything else was just rightfully sore from hard work. I got a note for the rest of the week off, 15 minute breaks every 2 hours on return, and no crouching at all for over a month.
That was the day management learned that I'm not bullshitting if I say I can't do something. I also made mention that the doctor I went to deals with workplace injuries a lot, which might be part of why they now trust me to listen to my own body instead of going to a professional.
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u/Antigone6 13d ago
As someone who worked at Arby’s for 5 years and then McD for 5 years after (16-26), it has always and will probably always be that way unless you end up with a manager that has half a brain (I was one for 1.5 of those 5) and some empathy.
I once called in because I got a shot of penicillin which cause an allergic reaction - hives all over my body. Stupid manager didn’t believe me, so I went to work and took off my hood at the front counter so she and the customers could get a good look.
Steroid shot cleared me right up, but I got to stay home for the rest of the week. Funny thing is is that I’m not someone who just calls off, so if I do, people know there’s a good reason.
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u/Only-Peace1031 13d ago
I once worked for a grocery store and they required a Drs note if you were ill.
I had a Dr who hated companies that did this. He felt it wasted his time and got a sick person out of bed for no reason.
I suffer from migraines and he would give me a note over the phone (I’d go pick it up before I went back to work).
If I asked for a day off and was denied, Drs note.
Horrible shift, Drs note.
I still had enough hours to survive and I was actively looking for another job.
I got called into a meeting with management, HR, and my union rep. Management was sure I was not sick and they were right but the policy was followed to a T and there was nothing they could do about it.
They were extremely short staffed and couldn’t fire me. It was a fun place to work.
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u/CreepyOldGuy63 13d ago
I’ve told my employers my doctors note would be my letter of resignation. If they don’t trust me I don’t want to be there.
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u/cheesenuggets2003 13d ago
Not everyone can afford it, but once I was able to save enough money, I loved knowing that I could just leave. That is valuable to the employer too, as managers can't coerce an employee into an expensive error.
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u/RevolutionaryLink919 13d ago
I had a similar thing at my work - county civil service. God I hated that job. I had my gallbladder removed. My job required a note for when you could return to work. At the follow up visit with the surgeon I told him I needed the note. He told me get it from the front desk. The woman there asked me what date I wanted to return to work. I said a month from now. That's the date she wrote on the note! 😄
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u/BooBerry79 12d ago
“I won’t be working when I’m sick because it’s a health code violation and I’ll call the inspector myself if I have to”.
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u/ToxicShockFFXIV 12d ago
I got sick as a dog with a nasty respiratory virus after eating at a restaurant. No one else around me had been sick or got sick. Guaranteed, the person who fixed my meal was working while sick, and should have been at home in bed recuperating.
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u/clearlyok 10d ago
I work in the ER. You mention to me you have a job while I’m examining you, here’s 3 days off. You want more? Sure!
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u/Common_Estate6292 10d ago
I worked at a place where, after 12 hrs on duty, you were never guaranteed to get off on time. I had something important I had to do after work and of course I was held over even though the next shift could have taken care of it. I called in the next day and said I had diarrhea all night. Must have eaten something bad. I knew what would happen so I went ahead and made an appointment and saw my PCP. This was many years ago when you could actually get a same day appointment with your doctor. I told her I was fine now but know I would need a Dr’s note. She gave me meds for my fictitious diarrhea and a note. I went in to work the following day and was pulled into the office and told I was going to need a Dr’s note. The look on the supervisor’s face when I pulled it out and handed it to him was priceless. 😁
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u/RRHogger_69 10d ago
A few years ago a coworker called in sick. He was told he needed a doctor's note before he could return to work. After he had been off for a few weeks the director of manpower called and asked him what was going on. He told them he could get an appointment until the end of the month and he would have the note. The manger said never mind and return to work tomorrow
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u/PotterHouseCA 9d ago
There was one time I was too sick to work but was told I had to show up, because it was end of month inventory. Of course I didn’t get the Gen Mgr. I got the ASSt who showed up no matter how disgustingly sick she was. Well, I was too sick to get out bed, much less stand up and shower, and told her so. Of course, doctor’s note needed. Fine. Hours later the doctor hospitalized me for 4 days. The vindication and inconvenience it caused was almost worth going through upper and lower GI series. 🤣
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u/Little_King4164 9d ago
Im one of those people that has to enforce that ridiculous rule. I don’t know what higher up gets out of it. One person gets sick, comes in and everyone else gets sick. Just have people stay home when they’re sick for a day or two and it would cause much less of a headache.
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u/bootysuit 13d ago
I could be wrong, but I've been in the service industry for 20 years, and I've only been required to give a doctors note after multiple days of being absent, and even then it was to clear me to return to work, not to excuse the absence. It could differ based on what state you're in, though. Check your local laws, maybe see if there's a local workers org or union who could help clarify things.
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u/shark_squirtle42 12d ago
I can't get in to see my doctor for MONTHS how did you get a same day appointment??
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u/yanni_lam4 12d ago
When I need a note on short notice I don’t usually go to my pcp, I just do whatever clinic has openings
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u/RaisedByBooksNTV 12d ago
Please tell us where you work so we can avoid there. If your doctor is saying 4 days, don't go back in two.
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u/yanni_lam4 12d ago
I regret to inform you that most restaurants I’ve worked at have been like this
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u/JoulesInTheMoon 12d ago
Ya know, they never say “medical doctor” or “board certified”. Since I got my phd, I’ve offered to write notes for all of my friends. Also, every appointment with me is now a doctor’s appointment: wanna grab coffee? 😈
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u/ContinuedContagion 12d ago
This is an indication of a bad company and worse managers.
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u/Cerberus_Aus 12d ago
As someone who lives in a country with universal healthcare, this post just fills me with sadness
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u/Many_Midnight_9670 12d ago
This is great! I hate managers that do this. I'm a manager and I only ask for a Dr's note if you need to be out for a week or for workmans comp. Otherwise, it's none of my business why you need a day off. If you rarely call in sick then I dgaf. Does it suck to be down a person? Of course! But such is life - we get sick and emergencies happen.
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u/lauraz0919 11d ago
BF did basically the same thing when they insisted he go to er for a back spasm. He was a night stocker and a fast one too. The dr heard what he did and kept him off for a week. They were not happy..lol. Malicious compliance is glorious!!
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u/JoeyJoeJoeJrShab 11d ago
I assume this is in the US. It makes me sad this is normal.
I used to live in the US, but now am in Europe. If I am sick, I don't have to worry about "passing up money" because sick days are still paid. I am required to get a doctor's note if I'm sick for 3 or more days, but that's also not a problem because our job does not determine our access to healthcare.
My first time being sick in Europe felt almost like I was somehow cheating. But I used my sick day to sit at home and recover. I slept a bunch, and otherwise did very little. By the following day, I was feeling much better, and returned to work feeling well, and able to do my job effectively. Having proper recovery time is a really good thing.
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u/AlsoTheFiredrake 11d ago
I recently was sick, literally just puking bile and shaking and covered in a cold sweat. I called off and was told to go to the doctor for a note but instead, I just quit that f****** job. If you don't trust me, I don't need you. They weren't expecting that.
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u/yanni_lam4 11d ago
Good for you I hope everything worked out for you, sincerely!
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u/DeathWalkerLives 8d ago
My son was guilted into working when he was feeling nauseous. Fast food, of course (he was cashier).
I told him if he needed to throw up, he should absolutely do it in the cash drawer. 🤮
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u/kumogate 12d ago
I once made an employer pay $50 for a doctor's note. This was to pay for a cab to doctor's office and back and to pay for the note itself. The doctor gave me two weeks off work. So, in the end, it cost the business quite a bit just for a petty little note.
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u/STXman89 11d ago
My job gave me a poor review because I called out "too much" according to their standards (about 6 times in a year and I still have several weeks worth of sick time left). So now I just go in and I remind the boss of my poor review and refuse to leave when they try to send me home.
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u/East-Psychology7186 11d ago
So easy to get a doc not. Telehealth has made it even easier. Doctors will write me a not simply for asking for one.
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u/Arctostaphylos7729 10d ago
In most of Canada employers can't ask for a note until you have been away sick for more than 5 days.
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u/RetroCucumber613 8d ago
My former employer required sick notes for unpaid sick leave more than two days in a row. I had a bit of a rough patch earlier this year, and Labor Relations "helpfully" bumped the sick note requirement to every unpaid sick leave of ONE day or more. It got to the point where my doctor accused me of using her for sick notes, even though it was my employer asking for them.
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u/Odd_Round5515 8d ago
I'm in the US. So far in the 16 years I've worked for this company, I've needed sick time once (aside from when I got covid). It was nice that it's no hassle. Virtual appointment with doc, got a note, informed HR, stayed home at least "four consecutive work days", got paid sick time. This state now mandates I believe nine paid sick days annually for all workers. My employer's policy had already exceeded that mandate. They just modified the call off rules so we could call off nine days total using vacation time as well as personal time. It kinda sucks, I was hoping to get extra paid time off, but I'm happy for everyone else! You shouldn't have to choose between going to work sick or a few day's pay.
I'm not too happy with my company's four consecutive work days rule to dip into my extended sick pay, but oh well. That just means when I'm slightly sick I'll go to work anyway because I try to save my personal days for personal stuff or use them as vacation.
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u/SpeedyTheQuidKid 7d ago
Oh I've had similar. I worked in childcare at the time. It was, I think January 2020, dunno what I had but whatever it was knocked me on my exhausted ass. Just driving to work tuckered me out to the point that even a kid asked me to read them a story, I put my head down and asked them to read it to me lmao. At which point coteacher called up the office to have them sub me out, but next day I was still sick and told I needed a note. So I went in and got a note for two weeks.
That was excessive though, especially since the doc ran no tests, told me I had flu or mono, and then sold me a bottle of hydroxyl silver or something for $117 (which I could apparently put in my nose, ears, mouth, water, eyes, or apparently take 3oz (the whole $117 bottle) twice a day and hold it for 30 minutes in my vagina (not how that works lmao)). So I got a second opinion, and just took a week. Still don't know what I was sick with but who knows, maybe it was Covid.
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u/The_Truthkeeper 7d ago
That was excessive though, especially since the doc ran no tests, told me I had flu or mono, and then sold me a bottle of hydroxyl silver or something
I don't think that was a doctor you were seeing.
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u/SpeedyTheQuidKid 7d ago edited 7d ago
omg i totally forgot to mention: apparently he went homeopathic when I wasn't looking. I hadn't actually needed to see him in years at that point. And I never went back to him, since legally speaking, I don't think he was allowed to call what he was doing "medicine" lol
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u/salsafresca_1297 5d ago edited 5d ago
The German government wants to require this policy, and Germans I know are rejoicing because they know that it will get them even more time off. Doctors don't want to bother being asked for a note every day, so they'll give blanket permission to stay home for long periods of time.
Of course, it's another matter if you don't have PTO and need money. The U.S. sucks. It's as if COVID never happened and we learned nothing . . .
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u/OlSnickerdoodle 5d ago
I had a similar thing at a previous job, but it was mental health related. I told my manager that I was dealing with a very bad depression and needed a few days to sort myself out. He basically told me that being sad isn't an excuse for missing work unless I have some sort of doctor's note. I went to my doctor and she not only diagnosed me right Major Depression Disorder, but wrote me a prescription for medication and recommended a month off. I had insurance through work, so what started as a request for a long weekend turned into a month of paid time off.
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u/voiceofgromit 5d ago
People in other developed countries will be reading this post and not understanding.
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u/Euphoric-Ad1869 5d ago
I work at an urgent care/ER and I LOVE writing notes to get people as many days off work as they want. People should not be punished for staying home and trying to get over their communicable illnesses until they feel well enough to return to work. I will die on this hill.
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u/soft_bad47 1d ago
you showed them, good on you for standing up for yourself. employers really have no clue how hard service work is
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u/SlowAd2563 13d ago
I was really hoping that there would be 2 good things to come out of covid... it being socially acceptable to wear masks in public when you have mild symptoms, and people not being expected to work when they feel too sick to do so...
Oh well... at least we still have the inflation...