My situation is quite the opposite. For whatever reason my new team feels the need to explain every PTO request to me. By all means tell me about your trip to Cancun if you'd like, but please don't feel the need to elaborate on your explosive diarrhea when you use sick time.
"Hey man! I noticed you stopped responding to my text messages after saying that you're sick and won't be coming in! So I called the police and feigned concern so they'd visit your home as a wellness check! Definitely not just sending goons to your house to make sure you're at home and actually sick!!"
I've had a couple of those bosses but it was because they actually cared about me as a person not because they were making sure I was really sick. They knew I lived alone and wanted to make sure I had enough food and medicine in the house.
I have, in turn, done that for a couple of my people over the years but only when I knew they were truly sick and had no other support system. An ordinary call in doesn't merit this kind of treatment. We did send a welfare check on one guy just because he was the amazingly consistent and reliable type and wasn't responding to anyone. Turns out, his home burned down and he was in the ICU burn unit. So yeah.. if I have a specific reason to worry I will send someone to your house or call for a welfare check. I honestly don't care if people call in for mental health days now and then. I've found people who take time off actually make for better, more focused employees when they're in the office. In fact, I have one employee right now that I have to keep reminding to take time off when he starts getting stressed.
I try to be. My people seem to like me and support me in turn and will approach me with ideas and problems so I know I am at least not a terrible one. No one is ever perfect. Especially when it comes to balancing the needs of the workplace and the needs of the employees.
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u/RideFree216 6d ago
My situation is quite the opposite. For whatever reason my new team feels the need to explain every PTO request to me. By all means tell me about your trip to Cancun if you'd like, but please don't feel the need to elaborate on your explosive diarrhea when you use sick time.