I Smell Toxicity- Internet Enraged As Manager Asks For Live Location Of Employee On Sick Leave

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Internet was flooded with posts describing how managers micromanage and typically hate giving personal leave to their employees over the past year. Be it asking for a notice for a sick leave a week prior or asking the employee to visit the company-approved doctor to determine if the leave stands.

However, this time, a manager asked his employee on sick leave to share his live location, claiming that it was HR policy.

In the viral LinkedIn post, Pallavi Sugian, a social media marketer, shared a screenshot of an alleged chat between a manager and an employee on sick leave. The manager asked the employee to“share your live location” because it is required,“as instruction received from HR”.

“An employee asks for sick leave and the manager asks for live location. Let that sink in,” she noted. She said that the incident made her pause and reflect on how we define trust at work.

Also Read | 'Loss of pay': Manager's response to employee's sick leave request goes viral

Enraged by the lack of trust in employees, Sugian said,“Somewhere along the way, we started confusing management with monitoring and leadership with control.”“If an organisation needs GPS proof to believe someone has a headache, the problem isn't attendance, IT'S TRUST.”

She said that workplace culture isn't defined by policies written in PDFs.“It's revealed in moments like these when empathy is tested and power dynamics show up quietly in WhatsApp chats.”

“Yes, accountability matters, but so does dignity,” she noted.

Sugian also said that the best teams she has seen“don't track people when they're unwell, they check in on them.”“Because when trust exists, productivity follows naturally. Surveillance, on the other hand, only creates compliance, not commitment.”

She also asked a hard-hitting question -“Maybe the real question isn't 'Where are you right now?' It's 'What kind of workplace are we building?'”

Also Read | Manager's WhatsApp chat with employee over sick leave goes viral

This report is based on user-generated content from social media. LiveMint has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.

Here's how netizens reacted:

Social media users were left fuming at the odd request, and said that the unnamed workplace seemed toxic.

“When control replaces trust, culture suffers quietly. Real accountability builds ownership, not fear, and strong teams don't need constant proof to function,” a user said.

Another added,“Asking for live location when someone is sick crosses a line. That's not management, it's mistrust. Teams thrive on dignity and trust, not surveillance.”

“It's not even about trust, it's simply 'None of your business',” said another user.

Also Read | Indian manager's bizarre 'Sir' demand in sick leave text ignites online debate

“I smell toxicity. Run away!” equipped a user.

A user suggested,“Never Reply When You Are On A Leave. I repeat Never!!!!!”

“Company should implant a chip to track employee,” a user joked.

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