Employee claims firm ended sick, casual leaves. Only 'hospitalisation' leaves allowed: 'Is this legal?'

The post attracted considerable attention on Reddit, where users questioned both the practicality and legality of the alleged policy.

A company came under online scrutiny after an employee alleged on Reddit that management had withdrawn casual and sick leave entitlements, replacing them with a restricted annual leave structure and medical leave available only in cases requiring hospital admission.

The claim was made through a post on Reddit, where the employee shared what was described as a screenshot of an internal message circulated via Slack. The message, purportedly issued by the organisation’s human resources department, was titled “Important Leave Policy Update” and appeared to have been addressed to all staff members.

According to the screenshot, the message informed employees that changes had been introduced to the firm’s leave framework. “We've made some key updates to our leave policy to streamline and better align with our current work culture. Casual Leaveand Sick Leave have now been discontinued,” the message stated.

The communication went on to outline the categories of leave that would remain available. It said: “Moving forward, the following leave types will be available: Annual Paid Leave – A fixed number of paid leaves you can use for personal time off, vacations, or general needs. These leaves will be credited 1 day per month, totalling 12 days per year. Hospitalisation Leave – Special leave granted only in cases of medical emergencies requiring hospitalisation.”

Further details in the message specified the conditions attached to medical leave. “This leave will be credited in two phases: 3 days in January and 3 days in July. It will be approved only upon submission of valid hospital documents, such as admission/discharge papers or a certified medical report,” it read.

The post attracted considerable attention on Reddit, where users questioned both the practicality and legality of the alleged policy. One user responded sarcastically, writing: “There should be a ‘deathbed’ leave that you can apply during your last day of life.”

Another user raised concerns about compliance with labour laws, stating: “What? You are entitled to casual leaves/sick leaves under the Shops & Establishment Act. This is kind of illegal.”

Others focused on the health implications of such a policy. One commenter wrote: “So what if someone gets a cold or something, looks like it’s time to start looking.” A user questioned, "Isn't this illegal?"

"Totally ridiculous act by this company. Please tell which company is this so people can get to know and avoid joining," another user added.

Another user pointed to the broader workplace impact, saying: “Bro, what? Is sick leave discontinued? There is a reason why that was in the first place. Consider someone who is suffering from the flu; that person comes to the office, and now the entire office is affected. So, sick leavers are not only ‘for employees’, but they are also ‘for companies’.”

At the time of writing, the company named in the Reddit post had not publicly responded to the claims, and the authenticity of the internal message had not been independently verified by Moneycontrol.com.