Employee took 8-minute bathroom break during WFH. 'Take sick leave,' said boss.

The individual's bathroom break became an eyesore for their manager. (Representational)

In an unprecedented tale of workplace absurdity, a disillusioned employee working remotely shared a jaw-dropping encounter on Reddit that has ignited a discourse on the evolving dynamics of work-from-home expectations.

The story unfolds with a routine bathroom break that took an unexpected turn, plunging the individual into a Kafkaesque scenario that reveals the darker side of corporate demands.

The Redditor detailed stepping away from their workstation for a mere 8-minute bathroom break during their work-from-home schedule. To their astonishment, a voicemail from their boss awaited them midway through, insisting that they either call in sick, use paid time off, or promptly return to their online duties.

The frustration in the post extends beyond the bathroom break dilemma, shedding light on the deteriorating work environment. The employee describes a workplace that has seemingly surpassed the challenges of retail, citing worse customer interactions, indifferent supervisors, unpredictable schedule changes, and an inadequate compensation structure.

“I frequently skip breaks and work past when my shift is set to end. I got this job my second year in college because I was sick of working retail. This job has slowly gotten much worse than retail. The customers are worse, the supervisors don’t care if they verbally abuse you, your schedule can get changed without any notification, they give people work that they legally can’t be asked to do because the company won’t foot the bill to give employees proper qualifications and we get paid less than we would working at McDonalds,” the employee vented.

My boss wanted me to use a sick day to use the bathroom.
byu/SpecterGygax inantiwork

What adds insult to injury is the revelation that the short hiatus resulted in a verbal warning being added to the employee's file. This unexpected consequence further fuels the discontent, pushing the Redditor to contemplate alternative employment options until they secure a position related to their college degree.

The post has garnered significant attention on Reddit, sparking discussions about the evolving landscape of work-from-home dynamics and the need for fair treatment of employees.

"Ask them for a copy of the policy that outlined this expectation," one comment read.

"My guess is they do this so they have an excuse to not give promotions and pay raises. The moment they add a “warning” to your record they can easily excuse any attempt from said employee to get a raise. They just say well you have this warning so my hands are tied by HR," read another.