Viral Post: ‘Planned Sick Leaves’ by Domestic Help Triggers Online Discussion

A man's Reddit post about his domestic helper's unique understanding of "sick leave" has gone viral. After learning the concept, she began informing her employers a day in advance about her future sick leaves, sparking a wide range of reactions on social media.

A man's tweet regarding his domestic helper's interpretation of "sick leave" went viral and struck a chord with many on social media. The man described an event in which he had taken medical leave, and the help enquired as to why he had not gone to work. His mother said, "He is on sick leave." His mother said that she was unwell and had taken a leave of absence. After learning about the notion, the domestic help began adopting it even during scheduled leaves.

He said that now every time the house help takes a leave, she just messages her mother a day before that, and the next day she'll be on sick leave.

"Bro, how do I make my maid understand the core concept of sick leave??" a user named ElectronicStrategy43 shared in the Indian Workplace subreddit. The post gained significant reach on the platform.

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"It reminds me of the shitty corporate rules where they say inform in advance if you're sick, how would I know that I would be sick tomorrow and I wonder, how my maid is figuring out that she is going to get sick tomorrow," the user wrote

How Did Social Media React?

Online people voiced their opinions in the comments area. "How frequently does she actually take leave, though? If it's just one or two every month, I don't understand the need. They are workers, not slaves," one user stated.

"Break the trauma cycle guys, I know we want to pass on the frustration of how badly we are treated at work onto our maids. but please overcome that impulse and please treat her well," said another user.

"Dock her pay and put her into PIP. Scare her that AI is gonna take over her job," a third user stated.

Another user said, “Have a fixed number of leaves. Beyond that, deduct salary. That's a standard across households. It's literally the mirror of leave without pay in offices.”

“I get why it’s annoying you… but this is actually kind of sweet if you look at it a little differently 🤍 She’s not trying to game the system or be illogical, she’s just trying to follow what she thinks is the “correct” way based on what she heard from your mom,” wrote another user.