‘Deathbed Leave Next?’: Viral Reddit Post Claims Company Discontinued Sick Leave, Sparks Toxic Workplace Debate

A private company employee has sparked a fierce online debate after alleging that their firm has scrapped both casual and sick leave policies, replacing them with a tightly controlled leave structure that many are calling toxic and dehumanising.

The employee took to Reddit, sharing what appears to be an internal slack message from the company’s HR department. The screenshot, now viral, outlines the organisation’s leave policy - one that leaves little room for illness, emergencies, or basic work-life balance.

‘Sick leave has been discontinued'

“First WFH policies & now this,” read the title of the post shared on Reddit. The message, titled “Important Leave Policy Update”, was addressed to the entire team and read, “We've made some key updates to our leave policy to streamline and better align with our current work culture. Casual Leave and Sick Leave have now been discontinued.”

It stated, “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.”

For medical emergencies, the company added, “Hospitalisation Leave - Special leave granted only in cases of medical emergencies requiring hospitalisation. 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.”

Explaining the rationale behind the move, the HR communication claimed, “These changes aim to bring more clarity and consistency to our leave structure. If you have any questions or need help understanding the new policy, feel free to reach out to me.”

Reddit users flooded the thread with sarcasm, concern, and warnings of toxic work culture.

One user wrote, “There should be a ‘deathbed’ leave that you can apply during your last day of life.”

Another pointed to labour laws, stating, “What? You are entitled to casual leaves/sick leaves under the Shops & Establishment Act. This is kind of illegal.”

Others viewed the policy as a clear sign to move on. “So what if someone gets a cold or something, looks like it’s time to start looking,” another user commented.

A third user wrote, “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".

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