Employee says manager urged him to work from hospital while wife was in labour: ‘The worst part? I can’t quit’

Childbirth is meant to be a moment of joy, relief, and responsibility, but for one employee, it turned into a stressful battle over leave with his manager. The employee explained that his wife had been admitted for the delivery of their first child.(Pexels/Representational Image) Recently, a Reddit post has drawn wide attention after the employee claimed his boss asked him to work from the hospital while his wife was in labour. “My company ignored my leave request during my wife’s pregnancy,” the caption of the post reads. Manager urges work from hospital: In the post, the employee explained that his wife had been admitted for the delivery of their first child. Hoping to stay her side, he informed his manager and requested two days of leave. Instead of receiving a simple message of support, he was met with questions and pressure. He said his manager first asked him to delay his leave and then questioned whether his parents could “manage things” so he could continue working. When he mentioned that his parents were indeed present, the manager went a step further, suggesting he should work from the hospital because he “wouldn’t have to do anything anyway.” “The worst part? I can’t quit. I already have a kid and growing responsibilities,” the post adds. The employee tried to reassure his manager saying a colleague would take care of his tasks during his absence, and that he would complete the rest once he returned. But the manager dismissed this too, saying the colleague already had “too much on their plate.” With his wife in labour and hospital responsibilities piling up, he finally told his manager that working from the hospital was impossible and that he needed to apply for leave. “I don’t know why Indian managers still think employees shouldn’t have personal lives,” the employee adds. Only after this firm reply did the manager agree, asking him to send an email and include HR. Check out the post here: Screengrab of the Reddit post.(Reddit) Reddit reacts: Reddit users reacted strongly to the post, expressing shock and frustration at the manager’s behaviour. Many called the exchange “heartless”, arguing that no parent should have to justify taking leave during childbirth. One of the users commented, “We need better labor laws in India. Sometimes I find it super hard to comprehend how people are so insensitive in India.” A second user commented, “Posts like these make me grateful that I don’t live and work in India anymore.” “The ‘you won’t have to do anything anyway’ shows how bad the working environment is in our country,” another user commented. (Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)