Sometimes we have to take time off from work. At a time when many of us are fully committed to our 9-to-5 jobs, take a quick trip, enjoy a mental health day, or take some personal time to cure burnout. It can be something to look forward to.
As we navigate the “hustle culture” of many jobs, we need to take advantage of personal days, paid vacation, and sick time to ensure that our mental and physical health is not compromised.
But what happens when you take a “sick day” even though you’re not physically “sick”? Well, here’s one of my recent TikTok videos. Leila Soares That’s exactly what sparked the debate.
The woman took advantage of a sick day at work to go on a trip and met her boss on the same flight.
In the now-viral video, which was posted in early January and has been viewed about 12 million times, Soares is fully disguised in a black face mask, sunglasses and a hoodie, and shows herself sitting in the back seat of a plane. I recorded the appearance.
She looked shocked and mortified as she pointed the camera at people getting off the plane. When she zoomed in on a particular man, viewers realized who it was: her boss. “I texted my girlfriend’s boss to call her sick and it turns out he was on the same flight,” she admitted in the video.
Many companies have lax “sick leave” policies, so it can be difficult to argue whether this woman was wrong, especially without knowing the context of her work.
Although the employees did not appear to have been “caught” by their supervisors, their comments suggest that they certainly would have been reprimanded in their respective positions. “I called in sick once,” the commenter admitted. “I ended up going shopping and ran into my boss at the register. Within a week, I was ‘let go’.”
Although she appeared to be perfectly healthy, viewers expected the woman to face disciplinary action after encountering her boss on the plane.
Although everyone boarded the plane together, Soares assured viewers that her boss wouldn’t see her when she found her seat. She had put on a completely unintentional disguise so she could pass him by without him noticing.
Soares, who is apparently healthy, admitted that he was not actually sick and was using his “sick days” to travel.
In a recent video after her post went viral, the woman is accused of comments suggesting she should “be careful” at work and others worried that her boss is watching her social media. I know.
One commenter said: “You better hope this doesn’t make it to his feed.” “If he didn’t see you then, he sure can see you now.”
The truth is, many companies do not have clear policies regarding the use of sick leave, and the criteria for disciplinary action can be vague.
Paid sick leave laws typically apply when many employees get sick, a loved one gets sick, or they need time for various health reasons, but The law and scope are puzzlingly vague.
While some employees are eligible, other companies and private organizations may have more extensive or defined rules that change eligibility. Many have suggested that there needs to be some level of “equity” when discussing “sick time.”
For example, if you take more sick leave than the average worker and don’t use it for the “proper” reasons, you may: Delegate more work to your colleagues and colleagues. For many employees, it doesn’t seem like a big deal at first, but over time the burden builds up, affecting the work ethic of others, the company’s productivity, and personal “work”. It has been pointed out that this has a negative impact on reputation.
Some argue that for employees who take a set number of sick days per year, they should spend those days however they choose. If you’re not sick or don’t use it right away to prioritize your physical health, it should help you develop a healthy mind and cure burnout.
Regardless of whether or not this worker was caught by her boss on the plane, many viewers thought her use of sick leave was fine. There may be many reasons why she flew, but just because she wasn’t sick doesn’t mean she needed discipline.
After all, who’s to say that taking time off from work for health reasons isn’t physically and mentally necessary?
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango, focusing on pop culture analysis and human relations articles.