By Rachael O'ConnorShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberA single mother was forced to call into work when her child was sick, only to get a reply she never expected.
The story was shared by the woman's mother, Marie Leona, who posts to Threads under the username @marie.leona_75.
Sharing screengrabs of the messages between the daughter and her manager, she said she was posting the interaction because: "Like, what manager's response is this?"
She explained: "My single parent daughter let her manager know her son is sick sick. This is her response."
Her daughter's message, sent at 8:34 a.m., saw her let the manager know that she wouldn't be in that day as "my son has been running a fever since yesterday afternoon and every time he breaks it, it pops right back up so I need to stay home and monitor him."
But her manager responded with just one word: "FML," an abbreviation for "f*** my life."
Marie Leona added in the caption that her daughter's shift wasn't due to start until 11:30 a.m., meaning she gave close to three hours notice in the morning, and commented the manager's "audacity" in a reply.
Jan Hendrik van Alen, career expert and founder of JobLeads, told Newsweek that the only right approach would be to "stay kind and human," regardless of how "inconvenient it might be."
"Of course, if absenteeism becomes an issue, that's a different story that needs to be addressed. However, someone skipping work because their child is sick is simply human and needs to be treated with empathy," he said.
View on Threads
He called the manager's response "absolutely unacceptable and unprofessional. With such treatment, people will never trust you and will never be honest with you again because it's a signal that every parent on the team is not safe. And of course, without trust there is no performance, results, and employee retention."
Threads users had a big response, liking the post close to 2,000 times, as one who described themselves as a manager who has been in the same position, wrote: "Does it Screw me over, absolutely! Do I make her feel bad? Hell no! Why make the situation more stressful!"
Another suggested this reflected well on Marie Leona's daughter, with one writing: "It’s giving your daughter is a good worker and her absence has thrown off the trajectory of the day. And/or more ppl called out."
Leona Marie confirmed that she later learned other people had called out, but argued: "But that’s what managers are for. When I have staff out sick, I cover that shift. I’ll ask others if they will but if not I’ll be there. But I love my job and my staff."
Some took the manager's side, one saying "she should have alerted her manager yesterday instead of 2.5 hours before the shift begins," and suggesting it showed "a lack of professionalism."
But as one replied: "The kid could have went to bed fever-free and woke up with the fever again."
John Campbell, SVP of client services for MAP Communications, said the mother calling out was a "human moment," and should have been treated as such.
"The manager’s response sets the tone for a more negative interaction," he said, as it "signals that empathy takes a backseat to inconvenience.
"A simple 'Thanks for letting me know,' or 'I hope your kid feels better soon,' keeps the door open and trust intact. That trust is what keeps people showing up on the hard days."
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