Employer Publicly Shames Staffer Over ‘₹5 Medical Paper’, Fires Her After Sick Leave Without Notice
Employer Publicly Shames Staffer Over ‘₹5 Medical Paper’, Fires Her After Sick Leave Without Notice
The woman claims she was shamed publicly on a WhatsApp group and fired without any formal notice.
A shocking workplace harassment case has gone viral after a woman alleged that her team leader humiliated her in a WhatsApp group for taking sick leave and later terminated her without issuing any formal termination letter.
The employee, posting anonymously as “sharmisharmi” on Reddit’s IndianWorkplace forum, shared screenshots of WhatsApp messages where her boss mocked her state-issued medical certificate as a “₹5 paper”, accused her of being “selfish” and “shameless”, and even claimed she had “ghosted” his late-night call.
She revealed that she had sent her medical proof at 11:22 pm and gone to sleep. When the boss called at 12:06 am, her sister-in-law answered, informing him she was unwell. Despite this, he proceeded to insult her publicly in the group and later initiated her termination.
The woman says she has still not received any official termination letter, calling the entire experience “pathetic and deeply humiliating”.
Boss Called Her Leave Record ‘Pathetic’
The screenshots show the team leader posting in the group:
“I can’t imagine how shameless & selfish people I have in my team… pathetic.”
When team members asked what had happened, he sent a long message criticising employees for taking emergency leaves, adjusting week-offs, and missing festive workdays. He then added that sending a “₹5 medical document” at night and “going completely offline” was unacceptable.
The employee clarified that her certificate was genuine and issued by a government medical facility.
According to her, the boss decided her medical document was fake without any verification:
“Despite this, my state-issued medical document was labelled ‘fake’ without any proof or investigation.”
She said she was only absent for three days due to genuine illness.
He Accused Her of Not Caring for the Team:
In another group message, the boss wrote:
“Those people don’t even bother about the entire team… where each team member is coming to office, compromising festivals… managing their own family.”
The employee insists her leave was legitimate and medically advised.
Redditors Suggest Legal Action
The post has triggered outrage online. Many users advised her to:
File a labour complaint if her medical certificate was valid,
Approach HR with documented evidence of harassment,
Gather chat logs and witnesses before escalating,
Consider wrongful termination action if due process wasn’t followed.
Others pointed out that such behaviour is common in certain BPO and support-sector teams where inexperienced team leaders misuse authority.
The employee says she is waiting for clarification from HR and has not received any documentation about her termination.
The online community continues to urge her to take formal action, arguing that no workplace should allow public shaming, midnight harassment, or sudden termination without due process.
