Employee resigns for health reasons but says his workplace got ugly during notice period: 'Asked to justify 8 hours of work'

An employee recently shared a distressing account of his experience after submitting his resignation at work. He explained that he had stepped down for medical reasons and was serving a three-month notice period with 25 days of annual leave remaining. Although his resignation had already been formally processed, his manager continued to burden him with constant pressure regarding his performance.

Managerial Pressure During Illness

Despite being logged in and working, the employee admitted that his health sometimes prevented him from delivering results at the expected pace. His manager, however, insisted that unless he could demonstrate eight full hours of productive work on such days, those would be treated as sick leave. This left him frustrated, as he was still contributing while managing his health condition.

Demands for Past Data

The situation escalated when the manager demanded performance data from the last three months. The system in place only recorded the number of cases completed, not the time invested in each task. The employee, along with the rest of the new hires, had consistently struggled to achieve the unrealistic target of closing four cases daily. Despite this being a challenge for the entire team, the manager declared that any day the employee fell short of this number would be marked as absent.

Protecting Team Numbers

The employee felt this was a deliberate move to protect the manager’s overall team performance metrics. By marking him absent, the manager could shield his team from the negative impact of lower closure numbers, even though the employee had genuinely been working.

Health and Prior Achievements

Adding to the strain, the employee’s health issues made it harder to cope with the pressure. He also highlighted that before his illness, he had been showing steady progress. Unlike many in his group, he had successfully cleared advanced training and accreditation. He even possessed appreciation emails from clients and higher managers acknowledging his contributions.

Reactions from Reddit Community

Members of the subreddit where he shared his story expressed outrage at his situation. Some advised him to check if the company had a whistleblower policy or an anonymous complaint system to escalate his concerns. Others reminded him that performance expectations during a notice period should not carry the same weight and urged him to document everything for protection.