‘I can quit anytime’: Indian professional confronts toxic US boss who refused her sick leave

An Indian employee working remotely for a US-based startup shared her shocking experience with her boss, a white American male, after he denied her leave despite her deteriorating health.

According to the employee’s post on Reddit, she had developed a medical condition within her first month at the company, which doctors attributed to stress. Despite this, she continued working overtime to meet project deadlines and only requested a short leave on a Tuesday.

To her surprise, her boss demanded a reason for the leave and denied her request when she didn’t provide one. “I was shocked when he asked for a reason and really got pissed off when he denied the leave because I didn’t provide one,” she wrote.

She added that her boss had earlier mentioned offering some leniency for Diwali time off, which she had informed him about a week in advance. Fearing non-payment for the work she had already completed, the employee temporarily revoked his access to her work drive.

After a tense exchange, both eventually discussed the issue over a call. “I let him know this is not cool. If the concern is projects getting delayed, I would’ve managed that by working at nights. If the concern was that he only wants to pay for working days, then I wouldn’t mind taking unpaid leaves,” she said.

The employee told him she had worked in toxic environments before and refused to let anyone “rule over” her. Following their conversation, her boss reportedly agreed to improve communication and discuss issues via calls to avoid misunderstandings.

“I just wanted to let him know that I’m not helpless and can quit anytime if he wants to deny leaves or be toxic,” she added.

She clarified that her intention was not to portray her boss as “evil.” “If someone is paying me for a project, they will expect it to be done on time, I get that,” she wrote, adding that she often worked late nights—sometimes till 4 a.m.—to deliver on time.

Ending her post, she urged others to learn from her experience: “Setting boundaries is very important. If you sense someone is misusing their power, withdraw immediately. The real power is in your work.”