A Reddit post on how an employee got his pre-approved leave revoked because his boss made a link between it and a viral football clip has sparked a heated debate on the web. Posted on the r/IndianWorkplace subreddit, the story says the employee got his month-old leave revoked after his boss suspected that he wanted to use the FIFA World Cup Final as a chance to skip work.
Although the story hasn't been proven to be true, it has found resonance among football fans and people who have jobs.
What happened?
According to the Reddit user, the employee in question had started taking more leave than usual and was also reporting to work later than before. After being reprimanded by his boss, he did well temporarily but soon slipped back into old habits. Asked for the reasons for his delay, he said it was due to traffic. However, another manager jokingly remarked that he was probably staying up to watch FIFA matches. The comment prompted the manager to look into the employee's attendance history.
The post claims the manager compared his leave records and late arrivals with the schedule of matches involving teams such as France, Portugal and Argentina, and concluded that many of them coincided.
The viral reel that changed everything
According to the Redditor, the employee had already applied for leave a month in advance, saying he had a family function on Monday following the FIFA World Cup final. Over the weekend, however, the manager reportedly came across a viral Instagram reel suggesting that employees were using "family function" as an excuse to watch the final.
The Reddit post alleges that the manager immediately messaged the employee, cancelled his leave and asked him to provide proof of the family function, including train tickets or an invitation card.
When the employee failed to produce any evidence, the manager allegedly sent him the reel along with a message that read: "Bewakoof kisi aur ko banana."
Reddit users are divided
The tale was quickly picked up by Reddit users, who offered different perspectives. For some, it made sense because the manager was right since the previous behaviour of lateness and attendance trends had already raised suspicions. While some considered the move inappropriate, others argued that it is wrong to reverse an approved leave due to assumptions and a social media reel.
Some members also wondered if employers should base their workplace decisions on virals, while others humorously pointed out that the reel had inadvertently revealed those planning to bunk off from work for the football final. Like many other virals about workplace incidents, the facts have yet to be verified. Nevertheless, the post has sparked discussions about issues of employee trust and workplace surveillance, among others.
Also read: Employee informs boss he's back from holiday, gets a response he never expected