A 28-year-old woman has alleged that her employer terminated her employment contract after she requested a week's leave in order to recover from a severe muscle sprain, sparking a discussion online about workplace policies, medical leave and employee rights in India's private sector.
The woman shared her experience in a post on Reddit's r/IndiaCareers subreddit community, stating that she had injured her leg after twisting it and subsequently requested seven days off to recover. She assured her employer that she would return to work after Diwali.
However, according to the original poster, the company cited her history of taking "too many medical leaves" and decided to terminate her employment. She further alleged that she was let go without being offered any severance package. She described the decision as unfair and expressed frustration over what she believed was the company's treatment of employees seeking medical leave.
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Beyond losing her job, the woman also wrote about the financial and emotional uncertainty following the termination. She said that she had started applying for other positions but was not really receiving many responses. She attributed the slow responses, at least partly, to the Diwali holiday period.
The poster stated that she was particularly worried about the existing job market situation and feared that if she failed to get another job within a month or two, then explaining the employment gap would become difficult. She also revealed that she had not yet informed her parents about losing her job stating that she did not want to break their hearts. Seeking advice from other Reddit users, the original poster expressed uncertainty about how to handle the situation and what steps to take next. The Reddit post was subsequently shared on X.
The post has brought attention to questions surrounding medical leave policies, job security and the treatment of employees in privately run organisations. The woman referred to her former employer as a "Lala Company", a colloquial expression often used to describe privately managed businesses with owner centric or informal workplace practices.
Medical leave entitlements in India can vary depending on the state-specific Shops and Establishments legislation, employment contracts and other applicable regulations. Similarly, severance pay is not automatically payable in every termination. Statutory retrenchment compensation, contractual severance and notice pay are separate entitlements governed by different conditions.
In the original poster's case, details such as her employment contract, previous leave records, medical documentation and termination letter have not been made public. It is therefore unclear whether the company's decision complied with applicable employment laws.
The incident has once again highlighted the concerns employees may face when balancing medical needs with workplace attendance requirements, particularly in organisations where leave policies and termination procedures are not clearly understood.
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