When managers shirk sick-leave duties and middle managers bear the strain

A New York Times workplace column addressed two common office problems: a retail employee whose manager pressures staff to find their own sick‑day coverage, and a middle manager stuck between unhappy local workers and out‑of-touch corporate directives. In the retail case, the columnist noted that the employer’s practice of making a worker find a replacement can be illegal in New York and California, where it’s unlawful to require an employee to secure coverage as a condition of taking paid sick leave.

The writer advised the employee to set a simple boundary — for example, saying “I’m sick and I can’t make it to work tomorrow” and, if asked to find coverage, replying “I’m not in a position to do that. I’ll leave it to you.” The column also observed that the manager mixes friendliness with shirking managerial duties, and that pushing back may provoke frustration but is often necessary.

The middle manager described a company that treats an annual worker satisfaction survey as a catchall metric, without distinguishing local issues from corporate policy complaints. Despite high retention at the local office, a lower satisfaction score forced a remediation plan. The columnist recommended using that bureaucratic process to advocate for the local office: lead with retention data, include specific complaints about corporate policies, and frame solutions in neutral terms like improving communication so the plan looks constructive rather than oppositional.

Key Topics

Business, Paid Sick Leave, Middle Manager, Retail Worker, Worker Satisfaction Survey, Remediation Plan