Can Management Expect Employees to Handle Follow-Ups During Medical Leave?

Can a management blame the employee for not doing the follow-up job during his approved leave, which was on medical grounds for a week?

What is the exact meaning of follow-up job?

Who is expected to do the follow-up and with whom?

Leave and Work Expectations

Leave is defined as "absence from work or duty." During a leave of absence, an employee is not expected to perform any direct or indirect duties. If he/she starts working while on leave, what is the difference between being at work and being on leave?

Role and Designation Considerations

Apart from the above explanation, the designation of a person also matters. Sometimes, senior managers remain connected with their work even while on leave. However, requiring an individual to work while on leave reflects poorly on the company culture. The true measure of a manager's strength is ensuring that operations run smoothly even in his/her absence. Such issues arise when there is a shortage of manpower, and the work is more person-centric than process-centric.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it ultimately depends on the subordinates on how to maintain a relationship with their boss. If following up is necessary to keep the boss in good spirits, it is advisable to comply and meet the boss's demands.

Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar

Thank you, sir. The employee is at an executive level. He had applied for leave for his surgery. Since it was a planned leave, he had updated his pending tasks to his backup and provided instructions on what needed to be followed. The doctor had advised him to take a 2-week leave, but he was only granted 1 week even though he had sick leave balance. On the day he returned to work, he was questioned for not following up from home. Due to this, the management has stated that they need to reconsider his promotion.

Threatening an employee for not working during sick leave is the poorest of poor practices. Employees should quietly look for better options and move on from such heartless companies.

From the post, it can be considered that the employee was expected to do the regular follow-up of the clients he was handling. However, expecting this while the employee is unfit to perform his duties is just an unprofessional and selfish act. I agree with Nathrao sir; one should not work with a company that lacks a sense of compassion.