Had a rough week and really needed a mental break, so I called in sick on a Friday to get a long weekend. I didn’t plan anything wild just wanted to relax, clear my head, and catch a matinee movie without distractions. So, I threw on a hoodie and sunglasses, feeling like a low-key celebrity trying to avoid recognition, grabbed some popcorn, and settled into the theater for the 2PM show. As the trailers ended and the lights dimmed, I noticed someone sit two seats over. It was my boss. With his wife. Also apparently sick. We exchanged one awkward glance, didn’t say a word, and sat through the whole movie in silence. Monday at work? Super awkward. We just pretended nothing happened.
TL;DR: Called in sick, went to a movie, ran into my boss doing the exact same thing, and now Mondays are weird.
Comments
Mental health is health.
Your boss is way more embarrassed than you.
What movie did you watch?
Golden rule of sick days is stay home. You can’t get caught that way. Mental health is a legitimate cause for sick leave imo but not everybody sees it that way. Until things improve in that regard, if you stay home you avoid this risk.
Technically (and obviously), mental day is sick day. Unless you made the specific symptoms, a good boss should understand and maybe even chat about the movie with you.
Many companies just rolled the vacation days and sick days into PTO days.
Hope you feel better after the break though.
Fwiw, I literally call in and say “I’m taking a mental health day, please use my sick time.”
I have yet to have a place of work refuse to allow me to use my sick time when I do this or try to write me up for it. Mental, emotional, and physical health all matter and a good boss understands that.
This way, if anyone sees me out doing things they already know what I’m doing; taking a literal break from work and they don’t assume I’m physically sick.
It wasn’t you 😉
“I’m not coming into work today”
Not a fuck up if you’re not in trouble!
Beats working at the movie theater where staff would call in sick then call back and ask to see a movie. Umm no. No workie no free movies.
Sat through the whole movie in silence…
That’s what you are supposed to do.
I called off work yesterday for mental health and I straight up told them “I am not mentally capable of working today”
I’d call that a win honestly. You didn’t fuck up. The boss did exactly what you did. Taking time off to look after yourself.
Mutually Assured Destruction. You’re safe.
Bro that’s hilarious .. but instead of saying sick, could have just said I’m taking a pto day?
I used to do that all the time before I retired. Told my boss I was taking a “need to get the f**k away” day off. That didn’t go over so well in the 80’s.
Not a FU. Don’t say shit about it to anyone other than us and it can’t possibly go bad.
Hahahaah this story is awesome though. I once was super late for work, so I gave myself a fat lip, bloody nose, black eye, not proud but I did cut the back of my knuckles with a knife, so I could say I was late cuz I got pumped the night before. It worked well, but six months later I was having drinks with all the coworkers and told my boss that I did it to myself to not get written up. THATTTT was awkward for a while.
It’s your time you can use it how you want. It’s just PTO.
More context would help. If you’re like irreplaceable and the company would lose a lot of money or a big client because you’re not there. I would be more worried. If someone can cover for you and it’s just a mild inconvenience, it doesn’t matter.
Where I work only so many people can take vacation on the same day. Like 5 or 6 out of around 100 people. So every holiday a bunch will call in sick because all the vacation slots are taken.
You were sick…of work.
I admire those who take mental health days.
Are they “sick days” or PTO?
I’m sure they are the latter in today’s market.
That’s exactly what you took Paid Time Off. Just remind them of that. What you use them for is your business.
Mental health care counts as a sick day
I had this happen once with a co-worker. I have strategically designed my work schedule so that I can sneak a matinee in on Tuesdays. I was sitting on the back row and i watched my coworker and his wife and kids stroll across the theater and start climbing the stairs all the way to the back row across from me.
The kicker was that he was suppose to be out of town on a work trip. So I texted him asking how the trip was going and he replied complaining about the trip. So I got up and walked down the aisle and sat next him.
We both started laughing. Apparently, he missed the morning flight and decided to take a day.
I had similar many years ago.
Ended up back at his flat having a smoke!
Sounds like you both played it well. “I didn’t see you and you didn’t see me” I think you’re safe, OP.
mutually assured destruction 💥
I did the exact same thing but ended up behind my boss in line for a roller coaster
Maybe he was there with Sancha!
Mental health days ARE sick days. Neither of you did anything wrong.
It could always be you had a doctor’s appointment and then treated yourself to a movie.
You’re fine, that’s what sick days are for
But next time just call in and saying you’re taking a day off, no need for explanation
Embrace mental health, your mind is part of your body.
Also embrace calling in sick because your boss definitely does.
My BIL had a friend who made an annual pilgrimage to the Daytona 500. He’d gone every year for ages, able to buy better seats as he rose in his career. At the time of this telling, he was one of the lead engineers in the corporate offices of the rather large company they worked; not yet in the executive suite, but on his way.
The company had a big project they were working on and held a company-wide, mandatory, meeting to discuss it. Engineers and project managers were flying in from all over the country for this meeting. It was being held on the day of the Daytona 500. He called in sick.
Went to Daytona and had a great time. . . . Remember those better seats? The following issue of Sports Illustrated came out featuring a cover photo of the stands, with him sitting smack dab in the middle, clearly identifiable, grinning and waving a beer and a hat in the air.
When he came in to work the day after the magazine came out he found a copy of it on his desk with a note from his VP saying “See me.” He didn’t get fired, but it was an uncomfortable meeting. He could have started his own news stand with the number of copies his co-workers sent him.
Mondays are weird? Plural? How often has this happened?
https://i.redd.it/lrnhbv3tvt1f1.gif
https://i.redd.it/dieu6jswvt1f1.gif
The other day a team member texted me. She had a shit morning and just told me she didn’t have it in her today.
I told her to have a great rest of the day and I’d talk to her tomorrow.
Did you like the movie?
Everyone needs self care….it’s a tough world …and a movie is the perfect place, even for the boss.
Literally had this happen to me in the Navy once. I was playing hooky one day in port, volunteered for a very loosely monitored job, stayed for an hour then grabbed my civilian clothes and walked down to the pier. We had to take ferries to and from the island I was stationed on to get to the mainland. While I was sitting there I see my bosses boss walking down, dressed exactly like me, hoody up, sunglasses, hiding in plain site. (he was a larger guy, not hard to miss lol) We both get in the ferry and kinda lock eyes. He ambles over to me and just goes “I didn’t see you, you didn’t see me, right?” And then walks away. The next day I hear about how he had been “busy” all day with “work” stuff and no one had been able to find him. He gave me a wink at our morning meeting. It was so awesome lol
>Monday at work? Super awkward. We just pretended nothing happened.
Fuck it, I’d have discussed the movie.
Remember burnout is a valid reason for taking a sick day, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t be relaxing on a day you take off for that reason.
“Hey I’m extremely burnt out after delivering that project / working a week of overtime shifts, I’m going to take a little me time today I hope you understand, let me know if I’m urgently needed. I’ll bring my best self tomorrow!”
Obviously this won’t fly in some trades, or with less understanding management. They’ll want you in unless you can get a paramedic on the phone to prove your heart isn’t beating.
Just don’t be the employee that regularly “burns out” before doing any meaningful work.
I’m known to be a hard worker and also a stressed worker because I’m the “solver” at my company being a not-completely-incompetent employee.
If I need a day and I’m burnt out, I tell them exactly that and I take time accordingly. Sometimes it’s just a half day but will max out at 2 unless scheduled. The one embellishment is being hung over: that turns into “stomach trouble all night” which is about as close to a lie as I come.
I know this doesn’t work for everyone especially since some bosses are complete shit, but I find honesty goes a long way. I never get questioned about my time off.
Before those come in with “you don’t owe them a reason” I strongly disagree when everybody involved is coming at it in good faith. If I need a day and don’t want them to know why, I don’t tell them specifics but will give at least an indication of whether I have an appointment or am just home chillaxing.
What did you watch? …Sinners? 😉
Fired
Mental health is health. “Sick” days are for mental well being as much as physical.
You could have asked for a day off.
Why? We deserve PTO
My company would encourage this. It explicitly stated that mental breakdown is an acceptable reason for a sick day.
Just go talk to your boss, tell him it was funny he was doing the same thing you were doing, make eye contact when you tell him how nice it was he used the day to go on a date with his wife. He’ll either cave and ask you to keep it quite if it wasn’t the wife or he’ll be a bro and everything’s fine. I’m betting he’ll ask you to keep it quite and you’ll have a few more days off if needed. No questions asked.
Aussie boss here. I don’t really care to be honest, if you call in sick, coughing and spluttering and sounding like death, then I see you at the beach or a pub, conversation. Tell me you need a personal day though, and i don’t care. It’s none of my business what you need it for. Just don’t lie to me and my trust goes even further with you. Had a guy call in sick one day, was honest about having a huge night, next day we’d chat about perhaps mondays are not the night for 3 am benders, and back into it. For some bosses, honesty is the best policy
more AI slop, OP’s history makes it super clear they’re karmafarming, unless they just began speaking fluent English 5 hours ago
If it’s within your right then why feel bad about it
Where I work, we don’t have “sick days” or “sick leave”. Just PTO and Vacation days. They’re practically interchangeable, with the exception that PTO can be used to cover partial days if needed.
With that said, so many of my coworkers are guilty of TMI when cashing one in. Just say you can’t make it in. End of.
Was it a porno?
Looks like everyone is sick at the office. Must be a contagious one.
You silently nod to each other and you never speak of it again. No need tk get this awkward about it, bud.
If you have a good boss then you shouldn’t have any push back taking a mental health day. Therr are unfortunately a lot of bosses that don’t deem mental health days to be real 😪
Reads like AI but upvoted for entertainment.
What is it that you do that you need a mental health day?