Employee flags Indian work culture after being chased for documents during medical leave

An employee at an Indian company has questioned workplace practices after alleging that he was repeatedly chased for medical documents by his team lead despite being on officially approved medical leave, according to a Reddit post that has drawn widespread attention online.

In a post shared on Reddit, the employee informed that he was on sanctioned medical leave, a significant portion of which was leave without pay, when his team lead continued to contact him while he was recovering. He stated that the team lead called him multiple times during his rest period and, when calls went unanswered, followed up on WhatsApp and later through emails seeking complete medical documents and a recovery timeline.

The employee explained that his treatment was ongoing and not limited to a single outpatient visit, which meant that medical reports were being issued in phases. He further stated that the documents were from a government medical facility and contained third-party confidential information, adding that these records had to be routed through a civilian hospital for redaction before they could be shared, a process that was beyond his control. He informed that these constraints had already been explained earlier.

On approved medical leave, still being chased for "documents" by TL. Indian workplace things.
byu/ImpromptuHotelier inIndianWorkplace

According to the post, the tone of communication later turned urgent and accusatory, making it appear as though he was deliberately withholding documents. The employee stated that the situation was aggravated by the fact that part of his leave was unpaid, and yet he continued to be contacted repeatedly. He alleged that the issue appeared to be less about policy compliance and more about control.

The employee said he responded formally, documented all communication, reiterated the procedural limitations and asked whether the human resources team or a medical verification unit required any specific information. However, he added that the overall experience was exhausting.

In his post, the employee questioned why an individual was expected to provide repeated justifications while on approved medical leave, particularly when the leave was unpaid. He stated that recovery was often treated as a favour rather than a right in Indian workplaces and alleged that medical leave was frequently approached with suspicion rather than trust. He added that the issue was not about refusing to submit documents but about respecting boundaries and established processes.

Reacting to the post, several users expressed support, with some praising the employee’s formal response and documentation. Others questioned why the matter was being handled by a team lead instead of human resources, while a few commenters remarked on the broader role of HR in corporate settings, stating that it primarily exists to protect company interests rather than those of employees.