New Delhi: Can you predict if you’ll catch a cold or fall ill in the next seven days? Of course not! That’s why a recent policy from an Indian manager requiring employees to apply for sick leave seven days in advance has left many puzzled. 

The employee posted a screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation with his boss on the “antiwork” Reddit forum. In the message, the employee notified his boss, “My health is not well, so I won’t be coming to the office,”

The manager then asked if the employee was requesting sick leave. Once confirmed, the manager replied, “To take sick leave or casual leave you need to inform at least 7 days prior.”

“How to know if I am going to be sick in next 7 days?” the employee questioned in his now-viral post.

Commenters were scratching their heads over the boss’s unusual request:

One Reddit user suggested, “Ask him if he can predict if he’s going to be sick in the next 7 days?”

Another user proposed, “Send an email every day saying, ‘This is to inform you that I might get sick seven days from now and may need to use sick time.’ Let’s see how long it takes.”

A third user commented, “You’re not supposed to know your health will fail seven days in advance. You’re just supposed to spread your illness to everyone at work because, you know, sharing is caring.”

A fourth user shared, “I used to work in a supermarket. One day, I had an evening shift and, after falling down a flight of stairs and injuring myself, I called in sick. I was told I needed to come in anyway or face a write-up because sick calls must be made before 8 am. Next time, I’ll just schedule falling down the stairs.”