‘She screamed in his face’: Readers share shocking examples of toxic bosses amid sick leave row

Workers aren’t entitled to paid sick leave just because they “can’t stand their employer”, Sir Charlie Mayfield has said – a remark that lit a fire under Independent readers.

The former John Lewis boss, now leading the government’s review into Britain’s soaring ill-health crisis, argued that both staff and managers must take “responsibility”. But our community was quick to point out that burnout doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

Commenters flooded in with stories of the real forces driving people out of work: bullying bosses, toxic cultures, impossible workloads and managers who treat staff as disposable.

Many said their most productive years were spent under supportive leaders who respected them – and that their health collapsed only when new management arrived with shouting, intimidation or complete indifference.

Others turned the spotlight on low-paid sectors like care work, where people slog through long days, unpaid travel and relentless emotional labour with barely a break. They said it’s no wonder workers are burning out when basic protections, fair pay and humane treatment are missing.

Readers were united on one thing: Britain’s workplace sickness crisis isn’t about people “not liking their boss” – it’s about the damage bad bosses and broken systems inflict.

Here’s what you had to say:

Which management system is most effective for productivity?

I always gave above and beyond – being the most productive, prepared to work overtime unpaid, etc. – because the relationship I had with my boss Fred was mutually respectful. Fred, who had served the company we worked for since leaving school and was two years from retirement, ran the finance department like clockwork because his staff were motivated to work hard for him.

An American company took over with its “whip and scare the staff to make them work harder” mentality. Fred was “let go” and humiliatingly escorted out of the building. Heartbroken, I left in solidarity. I still have the very moving letter he wrote to acknowledge my loyalty and the service I had consistently provided.

When I changed jobs, an absolute monster of a boss regularly screamed at staff (without ever being challenged despite being on a floor of around 200 workers and other bosses). She once emptied the bin of a colleague all over his desk as she screamed in his face.

My health deteriorated rapidly and literally every day that I got into the lift my nose began to pump with blood. My father, who had a very strong work ethic, literally “escorted” me on the train into work for a whole week despite my eventual protests. It must have looked like he’d kidnapped me as we travelled without speaking on the train – me with tears running down my face.

Eventually, I walked into my workplace and when he was out of sight, I walked straight back out again. My GP signed me off sick for six weeks. Apart from when I had surgery, I have never had long periods of sickness.

I give basic service now. I’ve never worked as hard as I did for Fred. So I ask – which management system is most effective for productivity?

Bianca

Management is a skill, not a profession

I’m sure most working people have had their fair share of awful bosses. I certainly did – the worst were those prejudiced against people with more qualifications than themselves; I think they felt threatened. It’s because management is a skill, not a profession.

Most weren’t a problem, and some I got on with really well. They had people skills and were just trying to do a job to the best of their ability like everyone else. You can either suck it up and get on with the job, stand up to them (in which case you run the risk of being sacked), or simply resign quietly and get another job.

FreeLife

Proper pay and proper breaks

A friend of mine works in the peripatetic care industry. She gets in her own car, drives to her first “client” and spends 20 minutes being paid basic wage to wipe butts, change pads, wash dishes, microwave food, clear plates, feed pets and all sorts of other things. She gets racist abuse.

She gets in her car and drives to the next “client”. She doesn’t get paid for that time. She repeats this for maybe 17 “clients”. She’ll work over eight hours without paid breaks of any kind and she’ll get minimum wage for maybe five and a half hours.

This is all weathers, all neighbourhoods, in the dark, visiting alone sometimes. She, and people like her, save the country literally billions keeping old and disabled people out of state-funded care homes, living in their own houses close to family and friends.

She’d be better off stacking shelves or flipping beef patties or fitting shoes. But she sticks with care work.

She works for a private company that presumably makes good profits. British management should go down on their knees and thank God that there are workers in the UK who are prepared to do this, and spend less time criticising those who are killing themselves doing it for them.

If there are any in government who still read newspapers, perhaps you could identify these people and pay them properly and, literally, give them a break or two. They’d be less likely to fall ill, burn out or drop out of the workforce entirely through breakdown. And if you paid them better, they would, by definition, be more productive.

Lolapaloozabmi

Employers see us as disposable

If you get a health condition at work, work can fire you as no longer fit for purpose rather than trying to adapt to your changed circumstances.

So when I had an illness (a permanent one, as it turns out) that meant I had to take intense medicine that slowed me down, rather than putting me on reduced hours or making any adaptation, I was fired.

This crushed me mentally (it was hard enough being so ill) and took me out of the workforce for a year.

Workplaces must be obliged to make adaptations to keep workers going rather than seeing us as every bit as disposable as a horse. It’s a team effort and employers are totally off the hook.

TheaterFan

Go after scroungers

Actually, “I hate my boss” is often a sign of stress and burnout, which absolutely qualifies for a sick note and a required rest off work to reset that. It can cause harm if not treated.

A person who actually works and needs time off sick for that type of thing isn’t the problem… the problem is the types that never work, never intend to work, are capable of working but play off things like ADHD to try and claim benefits and PIP to not work – when many of us with conditions like that, and worse variants of it, still go to work.

Despite people with more mild or misdiagnosed versions using it to get off and never work, that is what needs to be targeted – not actual legitimate workers who are burnt out. Go after the scroungers, not the burnt-out hard workers.

senpai

Too late for me

I’m registered disabled and, as such, am part of this army of lazy, skiving (insert insult). But when my health began to deteriorate, not only wasn’t restorative treatment available since 2010, the only treatment offered was ever-stronger painkillers.

Whilst I’m not badly disabled – amongst other things, I walk like I’m at a disco – there are many thousands like myself who’d love to work, if for no other reason than to be out of grinding poverty and have a little self-respect.

But treatments to help aren’t offered – for which we are blamed.

For myself it’s too late, although for many others I’m sure that with the help that’s for so long been withheld, they could have at least a chance at some quality of life and even pay some taxes!

TomSnout

In 41 years, I’ve seen managers go unpunished

Not liking your boss might not be a valid reason for sick absence, but the reasons for that quite often are.

In 41 years with my employer I’ve had to get the union involved after trouble with three separate managers. One of these instances resulted in me having to take long-term sick leave.

Apart from any informal and off-the-record advice they may have received, none of them were ever given any official sanction or warning; all of them were the subject of further complaints from other staff.

BikingBoomer

Any wonder we have a problem?

I can remember years ago there would be works teams, emergency services teams, armed forces teams playing all sorts of sports with really good facilities, as well as providing social activities, etc.

They realised that by having a healthy workforce their profits would be maintained. Then the accountants got involved and gradually all the facilities were sold off for housing, as were many council-run facilities.

Add on the poor economy where people are struggling to pay bills and need to have two or three jobs to keep their heads above water, coupled with thoroughly unpleasant people running things – is it any wonder that we have a problem?

ListenVeryCarefully

Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.

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