A woman has shared the text message from her boss that caused her to resign from her job on the spot.
Madeline Whittaker, who lives in Australia, had only recently started working in administration for a construction company in Adelaide, as reported by News.com.au.
The young worker has endometriosis, which is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, according to the World Health Organization.
The chronic disease affects roughly 10% (190 million) of reproductive-age women and girls worldwide and can begin from a person’s first menstrual period and last until menopause.
After three weeks in her role, the 27-year-old told her employer on a Sunday night that she needed a take Monday off so she could manage her pain, per the publication.
"Hey! I’m not fit to come into work tomorrow due to my endo/period. I will send a doctor's certificate tomorrow and be back in on Tuesday. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience," she wrote.
But instead of her boss allowing her to take it easy, she received a text that pushed her over the edge. They told her that her message wasn’t acceptable, writing: "Sorry Madeline, it’s 20 past 8 at night. It is not acceptable. Please consider your options."
Stunned by the callous answer, Madeline decided there and then to hand in her resignation, writing back: "Please accept this as my formal resignation. Thanks, Madeline."
The young woman explained to News.com.au that she left because she wouldn't feel comfortable asking for time off in the future. She also added that there was no point trying to get her manager to understand endometriosis if it fell on deaf ears.
She was particularly astounded by the insensitive response because she’d previously told him what she deals with and how she's often in chronic pain. "I felt small, I felt betrayed and like my rights had been taken away," she added.
As the whole experience left Madeline outraged, she ended up finding another job with a different company but discovered that she was experiencing the same pain "every single day," but still pushed through.
But one day, she asked her new employer for time off for surgery and they responded kindly. However, a few days later, she said she was "dismissed" from her position and told she hadn’t passed probation - leading Madeline to believe this was because she asked for time off.
Nevertheless, Madeleine has secured a new job and says things are going well, but, her chronic disease means she needs to find a workplace that understands the severity of her disease.
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