A sick day can sometimes become the most complicated day off, especially when social media decides to join the story.A Reddit user on r/antiLinkedIn shared how a planned Friday trip to Coorg turned into an awkward workplace episode. The employee claimed to have stomach flu while actually heading out for a holiday. The plan might have worked, except a holiday reel accidentally put the employee in the frame.
The sick leave excuse had one small problem
According to the Reddit post, the employee took Friday off to travel to Coorg and told the manager that they had stomach flu.There was no mention of the trip to the workplace. Instead, the employee went to a homestay and apparently ended up appearing in the background of a video featuring people dancing.The unexpected part came later. The video reportedly took off on Instagram and crossed 13,000 likes.That made a private holiday much less private.
Monday brought an awkward message
When the employee returned to work on Monday, the situation apparently became clear.The Reddit user said their skip-level manager sent them the reel and wrote: “Hope your stomach is better.”It was a short message, but the meaning was difficult to miss.The employee said they were still employed after the incident, but claimed that their subsequent WFH requests were no longer being approved because the manager had lost trust in them.
The internet found the story painfully familiar
The post quickly attracted amused reactions from other Reddit users. Some laughed at the timing, while others pointed out the obvious risk of using a false excuse when social media can expose plans unexpectedly.One commenter summed up the lesson bluntly: “Lies are short lived.”Another joked about deleting Instagram altogether.The original poster also appeared surprised by how quickly the story travelled, replying that they had not expected the reel to go viral.
A holiday can stay private, but a viral reel cannot
The interesting part of this story is not really the Coorg trip. Taking a day off is normal. The trouble came from giving a reason that did not match what happened.A holiday photo shared with friends can remain buried in someone’s feed. A reel that suddenly reaches thousands of people is a different matter.And once a workplace connection sees it, explaining the coincidence can become harder than simply asking for a day off.
Social media has changed the old workplace rule
Earlier, an excuse given to a manager usually stayed between a few people. Today, a single tagged post can travel far beyond its original audience.This Reddit story is a humorous example, not evidence that every workplace handles leave or WFH in the same way. Still, it captures an increasingly familiar workplace reality: online posts can sometimes reveal more than their creators intended.Disclaimer: This article is based on a Reddit post and comments shared by users. The claims and workplace circumstances described in the post have not been independently verified.