A man in Singapore took to social media to recount an incident that happened at a company that he was previously employed at.
According to a Facebook post by Syed Ahmad Sabar Aljoofri, on Facebook Group Complaint Singapore, he was unable to be by his father's side before he passed as he was held back at work by an operation manager.
Timeline of events
The event took place on the morning of Dec. 23, 2019, when Syed Ahmad was working in the Central Business District (CBD) and was covering for a colleague who was on leave.
9.40am: Syed Ahmad received a call from a doctor who was attending to his father at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
The doctor urged Syed Ahmad to visit his at the hospital immediately to say goodbye, as his terminally-ill father seemed to be unresponsive, and was likely to pass on soon.
Syed Ahmad then told his operation manager that he would like to head to the hospital immediately, as urged by the doctor.
The manager responded that he would only be able to release Syed Ahmad later in the afternoon at 4pm.
As a compromise, the manager insisted that Syed Ahmad remain at work for about another hour, as the manager needed Syed Ahmad to help clear his backlog.
10.30am: The doctor called Syed Ahmad again to tell him that the medical team are closely monitoring his father, and will be placing him on life support. He called his mother and asked her to urgently head down to the hospital.
Syed Ahmad also informs his operation manager that he has to rush to the hospital to meet his mother, to which the manager asks him to stay for another hour.
Manager: "I thought your mother is not being concerned about your father's wellbeing?"
11.30am: Syed Ahmad begged the operation manager to be let off, as his mother was waiting for him at the hospital.
The manager responded, "But I thought that your mother is not being concerned about your father's wellbeing?"
Syed Ahmad then said that didn't matter, what mattered was that the doctor told him his father was unresponsive and could pass away at any moment, therefore urging him to go to the hospital immediately.
The operation manager finally released him after that.
11:42am: While he was on the way to the hospital, the doctor called him and informed him that his father had died.
Unable to fulfil father's last wishes
Upon hearing the news of his father's death, Syed Ahmad said broke down and cried until his stomach hurt as he was unable to fulfil his father's final wishes, which was to have his son whisper some last words and prayers into his father's ear before his passing.
The father had reminded him to do that "even way before his health condition got critical".
Terminated from work after complaint from operation manager
A week after his father's death, Syed Ahmad said he was terminated by the company he was working at as the operation manager reported to human resources that he had taken many days of unapproved leave.
He said the leave he had taken was to care for his father for two weeks, leading up to the time he was hospitalised.
He also highlighted that he was the only caregiver to his father, and that no one else was able to look after him during the time when his father was confined at home due to his ill-health.
Syed Ahmad added that during his absence from work, both the human resources department and the operation manager were given letters from medical specialists to justify his absence from work.
Accepted getting terminated by company, but will never forgive operation manager
At the end of his post, Syed Ahmad mentioned that he accepted his termination from the company, and added that he wanted to leave the company due to office politics in the five years that he worked for them.
However, he brought up that the company could have terminated him while he was caring for his father, but they did not do so.
He then ended the post by saying that he will never forgive the operation manager who prevented him from rushing down to the hospital immediately and being by his father's side in his last moments.
Employer apologised to Syed Ahmad in August
Responding to a media query from Mothership, a spokesperson from the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) disclosed that it is aware of the case, and had engaged the company earlier this year.
The spokesperson said that "the employer acknowledged that they should have handled the matter more sensitively and empathetically, especially in this situation which involved the impending loss of a loved one".
The employer had also reached out to Syed Ahmad to apologise in person in August this year.
TAFEP's spokesperson also highlighted that "there should be early and open communication between employers and employees on any care-giving responsibilities, medical or family emergencies that employees may have".
They explained that this would allow for both sides to work out suitable arrangements for the business and the employee.
The spokesperson also added that companies should consider putting in place HR policies and procedures that would allow for employees to apply for urgent leave to apply to such matters.
They also added that there should be proper grievance handling procedures in place, which will allow for employees to have a safe environment to raise their concerns and allow for such concerns to be addressed quickly and effectively.
Syed Ahmad's response
Speaking to Mothership, Syed Ahmad advised workers who might find themselves in the same situation to "just leave the workplace immediately, whether your request to take time off has been approved or not, especially when it's a life-and-death matter that you're about to attend to", regardless of the superior's character or attitude towards the scenario.
He also added that this might not be possible for some, based on the nature of their job, "such as being a pilot or any other kind of role that requires you to station overseas or offshore".
Syed Ahmad added that he made a report to the Ministry of Manpower in May 2020, but MOM referred him to TAFEP instead.
Top images via FB & Parentingupstream/Pixabay