Workplace accommodation requests can become difficult situations very quickly, especially for younger employees still trying to understand how company systems, HR departments, and legal protections actually work. One Reddit post has shown just how tense things can get when an employee disclosed a medical condition while asking for support at work. What started as a request for help with physical pain soon turned into meetings with management, discussions involving company attorneys, and growing fears about losing a job.
The employee, who said he works as a project manager at a small company in Illinois, explained that he was recently assigned field measurement duties that aggravated pain caused by fibromyalgia. According to the post, he initially requested a reasonable accommodation in the form of an extension arm to help complete the measurements. But even with the tool, he said the work remained “insufferable” because of the pain.
The situation appears to have escalated during a meeting with his boss.
“In a meeting, my boss threatened to fire me and quickly followed it with ‘but to be clear, YOU are the one who brought up termination,’” the employee wrote. He added that termination had not crossed his mind before the meeting and claimed the boss then said he needed to speak with the company attorney.
The employee said a week later the manager returned saying he still had more questions and would schedule another meeting the following week. But according to the post, that meeting never happened.
“We are on week 3 now. Things are so tense at work,” the employee wrote, adding that he had started contacting attorneys and applying for other jobs in case the situation worsened.
The worker also claimed the field measurements were not a major part of the original role description, though he estimated the work may account for roughly 20 to 30 percent of his duties.
One commenter advised, “You need to file FMLA paperwork with HR to protect your job,” though others quickly clarified that the issue sounded more connected to workplace accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act rather than medical leave.
Another user responded, “This is not an FMLA case because you don’t need time off. It’s an ADA matter and you need accommodations.”
Several commenters encouraged the employee to request official ADA paperwork from HR and have medical restrictions documented by a doctor. One person wrote, “Once they have that from your doctors, termination as a result of them not accommodating you becomes illegal.”
Others warned the employee to keep records of conversations and preserve emails or messages in case the dispute escalated later. One commenter suggested documenting “every snarky remark made in passing, every casual threat, every dirty look.”
Not everyone completely agreed with the employee’s handling of the situation. Some commenters argued that refusing a task that makes up 20 to 30 percent of the role could create complications.
“You need to tread carefully here,” one Reddit user wrote. “Because your post says that taking measurements is 20-30% of your job.”
The employee, who said he works as a project manager at a small company in Illinois, explained that he was recently assigned field measurement duties that aggravated pain caused by fibromyalgia. According to the post, he initially requested a reasonable accommodation in the form of an extension arm to help complete the measurements. But even with the tool, he said the work remained “insufferable” because of the pain.
The situation appears to have escalated during a meeting with his boss.
Employee says boss brought up termination
In the Reddit post, the worker described a tense conversation with management after explaining he could not continue handling that portion of the work.“In a meeting, my boss threatened to fire me and quickly followed it with ‘but to be clear, YOU are the one who brought up termination,’” the employee wrote. He added that termination had not crossed his mind before the meeting and claimed the boss then said he needed to speak with the company attorney.
The employee said a week later the manager returned saying he still had more questions and would schedule another meeting the following week. But according to the post, that meeting never happened.
“We are on week 3 now. Things are so tense at work,” the employee wrote, adding that he had started contacting attorneys and applying for other jobs in case the situation worsened.
The worker also claimed the field measurements were not a major part of the original role description, though he estimated the work may account for roughly 20 to 30 percent of his duties.
Reddit users advice
Many commenters focused on workplace disability protections and encouraged the employee to formally document everything.One commenter advised, “You need to file FMLA paperwork with HR to protect your job,” though others quickly clarified that the issue sounded more connected to workplace accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act rather than medical leave.
Another user responded, “This is not an FMLA case because you don’t need time off. It’s an ADA matter and you need accommodations.”
Several commenters encouraged the employee to request official ADA paperwork from HR and have medical restrictions documented by a doctor. One person wrote, “Once they have that from your doctors, termination as a result of them not accommodating you becomes illegal.”
Others warned the employee to keep records of conversations and preserve emails or messages in case the dispute escalated later. One commenter suggested documenting “every snarky remark made in passing, every casual threat, every dirty look.”
Not everyone completely agreed with the employee’s handling of the situation. Some commenters argued that refusing a task that makes up 20 to 30 percent of the role could create complications.
“You need to tread carefully here,” one Reddit user wrote. “Because your post says that taking measurements is 20-30% of your job.”
