My Boss Thought My Son’s Surgery Was Funny — What Happened Next Caught Him Off Guard

Favoritism at work, denied remote-work requests, and tone-deaf comments from managers can make an already difficult work—life balance even more stressful. These situations often leave employees questioning fairness, considering HR complaints, and wondering how to protect themselves at work.

Here’s Helen’s letter:

Hi Now I’ve Seen Everything!

This turned into a much bigger mess than I ever expected, and now I’m honestly spiraling. My son recently had surgery. It wasn’t life-threatening, but it was still surgery. He’s a child, he was scared, and during recovery, he could barely move for several days. I asked my boss if I could work from home for three days so I could be there in case he needed help. His response? He actually laughed and said, “Surgery? He’s not dying.”

I stood there speechless. I went back to my desk and felt like absolute crap. What really got under my skin, though, happened later that same day: he approved his friend’s request to work from home. No questions. No attitude. Just, “Sure, sounds good.” The reason? Something vague. It hurt, but I still didn’t say anything. I hate confrontation, and I didn’t want to be that employee.

Fast forward to the next day. I finally decided to file a complaint with HR. I kept it factual, no ranting. I documented 8 denied WFH requests from our team over the last few months and 6 approvals. Every single approval went to people who regularly go to lunch with him. Apparently, HR took it seriously because later that day, my boss went completely pale when he got a call from them. Like, ghost-level white. He wouldn’t even make eye contact with anyone afterward.

Now I’m sitting here feeling conflicted. Part of me feels justified — the comment about my child was cruel, and the favoritism was blatant. Another part of me feels guilty, like I’ve just ruined my work environment and painted a target on my back. So would I be wrong to involve Human Resources instead of quietly accepting it and moving on? Did I do the right thing, or did I just screw myself in the long run?

Thank you,
Helen.

Thank you for trusting us with your story, Helen!

• You didn’t “overreact,” you reacted. People love to label reasonable responses as “overreactions,” especially at work. But your boss laughed about your kid’s surgery. That’s not a gray area. That’s messed up. You didn’t storm into HR crying. You documented patterns. That’s adult, measured behavior. If anyone’s reaction was unprofessional, it wasn’t yours.
• Documenting is not scheming. Keeping records isn’t petty or strategic in a bad way; it’s responsible. Patterns matter, and writing things down is often the only way those patterns become visible to people in power.
• You don’t control the outcome, only your integrity. What HR decides isn’t on you. Your role ended when you told the truth. Let go of the idea that you’re responsible for the consequences that came from someone else’s behavior.

Don’t miss our other article featuring another reader’s story. He refused to buy a gift for his millionaire boss — and what happened next caught him off guard.