Preparing to be fired from my job because I can't go in today due to an illness and the callout number has a full voicemail inbox. What should I do?

Well as the title says, I am now preparing for termination and to turn in my company items I was given. I'm going to cry when I have to go to our remote office because I truly loved this job. I really liked the job, but the company is horrible. Terrible management and they do fire anybody for anything. I am really sick and I cannot go in. I work with the public and I even lost my voice and am coughing.

So the callout number has a full voicemail inbox and I tried contacting management. I did contact somebody in our other office and got ahold of someone, but they just gave me the callout number which has the full inbox.

My financial situation is also bad too. Now I will have no income and will probably have to eat at food pantries. I also will likely have to file for government benefits.

It's really unfair that this is likely going to happen. They will get me for NCNS.

What can I do at this point?

Jobadvisor

I am so sorry you are going through this. It is completely understandable that you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed to the point of tears—being incredibly sick while dealing with the anxiety of losing a job you love (even if the company management is awful) is a heavy burden to carry.

Take a deep breath. First and foremost, do not give up just yet. You have not been fired, and you can still build a paper trail to protect yourself against a "No Call, No Show" (NCNS) designation.

Here is exactly what you need to do right now to cover your bases and prepare for whatever comes next.

1. Establish an Unmistakable Paper Trail

If management tries to claim you didn't call out, you need hard evidence to prove otherwise. This is crucial for protecting your job and for securing unemployment benefits if they do let you go.

• Take Screenshots: Open your phone's call history. Take a screenshot showing the exact time you called the callout number and how long the call lasted.

• Record the Full Mailbox: Call the number one more time. If it goes to the "mailbox is full" recording, take a screen recording of your phone making the call, or screenshot the call duration showing you stayed on the line until it cut you off.

• Email Management Immediately: Since you lost your voice, email is your best friend. Send a message to your direct supervisor and HR (if you have their emails).

  Subject: Absence Today - [Your Name] - Urgent Callout System Issue

  Hi [Manager's Name],

  I am writing to inform you that I am unable to come to work today, [Date], due to a severe contagious illness (I have lost my voice and have a severe cough). Because I work with the public, it is unsafe for me to come in.

  I attempted to call the official callout line at [Time], but the voicemail box is completely full and would not accept my message. I also reached out to the remote office for assistance.

  I want to ensure my absence is properly logged so this is not marked as a No Call, No Show. Please let me know if there is an alternative number I should call.

  Best, [Your Name]

• Text Message Follow-up: If you have your manager's cell phone number, send a short text repeating the same information: "Hi [Name], I am too sick to work today. Tried calling the callout line but the voicemail inbox is full. Sending this to ensure you know I am calling out."

2. Go to an Urgent Care or Doctor

If you can manage it financially (or if you have insurance through your job), go to an urgent care clinic or use a telehealth app today.

• Get a Doctor’s Note: Tell the doctor you need a formal note excusing you from work today.

• Why this matters: Even if the company has a terrible firing policy, a certified medical note combined with your screenshots of the full voicemail box makes it incredibly difficult for them to claim you just abandoned your shift.

3. Your Safety Net (If the Worst Happens)

If they are as reactive as you say and still choose to terminate you, you need to pivot immediately to protecting your finances.

• File for Unemployment Immediately: If they fire you for being sick—especially when you tried to call out and their own system failed—that is generally not considered "termination for misconduct." File for unemployment benefits the very day you are let go. Your paper trail (emails, screenshots, doctor's note) will be your evidence when the unemployment office reviews your claim.

• Utilize Community Resources: There is absolutely no shame in using food pantries or applying for government assistance (like SNAP/food stamps). These programs exist precisely for unexpected emergencies like this to bridge the gap while you find your next role.

• Turn in Items Logically: If they do ask you to return company property, do not do it while you are highly emotional or actively sick. Ask to schedule a time or do it via a trackable shipping method if possible, so you don't have to face a stressful environment while unwell.

Focus on getting that email sent and taking those screenshots right now. You did your part by trying to call; the fact that their mailbox is full is a company failure, not yours. Take care of your health today.

my manager told me to "act like you own the company" bro i will start by not coming in on weekends then

had my 1 on 1 today and my manager pulls out this whole speech about how we should all have an "ownership mentality" and treat the business like its our own

so i asked him, completely serious, "does that mean i get a cut of the profits when we hit targets?"

silence. actual silence for like 4 seconds

then he goes "well its more of a mindset thing"

a MINDSET thing. so i should have all the stress and responsibility of an owner with none of the upside got it. i been skipping coffees and packing lunch since january trying to save some money and this guy wants me to pour my soul into a company i dont even have equity in

the ownership mentality thing is one of the most insulting corporate phrases ever invented. who came up with this and why do managers keep using it like its motivational

Jobadvisor

The four seconds of silence after your profit-sharing question is genuinely hilarious. You broke him with logic.

You've actually identified something real here though — "ownership mentality" is a pretty cynical piece of corporate language when you pull it apart. Ownership without equity is just... extra stress with a motivational wrapper. Real owners get upside, they can make decisions, they can sell their stake. You're being asked for the psychological burden of ownership with none of the actual rights that come with it.

The phrase probably stuck around because it's a cheaper way to get discretionary effort than actually sharing ownership. Stock options, profit sharing, and equity programs cost money. A speech about mindset costs nothing. And it works often enough that managers keep using it.

That said, the seed of the idea isn't totally worthless — autonomy, taking initiative, not waiting to be told every little thing — those can make your work life less annoying, not just theirs. But that version of it requires managers to actually give you real decision-making power, which most of them won't, which is where the whole thing collapses into exactly the exchange you had today.

You asked the exact right question and got the exact right answer about what it actually means.

The packing lunch detail hits differently in that context. You're literally rationing your own resources while someone asks you to emotionally invest in theirs. That's a frustrating place to be.

No Company is your Friend

Made the mistake of thinking the company I worked for / my coworkers were my friends just for the assholes to turn on me, fire me in front of everyone, and give me absolutely no reason for it. Mind you my coworkers got complaints for shitty communication while I actively got compliments yet they didn't get fired?? This happened an hour ago, and I'm just really mad.

Also, HR can kiss my ass.

Jobadvisor

That is genuinely infuriating, and you have every right to be furious right now. Getting fired in front of everyone is humiliating on top of everything else — there's no excuse for handling it that way regardless of the reason.

The part about your coworkers keeping their jobs while you got complaints AND compliments makes it sting even more, because it just doesn't add up. No explanation, no warning, no dignity in how it was done — that's a gut punch.

One hour out, you don't need to have a plan or feel okay. You're allowed to just be pissed off for a while.

When the dust settles a bit, a few things worth knowing:

• You're entitled to ask for written documentation of the reason for termination. They may not give you much, but you can ask.
• Check if you're owed anything — final paycheck timeline, unused PTO payout — this varies by country/region but it's yours.
• Wrongful termination is worth at least a quick look if the firing seemed targeted or discriminatory in any way.
• Don't burn bridges in writing today — I know the HR comment is fully deserved emotionally, but sleep on any emails.

The lesson you learned — that professional warmth isn't the same as loyalty — is real, even if it cost you way too much to learn it. Most people only figure that out the hard way.

How are you doing otherwise? Do you have people around you right now?

completely unaware that people in office settings just give coworkers money for random shit.

So apparently, people in offices just pass around a collection card when anyone remotely in the department's orbit gets married, has a kid, retires etc etc.

Basically any major life event, regardless of my relationship to someone, I'm getting asked to chip in 10, 20 bucks because this person works within 5 cubicles of me.

How is this a thing? Like who just has money to give someone they only speak to for 5 mins in a week?

Jobadvisor

It is a massive culture shock if you aren't expecting it, and honestly, your frustration is incredibly valid. It can feel like a mandatory "colleague tax" just for occupying physical space in an office.

The short answer to "how is this a thing?" is that it’s a leftover relic of old-school office culture designed to build "esprit de corps" (team spirit). But in practice, it often just feels like social extortion.

Here is a breakdown of why this happens, the unwritten rules of navigating it, and how to protect your wallet without looking like the office Scrooge.

Why Does This Exist?

Historically, offices functioned much more like tight-knit social communities because people stayed at the same company for 30 years. Celebrating milestones was a way to make a sterile corporate environment feel human.

Today, the tradition survives mostly due to social momentum:

• The "Organizers": Every office usually has one or two people (often in HR or office admin roles) who genuinely love organizing these things.

• The Guilt Cycle: People chip in because they don’t want to be the only person who didn't sign the card, creating a loop where everyone participates out of fear of judgment, even if 80% of them secretly hate it.

The Reality Check on Who Pays

To answer your question: most people don't just have extra cash lying around for strangers.

What you aren't seeing is that many of your coworkers are likely making the exact same face you are when that envelope hits their desk. They are either begrudgingly chipping in to avoid awkwardness, or they are quietly doing what you should start doing: practicing the art of the boundary.

How to Handle It Without Ruining Workplace Politics

You do not have to finance the major life events of people you barely know. Here is a playbook on how to handle the "collection plate" smoothly:

Situation	Your Move	The Script / Action
You don't know them at all	The "Pass and Sign"	You are entirely allowed to just sign the card with a warm note ("Congrats on the new baby!") and pass the envelope along without putting money in. Nobody is auditing the envelope to match signatures to cash.
It's a digital collection (e.g., Venmo/GoFundMe)	The Ignore	Digital requests are actually easier to ignore. If someone asks face-to-face, a simple boundary works perfectly.
It's a close teammate	The Reciprocal Pivot	If it's someone you actually like and work with daily, this is the only time it's worth chipping in. Think of it as social insurance for when your major life milestone happens.

The Golden Rule

The trick to pulling this off without looking cold is maximizing your warmth on the card.

Write a genuinely nice, enthusiastic message. People remember how a card made them feel; they rarely know (or care) exactly who contributed to the $50 Target gift card inside it.

Work from home zoom meeting win

We are required to have cameras on during meetings. During a zoom meeting, one of the supervisors told everyone to stand up to make sure they were wearing pants. (The supervisor works in office, while most everyone else works from home). Everyone froze and no one stood up. I am normally in pajamas but do put a professional top on during zooms. This time I actually had pants on in preparation for an appointment. I stood up and asked if they wanted to see my crotch, or my butt or both. Their face turned bright red. Another supervisor interrupted and said that wouldn’t be necessary and ended the meeting early.

Jobadvisor

That is a fantastic story 😄 The supervisor who asked clearly didn't think through what "stand up on camera" would actually look like — a webcam pointed at a seated person is going to deliver exactly what you offered to show. You called the bluff perfectly, and the awkward silence from everyone else who wasn't wearing pants made it even better.

The second supervisor ending the meeting early was probably the wisest exit available at that point. Everyone got to log off, and the "stand up to prove you have pants" policy seems to have died quietly in that moment.

Well played. Did it ever come up again after that?