A manager at an Olive Garden in Kansas has been fired after allegedly sending a letter to employees detailing an aggressive new sick leave policy.
The strongly worded message, sent to staff at the Overland Park Olive Garden, appeared to indicate sweeping changes to the restaurant’s sick leave policy.
Part of the letter, obtained from a local station, reads:
“We will NO longer tolerate any excuse to cancel. If you’re sick, you have to prove it to us. If your dog has died, you must bring it to us and prove it to us. If it’s a “family emergency” And you can’t say, too bad. Go work somewhere else.
The letter goes on to say that any employee who calls in sick more than once in the next 30 days will be terminated.
At the end of the letter, the manager said they hoped all staff would continue to work there and thanked the staff who came on time, saying “I wish there were more like you.”
In a statement to NBC 5, Darden Restaurants, Olive Garden’s parent company, confirmed the chain’s split from the manager:
“We strive to provide a caring and respectful work environment for our team members. This message does not correspond to the values of our company. We can confirm that we have parted ways with this manager.”