Fake names are used.
Happened many years ago when I used to work at a local lumber store it was a family-owned business. The people I worked with were actually nice, but the management and upper management were a bit overbearing. Also, not a too much room for advancement either.
Back then I was pretty close with a coworker named George. I was part of the sales crew and he was part of foremen who cut and loaded lumber to customers' vehicles. He was really great guy, who knew his stuff when it comes to lumber, hardwares, and construction. He loved showing the ropes to new hires, answered any questions that customers or employees had, and generally liked by everyone.
Him being nice had bit of a downside; While the upper management tried not to make it obvious, but they would try to shove some of their duties on him, without the extra pay. He was nice enough to them without much complaint. He was one of those firm believers of “hard work always pays off in the end” and honestly I think it's how he defined himself with.
Unfortunately, George was involved in an accident that immobilized him to a hospital bed for a few months. the manager said he got the doctor's note, and asked everyone, especially those who worked in the warehouse to pick up the pace while George was recovering. And because he was such a great guy, everyone was willing to do so.
A few days later, the following email gets sent out company-wide that went along the lines of (Please understand I'm doing this by memory):
Dear employees of lumber copmany,
As most of you are aware, George was in a terrible accident that will be leaving him out of work for a few weeks. But he has to use up all his PTOs as well as sick leave hours, and due to company policy we won't be able to offer him extended leaves.
We ask some of you to donate your PTO to cover the rest of his recovery. George has been an incredible part of our company who is beloved by everyone, but that wouldn't excuse him for missing his days at work. We also don't want to see him not being paid.
After using up all his PTOs and sick leaves, he still needs X amount of hours covered. Please help out your fellow employee
Sincerely,
The management team
Not knowing any better, I gave 1 day worth of PTO, and so did 20-30 other employees.
Looking back, I know what I did for George was a great thing, but I think it was messed up for the company to not give one of their best employees extended leave