I(31M) live in the US and work 3rd shift (11pm-7am) so that my toddler who goes to daycare can have at least one parent home to watch him whenever he is sick (which is once a month minimum, daycares are a breeding ground for childhood illnesses). Last week he caught croup and after OTC medication wasn't enough to snap his fever I took him to the hospital. I was there from 8AM until my wife got off work. At that point I had been awake for +24 hours trying to keep my kid calm and comfortable while in a hospital with strangers coming and going and prodding and poking the poor kid for hours. Not to mention that I was looking at an 8 hour shift starting in a few hours. My wife convinced me to call out, pointing out that I was clearly exhausted and driving a forklift like that is as dangerous as driving a car. So I asked for a work excuse from the nurse, wrote my manager a text explaining the situation and that I couldn't come in and sent that with a picture of the excuse.
Yesterday I came into work and see that the manager had sent me an email saying to come see him when I got to work. I made my way over and he explains that I am getting written up with a “verbal warning” because, quote, “if we let you call out because your kid is sick, then we have to let everyone call out too”
I have made the decision to find a new job once I use up my accumulated PTO. The entire point of me working there is to have the flexibility to watch my son. But I know that regardless of what job is next it's going to be the same expectation that my one and only reason for living is to work. I understand that work is necessary, but this expectation that I will put my family to the side just to make things easier for management is not something that I can accept. I don't know what to do anymore.