She said 'stomach flu' & took Friday off for Coorg; then her manager saw her in a viral reel & sent just 5 words

A day off that was supposed to be a quiet Friday getaway reportedly turned into an awkward Monday at work after an employee’s holiday plans appeared in a viral Instagram reel. According to a post shared on Reddit’s r/antiLinkedIn, the employee had told their manager they were suffering from stomach flu and needed the day off. Instead, they travelled to Coorg for a holiday. The plan apparently went unnoticed until the employee appeared in the background of a dance video filmed at a homestay. The reel later gained more than 13,000 likes, bringing the supposedly private trip into the public eye, and eventually, to the attention of the employee’s manager.

The sick leave excuse had a Coorg problem

According to the Reddit post, the employee had planned a Friday trip to Coorg and informed the manager that they were unwell with stomach flu.

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The employee reportedly stayed at a homestay during the trip and ended up appearing in the background of a video where people were dancing. What might otherwise have been an unnoticed appearance took a different turn when the video began attracting attention on Instagram.

The reel reportedly crossed 13,000 likes.

Manager spotted the viral reel

The awkward moment apparently came after the employee returned to work on Monday.

According to the Reddit user, their skip-level manager sent them the same reel along with a five-word message:

“Hope your stomach is better.”

The message was brief, but the context made it clear that the manager had noticed the employee’s holiday appearance.

Employee says WFH requests were affected

The Reddit post claimed that the employee continued working at the company after the incident. However, the employee reportedly said their subsequent work-from-home requests were no longer being approved, with the manager having lost trust in them.

The post did not establish the company involved or independently verify the employee’s account.

Reddit users react to the workplace drama

The story quickly drew reactions on Reddit, with users focusing on the unusual way the sick-leave excuse was exposed.

One commenter summed up the situation with the line:

“Lies are short lived.”

Others joked about the risks of appearing in social media content while trying to keep a holiday private, with one user even joking about deleting Instagram altogether.

The original poster also appeared surprised by how quickly the reel had spread, saying they had not expected it to go viral.

When a private holiday ends up online

The Coorg trip itself was not the unusual part. Employees taking a day off for a holiday is hardly headline material. The awkwardness came from the mismatch between the reason reportedly given for the leave and what later appeared online.

A holiday photograph shared with a small group can easily disappear into a social media feed. A reel that starts collecting thousands of likes, however, can travel much further than expected.

And once someone from the workplace happens to see it, the explanation can become considerably more uncomfortable.

Social media can make workplace excuses harder to hide

The Reddit story also highlights how social media has changed workplace dynamics. An explanation given privately to a manager can now collide with a public post, tagged video or viral reel that reaches people far outside an employee’s immediate circle.

The incident is based on a Reddit user’s account and does not establish how the company handled the matter beyond what was claimed in the post. But the story offers a simple lesson: once something appears online, keeping it limited to a small audience may no longer be entirely in your hands.


Disclaimer: This article is based on a user-generated post on Reddit. ET.com has not independently verified the claims made in the post and does not vouch for their accuracy. The views expressed are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of ET.com. Reader discretion is advised.