A retail employee in Klang has resigned after alleging that her newly appointed cluster manager verbally abused her in a staff WhatsApp group after she informed colleagues that she was taking medical leave.
The former sales assistant claimed the incident was the final straw following a series of unpleasant encounters with the manager during her employment.
Screenshots shared by the employee allegedly showed the manager using offensive language in the group chat, including insults directed at staff and remarks telling employees not to work in retail if they intended to take medical leave.
The woman said she joined the company in November 2025 and initially enjoyed the job despite having no previous retail experience. She claimed she worked hard to help the business grow and was told she could eventually be promoted to a supervisory role.
However, she alleged that the Klang outlet was severely understaffed, with only two employees assigned to the branch. Whenever her colleague was on annual leave, medical leave or a day off, she said she was left to run the store alone from 9.30am to 9.30pm, sometimes for several consecutive days.
According to her, staff had repeatedly requested additional manpower, but no new employees were assigned, leaving them under significant mental stress.
Despite the workload, she claimed she rarely took medical leave, saying she had only done so four times during her nine months with the company. She also shared a medical certificate issued by a government hospital and a photograph showing her receiving intravenous treatment to support her claim that she was genuinely ill.
The incident escalated after she informed the staff WhatsApp group at 5.42am that she was experiencing a medical emergency and would be unable to report for work, adding that she would submit her medical certificate later.
She alleged that the manager later questioned her condition before instructing her to open the store and wait for a replacement. According to the screenshots, he also accused employees of being selfish and “playing games”, and allegedly told her to “sell newspapers” instead if she wanted to take medical leave, adding, “Don’t work retail.”
The employee also described an earlier incident on July 9, when she said the same manager contacted her while she was on her scheduled day off. She claimed he accused her of clocking in despite her not being at work.
At the time, she said she was driving on a highway with her family and informed the manager that she could not continue the conversation. After ending the call, she alleged he sent messages stating, “I don’t care” and “You think I care about your off day.”
The former employee maintained that attendance records and CCTV footage would support her account and said the manager has yet to apologise for his alleged conduct.
