u/Suspicious-Slip-266

Hello I am needing advice on how to move forward with this issue.

I work as a Team Lead at a fintech company and over the past few months I’ve started feeling like I’m being singled out and targeted over using legally accrued sick time. I’m not on any attendance corrective action, my performance metrics are strong, and I consistently meet/exceed expectations, yet management has repeatedly made comments and actions surrounding my time off that feel retaliatory and humiliating.

The biggest issue recently happened when a supervisor publicly posted in a large Slack channel (with around 20+ peers/managers) that our evening/project TL had called out and emphasized that there would “only be one TL until 5pm (if they don’t leave early).” It very obviously pointed at me and painted me in a negative light to leadership and coworkers. I felt publicly shamed for using protected sick time.

This also comes after months of concerns surrounding the weekend team specifically. I recently moved back to weekends, and historically weekend employees/TLs have struggled because our scorecards and performance expectations are not adjusted to account for lower call volume and fewer opportunities to hit metrics compared to weekday teams. Despite repeated concerns from employees, leadership has allegedly refused to normalize or adjust expectations fairly. At the same time, there’s been a noticeable increase in PIPs and firings tied to “performance.”

Because of all this, I genuinely feel like I’m being pushed out or set up to fail. I’m currently the highest-paid TL in my department, and the timing of everything feels suspicious. The public callouts, pressure around using sick time, the refusal to adjust weekend expectations fairly, and the increase in disciplinary action across the team have made me feel anxious that retaliation is coming next.

I’ve already reached out to HR because at this point it no longer feels like simple management frustration it feels like harassment and reputational damage. I’m trying to understand if this is something worth escalating further or if anyone else has dealt with employers creating pressure/intimidation around legally protected sick time.

Here is a breakdown of what I have documented some of it may not make sense since I copied it directly from a google doc I have written everything down :

Timeline of Concerns Regarding Sick Time Scrutiny and Workplace Treatment

Monday 2/23 - first thing when I came in - around 6:30am-7am

I was unexpectedly pulled into a sync meeting by
* that had not been placed on our
calendar beforehand. During this conversation,
• questioned whether I "wanted to be here"
and asked if there was a reason I "did not want to be here." He also stated there had been a
"pattern" of me leaving early, despite those instances involving the use of my accrued sick time.
At the time, I explained that I was still processing a significant personal life event that had recently occurred and that I had needed time for myself when necessary. I also clarified that when I left early, I was utilizing accrued sick time available to me. The nature of the conversation made me feel as though my lawful use of sick leave was being viewed negatively and created discomfort around using benefits I am entitled to. This meeting I did not receive a recap of this conversation

Saturday 3/7 - Grat was not even in office/ it's his day off. losent me a message referencing a prior occasion where I had mentioned todid that I might need to leave early because I was not feeling well. In his message, & stated there was "concern" because we had "talked some time ago about the repeated behavior of leaving early every other week," and said it was still happening and I didn't inform him specifically because he was already gone for the day. Even though I had communicated my departure with all the leadership present at the time.
This interaction stood out to me because:
• I had communicated my situation to leadership at the time.
• My use of sick time was accrued and available to me.
• The wording framed my use of sick leave as a behavioral issue rather than a health-related matter.
I responded professionally, explaining that I had not known earlier in the day whether I would actually need to leave, and that my condition worsened throughout the day. I also stated that I had continued maintaining my performance, scorecard, and metrics, while expressing that the level of monitoring around my sick time had begun to feel uncomfortable and that I would be seeking counsel from HR regarding the matter.

Monday 3/9
Shortly after arriving at the office around 6-7 AM, Gut once again pulled me into a sync meeting that had not been scheduled or placed on our calendar beforehand. During this meeting, -
i explained that the prior conversations were intended as a "seek to understand" discussion and stated that they "cared" about me and wanted to make sure we were "good." The overall tone of the meeting appeared focused on explaining prior conduct and reassuring me following my concerns. Leaving the meeting, I personally felt that this conversation was an attempt at damage control following the discomfort I had expressed regarding the scrutiny around my sick time usage and also because I had mentioned I was reaching out to HR due to the concern. At the time, the conversation gave me the impression that my concerns were being acknowledged, which ultimately led me to reach back out to HR and inform
* mat and I had reached a
better understanding.
However, unlike other leadership syncs or coaching conversations, I again never received a recap or formal documentation regarding this meeting.

Tuesday 5/5
posted a Slack message to a large group that included peers and leadership stating:
→
though my name was not directly used in the message, the context made it undeniak lentifiable that the statement was referring to me. The added comment "if they don't lea early" was unprofessional and unnecessary and publicly highlighted prior concerns around my use of sick time and leaving early.
This message caused me embarrassment and concern because:
• It was communicated in front of approximately 26 peers and managers
It publicly singled me out regarding attendance despite me using accrued sick time.
I am not currently on corrective action for attendance, conduct or performance.
• My metrics and work performance have remained strong.
The repeated focus and commentary surrounding my use of accrued sick leave has created a growing feeling of discomfort and anxiety around utilizing time I am entitled to use under company policy and Arizona sick leave law protections.