Olive Garden fired a manager who instituted a hardcore sick-leave policy: 'If your dog died, you need to bring him in and prove it'

• An Olive Garden manager was let go after telling staff who called in sick to find another job.
• The manager told workers in a message they'd need to "prove if their dog had died."

Olive Garden has parted ways with a manager who told workers to prove they were sick if they called out of a shift.

In a message seen by KCTV5, an Olive Garden manager in Johnson County, Kansas, censured employees for taking time off and said that if they needed to do so, "you might as well go and look for another job."

The manager began the message by saying people were calling out at a staggering rate, then said calling out sick was mostly inexcusable.

"We are no longer tolerating ANY excuse for calling off," the message said. "If you're sick, you need to come prove it to us. If your dog died, you need to bring him in and prove it to us. If its a 'family emergency' and you can't say, too bad. Go work somewhere else."

The manager said an employee would lose their job if they called in sick more than once in 30 days. They added that they hadn't missed one day of work in their 11 ½ at Darden, which owns Olive Garden.

"Do you think I want to be here until midnight on Friday and Saturday? No," the manager said. "I'd much rather be at home with my husband and dog, going to the movies or seeing family. But I don't, I'm dedicated to being here. As should you. No more excuses or complaints."

In a statement, an Olive Garden spokesperson confirmed that the restaurant chain had "parted ways" with the manager who wrote the message.

"We strive to provide a caring and respectful work environment for our team members. This message is not aligned with our company's values," the spokesperson said.