Becca’s car broke down on her way to work so she sent her boss a text. She could never have predicted his response

An employee stranded on a motorway after her car unexpectedly broke down did not receive the response she had hoped for from her boss.

The manager texted the worker, known as Becca, asking where she was after noticing she was 20 minutes late.

Becca quickly apologised, explaining she had called the office earlier to let them know she was waiting on a highway for roadside assistance due to a breakdown. 

Instead of expressing concern or sympathy, the angry boss bluntly replied, ‘The client is here waiting.’

‘I know I’m sorry, but I physically can’t move the car right now. I’m doing everything I can to get there,’ Becca replied. 

However, the boss didn’t take her response well, saying: ‘This sort of stuff really shouldn’t be happening. Did you forget to put oil in?’

Trying to explain the stressful situation, Becca responded: ‘I don’t know what the problem is but I get it serviced regularly.’

As the employee waited on the side of the road, the manager replied: ‘I am going to have to take this meeting it looks like. Very frustrating as I have a busy day and I shouldn’t be having to cover for you.’

Becca was apologetic, saying: ‘I really am sorry, this is just out of my hands.’

Despite the rare incident being out of her control, the manager refused to be lenient. 

‘Just need you to take additional steps to prepare next time,’ he texted.

Becca shared the text messages with British career expert Ben Askins, who is known on social media for calling out ‘toxic’ bosses for their shocking behaviours. 

Ben described the manager’s response as ‘patronising’ and ‘annoying’, explaining that he showed no consideration or care for the employee. 

‘What do you want her to do? She’s stuck on the side of the road, she can’t get to work. It’s quite stressful with cars zooming past… it can be quite intimidating,’ he said.

‘”Did you put oil in” is decidedly unhelpful – I don’t really get the logic here. It’s a breakdown… She doesn’t know what the problem is, she’s not a mechanic.

‘Clearly your teammate can’t make it, it’s not her fault. Your job is to step in and cover, just take the meeting with the client. You can shout all you want, she can’t get in and you have the ability to take the meeting so just take the meeting.’

His video has been viewed over 540,000 times, with many suggesting Becca could have taken a taxi to work, leaving her car behind to deal with later.  

‘If it’s an important meeting, she should get a taxi and sort the car out later,’ one said.

However, not everyone agreed, with many pointing out you ‘can’t just abandon a car on a motorway’ as you need to be there when roadside assistance arrives. 

‘Everyone here saying “just leave the car” has clearly never actually been in that situation. You think a tow company will pick up a car without the owner there to show proof of ownership? It was on the side of a highway potentially blocking traffic. Possibly containing valuables in the car or trunk,’ one said. 

‘A meeting is just a meeting, most clients understand emergencies; I’’m sure any good boss can handle a client meeting when the unexpected happens with one of their employees,’ another shared. 

‘As a leader I’ve had the same situation occur – correct response would be “are you ok? Be safe and get here when you can”…not that hard,’ one suggested.

Many shared their own similar experiences, with one saying: ‘Unfortunately. This is extremely relatable.’

‘I was involved in a three-car crash, and had whiplash. Once I got the car to the roadside I phoned my boss. His answer was to leave the car and get a train,’ one said.

‘No phone, I ran out of gas because the gauge was broken. I had to hitch to a gas station, find a payphone and call in, and hitch a ride back to the car. I got yelled at by my boss for being late,’ another revealed.

‘I’d have got my car towed home and never returned to that job,’ one confessed.

Meanwhile, many joked the employee should’ve plan things better ahead of the breakdown.

‘She should always carry a second car in a trailer in case the first car breaks down obviously,’ one said, laughing. 

‘if you plan on breaking down you should tow another car so you can swap obviously,’ another shared. 

‘She should have a driver following her with a spare car at all times… Sounds like the boss is willing to pay for it,’ one added.