Paid time off, aka personal time off or PTO, is your right as an employee. Whether you spend your time off holidaying in Bermuda, doing charity work, watching endless reruns of Spongebob Squarepants, getting married, or eating all the ice cream you ever wanted is entirely up to you. However, some bosses and managers are so controlling, so dismissive of their own workers that they start to resemble Saturday morning cartoon villains. For them, PTO is more of a suggestion, not a right.
To show you just how toxic some workplaces can be, we’ve collected some of the most jaw-dropping Reddit stories about employees having their paid time off requests denied. Some even had to deal with scheduling issues when it came to their weddings and honeymoons. It’s unfair. It’s infuriating. It’s something you Pandas might have had to deal with yourselves.
Scroll down to see just how bizarre some workplaces can be when it comes to dodging the terms employees signed up to. It’s the Twilight Zone of workplace culture, and we’re heading right in: keep on strolling, don’t be tempted by the coffee machine, and ignore all of the ‘RUN!’ signs plastered on the cubicle walls.
Bored Panda reached out to Anna and Sarah, the founders of the ‘Work Wives’ podcast about work-life balance for empowered women, for a chat about denied paid time off, as well as how to deal with difficult managers. Read on to check out what they told us!
A redditor shared how they were (almost) scheduled to work during her wedding, and others began sharing the times that their paid time off requests were denied
#1
My old boss tried to deny leave because I had used a lot of my leave the previous year. I lost both parents and had to deal with the estate and selling the house etc. I apologized to them that my folks had died, and promised that it would never happen again.
Image credits: swampcat42
#2
I had this situation for my honeymoon. I told them I had plane tickets set and everything. They tried to tell me that I should only buy tickets after being granted that time. There were absolutely no reason for them to deny it besides having a low pool to pick from which isn’t my problem. I gave proper of time ahead and followed all the rules and then not being able to retain people is not my problem.
So it came down to that they can grant it or I won’t be returning after my honeymoon. So they granted it.
Image credits: Talisintiel
#3
My boss texted me while I was at my mother’s funeral to let me know they ‘really can’t give me any more time off for this’
Image credits: ummmmmmmmmqueen
#4
I put my wedding PTO when I worked retail 6 months prior. I kept trying and trying to get confirmation but it was never officially approved. I’m gay and this was before the (now temporary, it seems) Supreme Court ruling, so my now husband and I had to fly to another state. A couple of weeks before our wedding, my time was denied; at this point everything had been paid for, flights had been booked, hotels and the like. My manager at the time basically was like “too bad you gotta work.” I had set up a meeting between my manager, our district manager and myself and just told them “listen, this is a retail job. I am leaving to get married. At this point, it’s not a matter of whether or not I’m going; it’s a matter of whether I will have a job when I get back. Figure it out.”
Image credits: sexy_chocobo
#5
I just lost a great employee because my DM rejected the time off I submitted for her for literally no good reason at all. I had coverage for her shifts. It was no problem at all to accommodate her. DM declined it just because she could.
I warned her this employee would likely resign, as she doesn’t need this job – she works because she wants to.
When she did quit, DM did some serious mental gymnastics trying to craft reasons it was MY fault we lost her.
Image credits: zombiechewtoy
#6
I started a job right before I got married, entry level work in the dietary department of a hospital. I mostly washed a lot of dishes. Before getting hired, I mentioned I would need quite a few days off due to my wedding, & they said they’d work with me. They didn’t.
I was scheduled to work the night of my reception dinner, & I informed my supervisor of that. She knew this in advance, but for some reason scheduled me anyway. I asked every person there if they’d work for me, & they said no, but they were sure I’d get it off. So I reminded/asked her, & she told me tough luck. I stood there, dumbfounded. Everyone else overheard this, & they, too, we’re in absolute disbelief. Thankfully, one of the ladies offered to work for me, & the supervisor couldn’t say no to that.
The next day I asked to speak privately with my supervisor. She was in the cafeteria with a friend, & told me that anything I needed to say I could tell her out there now. So I politely handed her my two week notice. She tried to keep calm, but she was furious, & her face was beet red. I basically had to come back & work two days after my wedding, & I did.
Image credits: SunburntBanana
#7
Hey me from 12 years ago! Wedding anniversary is July 23rd. I got hired at this company and let them know months in advance of my wedding. I was a top performer in my department they all loved me, but denied my request for “unpaid time off”.
Kept saying it was non negotiable. I was getting married, period. They kept acting confused, saying things like “who’s getting married? Your brother?”
Ultimately I told them my last day would be the week before my wedding so I could concentrate on that. They tried to get me to stay and I told them, literally just give me off the days I requested and I’ll come right back and keep being the same top performer in the department!
Nope.
So I had to quit.
It sucked getting married and being unemployed, taking months to find something else. But ultimately I’m glad I left. If they wouldn’t accommodate my marriage they would have sucked for other things too. My career really took off after that company.
Good luck!
Image credits: Sasumeh
#8
I remember I had family coming into town, and at the time I lived near Disney world so obviously any family coming in town wanted to go. I put the whopping TWO DAYS of PTO in 3 months in advance and they approved it. They had two people quit the week before my dates and let me know they’d be rejecting my PTO.
I tried to reason with them that 1. Id purchased tickets and 2. Planned it in advance and did everything I was supposed to do. No dice, manager was sorry but they needed me. “No. I don’t think you understand. Im letting you know that I’m going… so all you did was force me to take an attendance point.” My manager was flabbergasted I was just still planning on going.
My PTO requests in advance are not an ask. They’re a tell.
Image credits: josiphoenix
#9
I like when you request time off and the boss tells you to find someone to take your place that day. It’s like, that’s your job, not mine.
Image credits: rickztoyz
#10
This is like when I worked at a major chain grocery store and they “declined” my time off for the last 2 days a 5-day trip.
I found out when I had already left.
Called the store and told my boss “I’ve already left, we drove, it’s not my car and so I couldn’t come back early even if I wanted to. This wasn’t a request, it was a courtesy so you had time to schedule someone else. Good luck getting that staffed tomorrow.”
Image credits: IndigoEmerald91
#11
My former employer tried that with me. I had to let them know the time off isn’t a request, Its a courtesy notification of the days my labor is not for sale. I took the time off, came back to work afterwards and it was never mentioned again
Image credits: K1nsey6
#12
My grandmother, who practically raised me, passed away unexpectedly. The funeral was set for Easter weekend (just a few days after her passing). I worked at a chocolate store and Easter was one of the busiest times of the year. My boss asked me to come into work after her funeral…
Image credits: Fickle_Ad_6881
#13
I was hired for a new position that was absolutely desperate for staff (manager even told me this in the interview). Before saying yes, I asked the manager if I could have the week of and the week after my wedding off for wedding and honeymoon. She said no. I declined the position. Ended up getting to go back and work there as a travel nurse after my wedding and honeymoon were all done. This was even for about 4 times the pay and only temporary staffing help. Now they’re even more desperate for staff but I got to work my 5+ months and then leave. So glad I didn’t stay as staff.
Image credits: GullibleBalance7187
#14
Yeah, my daughter was refused Her week of bereavement leave for her grandfather. She quit.
Image credits: missoularedhead
#15
My job tried to write me up for a no call no show when I was on my honeymoon. I don’t work there anymore and life is much better.
Image credits: notdominique
#16
I remember one time, I had put in for some vacation days. Handed the paper to the supervisor, and he immediately tried to deny it. He said he had too many people off that week and my request was denied. I told him straight up, “I wasn’t requesting, I was informing you that I will not be here those days.”
Image credits: Pony_Express1974
#17
When I was getting married , I told my boss that I needed that week off.
” I don’t know if we can give you that time off. There are already a bunch booked off that week.”
” Bring a camera to work that Monday and take a picture. Let me know if there’s a surprised look on your face, ‘ cause I won’t be here. “
Image credits: Famous_Bit_5119
#18
Back in 2012, I decided to take my entire family on the first vacation we had ever had. My wife and I worked at the same company, her Frontline me a little further up the ladder. The management learned not to mess with any of my requests for anything, I was not afraid to go screaming up the ladder all the way to corporate if necessary As we reported to 2 different management chains, her request for the time off was immediately and completely denied. She was told that there was absolutely no availability. I stepped in, contacted hr, my management, and the highest site management noting I would go beyond if needed. I advised that we were both taking that time off and that the denial had better be reversed. Also that I wouldcnot be checking any further. We went on that vacation as we decided. Not a word was said by anybody in the company.
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