After working during the holidays, a man was excited to take a couple of days off to relax and unwind. He planned to have a movie marathon and forget all about work. However, another employee requested he give up his time off so they could visit a sick relative, leaving him conflicted.
The employee refused to give up his time off so a colleague could visit their dying father.
The employee explained in a Reddit post that he works for a small team consisting of six people including his boss. During the holidays one employee is required to be in the office.
“Since I don’t really celebrate any holidays, I’m normally the person to work and I’ll get an equivalent day(s) off when everyone else is working,” the employee wrote. “For Thanksgiving, everyone has Thursday and Friday off, and I normally then get Monday and Tuesday off.”
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However, due to an important project this year, the man’s boss requested that he work the entire week of Thanksgiving and get the following Thursday and Friday off instead.
Before the man could take his time off, one of his colleagues shared some sad news.
“Today one of my coworkers let me know that their father’s, who has been ill for a while, health has gotten worse and they wanted to take time off so they could be with him,” the man shared.
The problem is that one employee is already on maternity leave, meaning they are short-staffed. “Only one person can be out at a time,” he wrote. “They were planning on being out from Wednesday to next Monday if I would be willing to give up my days off.”
The man spoke to his boss about the situation and was told it was his decision to make. However, if he chose to give up his time off, he would have to use his PTO to take different days off, losing the holiday time he worked.
Ultimately, the man chose not to give up his days off. “I told them I was sorry, but I needed a break,” he wrote.
His colleagues were unhappy with his decision.
His coworkers took issue with the fact that he “wasn’t doing anything” during his time off and planned to watch movies and play video games. The man’s company also offers unlimited PTO and his colleagues argued that their boss would likely approve any time off he wanted after covering for his coworker.
“My only hesitation here is that senior management will hold it against you if you take too many days off,” he explained. “So I don’t want to risk any chance at a promotion next year to do this.”
This is a common issue with companies that offer unlimited paid time off. Workers end up taking less or equal time off than they would with a fixed time off policy for several reasons, one being the lack of clarity regarding an “appropriate” amount of time off. Like this Redditor, they fear retribution, even if it is technically allowed.
Career coach Terry Jones pointed out that employees who have unlimited time off policies often feel the need to justify their requests. Simply needing a break and wanting to watch movies is not viewed as reason enough.
Management needed to have a better plan for situations like this.
Commenters pointed out that the issue here was not with the employee who needed a break or his colleague who wanted to visit his father — but with their boss and their clearly flawed system.
“The real problem here is a system that requires someone else to give up their time in order for someone to go to a dying parent,” one user noted.
“You would lose those days. I would say that your coworkers should be upset with your boss and call him out for not letting you shift those days off to when the other employee returns,” another commenter wrote.
Instead of fighting against the employee for refusing to sacrifice his much-deserved time off, the team should be voicing their concerns to management. Team members should not be expected to give up their own vacation time to accommodate others.
Taking time off is incredibly important for an employee’s well-being. According to Harvard Business Reviewvacation time prevents burnout and unclutters one’s mind, allowing employees to think more clearly and be more focused. It can also improve mood, decrease stress, and boost productivity.
An employee should be able to take off and visit their dying parent without another employee being forced to work when they are not scheduled. It is up to management to plan ahead for situations like this, and to hire enough staff so the business can run in the absence of a few employees.
The man already made sacrifices for his team by working on holidays. It is time for someone else (preferably management) to step up to the plate.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.
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