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When it comes to paid time off, the United States is notorious for being a "no-vacation nation". Only 10 days of paid leave — that's what the average worker in the private sector receives a year, and it’s far less than in most advanced economies. But sadly, having the opportunity to take a deserved break does not automatically lead to people using it.

Sometimes employees feel guilty about leaving their projects behind, other times they fear losing coworkers’ respect. But when it's a shameless boss who denies their well-reasoned request, it's a whole other story. A few days ago, Redditor spr_t shared a screenshot of a conversation with their manager informing them about feeling ill. As it turns out, even a doctor’s note has little effect on a supervisor who believes typing out a text means you’re not sick enough to skip work.

"I lost my job of 3 years because of this," the user wrote and inspired others to chime in with their own experiences. Bored Panda has collected some of the most surprising replies from the thread, so be sure to read them right below. And if you have any similar stories to share, tell us all about them in the comments.

Recently, a worker shared a conversation with their manager on the AntiWork subreddit revealing how they were fired for taking time off

Their post inspired some Redditors to chime in with similar experiences

#1

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BlackestDawn
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Good that someone knew how to handle that properly, and didn't blame you for being there.

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Nirdavo
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What the OP's boss did would be plainly illegal here in Germany. Both demanding that he find his own replacement (this is the boss's job!) and firing him for calling in sick.

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We managed to get in touch with user spr_t who was kind enough to have a little chat with us. They revealed they got the idea to share this conversation after posting it on OSHA: "Someone messaged me and recommended I post it [on Anti Work]." They did not expect this thread to get as much engagement as it did but appreciate the support. As of today, the screenshot has collected over 60.2K upvotes and more than 4K comments where people shared their own stories and opinions about this situation. 

"I believe that the post gained so much attention and support because a lot of people have faced similar experiences. America’s labor laws have come a long way but still, there are many loopholes varying from state to state. In my state (Texas), it is legal to fire someone after providing a work note," they said.

When asked how they are feeling about this whole incident, spr_t told Bored Panda they realized there isn’t much they can do. "Some of the anger and hatred I had towards the subject has subsided and now I’m just looking for a new job which isn’t as easy as it seems," the user revealed. "In life, people have to realize that no matter how much work and time you put into something (especially jobs), it’s never certain or secured," they added.

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UnpopularPanda
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

March 2020, I was sick af and wasn't able to work even remotely. Had already seen a doc and was suggested to take rest. A manager (that I didn't even report to) called and forced me to go for a Covid Test which the doctor said wasn't required based on symptoms I was showing. The test result came negative and the said manager forced me to be at work because I am not really 'sick'.

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According to the "No-Vacation Nation" report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research, the European Union requires to give workers employed in the EU at least 20 working days of paid vacation. However, many member countries go above that number, for example, France requires at least 30 paid vacation days off, and that’s not including paid holidays. The UK mandates 28, then Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Spain all require 25, and Portugal has to provide at least 22 working days of paid vacation per year.

"The United States continues to be the only advanced economy that does not guarantee its workers paid vacation," the researchers wrote. "Without a federal paid vacation policy, close to one in four Americans have no paid vacation (23 percent) and no paid holidays (22 percent)," they added that these figures seem to be on the same level since 2013.

#6

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James016
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's the manager's job to cover your shift, not yours and especially not a teenager

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Selena Rezvani, a leadership expert, speaker, and author of Pushback: How Smart Women Ask — and Stand Up — for What They Want, told Bored Panda that even though paid time off is a benefit given to many workers, workplaces often have the right to decide how that time is taken off, "for example how PTO should be requested and with how much notice."

"That means firing is actually a possibility with at-will employment, provided it’s not for an EEOC-related [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] reason. Obviously, it sets a negative precedent to police or over-restrict people’s PTO. Remember, this is a benefit that employees have an expectation that they can control — for example when they use PTO, for how long and based on their own justifications. Taking that away erodes trust and wellbeing and cultivates exactly what you don’t want — fear," Rezvani added.

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Jessica Allred
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had a stomach bug once at a call center, I had to ask the person on the phone if I could put them on hold so that I could go vomit. My manager asked me are you sure you're not pregnant? Because women can't just get the stomach flu, right?

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The leadership expert noted that when managers intimidate or threaten to fire their employees for taking time off, it can make workers feel hesitant to use their paid days at all. "The power play in using PTO is fraught with all kinds of worries: will I appear lazy or uncommitted? Will my manager think I’m not sharing the load? Will they see me as lacking in work ethic?"

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Nirdavo
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You should have said: "Well, then the shop just stays closed. Personnel management is you problem, not mine." At least, that's what we will say here in Germany.

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NsG
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I *hope* the mill manager's reaction was actually an uncharacteristic irrational response. People often don't behave in the "expected" way in stressful situations. If the manager was otherwise decent, the frustration displayed could have been their externally displayed coping mechanism. One of my managers (an otherwise amazingly generous and supportive person) heard that a coworker's sister had died unexpectedly that morning and had a small giggling fit because her brain just didn't process the information correctly. I want to know what the overall pattern of behaviour is before I judge someone for being terrible humans.

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Upstaged75
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am one of those managers who honestly doesn't care. I will never understand how some managers feel the need to treat other people like that! Do they honestly think it creates the best environment for workers to do their job?

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She explained that our reluctance in taking time off is evidence of this. "More than half of Americans don’t take all their PTO in a year — compared to France where 90 percent of people take all their PTO. This could also show up in a reluctance to fully disconnect during time off. When Americans do take vacations, 41 percent are checking into work while away and a whopping 84 percent of executives have canceled vacations in order to work. Managers need to normalize encouraging people to fully unplug when taking PTO!"

When asked what would be an appropriate reaction from the management when employees ask for PTO, Rezvani said they should "go out of your way to accommodate it and try not to probe for an explanation of what they’re doing in their time off. If they want to tell you, they will — but they shouldn’t be obligated."

#14

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Ryan
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Target, in Cali! I'm not sure if the policy is still in place now, but you were required to clock out for 30 minutes if you were working more than 7 hours or something like that. Also, you were required to take said lunch before you've worked 5 hours or more. If you didn't, you got a write up and after so many, you'd get canned. This was so frustrating because there were no exceptions. If you were busy with a customer or on the only register open on a busy day and couldn't clock out for the break in time, oh well! Most of the time it was up to team leader or supervisor to relieve you, unless you were working on the floor, like stocking or facing. Well there I was, on a register while my team lead is on one too. I finally get relieved 5 hours and 45 minutes into my shift and clock out late for my lunch (for the last time). The next shift, they pulled me into the office and fired me for violating company policy AND California state law. BULLSH*T!

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Other users were appalled by the manager's behavior, here's what they had to say