There’s nothing like a good, long holiday to get away from work, recharge your batteries, and give you a fresh perspective on what life is all about. There can be no quality work without quality rest, nearly everyone knows that. However, even though it seems completely natural to take some time off so you’re fresh and brimming with energy again, far from every employer is happy with that and, in the end, many employees feel guilty about asking to go on holiday.
That’s exactly the issue that Twitter user Lordsprout tackled in a viral online post. She said that the idea of “requesting” time off is “insane” and that we should be talking about “notifying” our employers when we won’t be at work. “They don’t own you; you simply sell them your time. You notify them as a courtesy so they can staff accordingly. They can’t dictate your life,” she said.
In response, some employees shared exactly what happened to them when they asked for some time off. You know, something that’s entirely normal. However, what they shared might just make your jaw drop with how unfair things seem.
Image credits: lordsprout
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When you go on holiday, you reduce your stress levels and improve your health. That’s nothing groundbreakingly new, but vital to remember it. Forbes explains that in the short term, the levels of certain hormones like cortisol and adrenaline get raised by stress, and this can be helpful because it triggers your ‘fight or flight’ response. However, chronic stress can lead to serious health issues like heart disease.
One study that was released by the American Psychological Association came to the conclusion that taking time off from work helps reduce stress. This is because people remove themselves from all the activities and environments that they learned to associate with anxiety. While you’re away from an anxiety-inducing environment, odds are that you’ll be spending more time outdoors, in nature which, of course, is good for your health.
Couldn't you just turn of the cell phone??... why would anyone want any phone call when in labor??
This is insane to me, where I'm from time off for your wedding, birth of a child, a death in the family, etc are protected by law. It's just a couple of days, but no one can stop you from taking them. You also can't be denied time off if you request it a month in advance. WTAF.
Professor Eddy Ng previously explained to Bored Panda that it is vital that employees know their rights. “Labor laws or employment standards will require employers to provide regular employees with paid time off for statutory holidays. In the event that an employer requires an employee to work over the holiday period, the employee will be eligible for statutory holiday pay—the amount varies across different jurisdictions,” he explained.
“Employees can and should remind employers of their statutory rights pertaining to holiday or holiday pay should they work. Employers may face fines if they violate labor laws or employment standards,” Professor Ng said.
Yes and no. Unless you are the ONLY employee, there really are a lot of other people to consider, and being hardnosed about the week you choose can make you just as much the a***. As someone whose spouse was always giving up the a desired vacation week because some co-worker REFUSES to budget on WHATEVER week that person chooses each year, I've seen firsthand how co-workers can be awful, ugly, and self-centered, and their bosses are often just doing their best to accommodate multiple requests for the same dates. Let's face it--unless a company closes for each holiday, most employees try to utilize the same times of the year for vacation to get those extra holiday days off. Also now that my spouse is corporate and over several other managers, he STILL often gives up his choice of vacation week if an employee insists on a specific week, now as boss doing what he wishes had been done to accommodate him over the years. Not all employees are righteous victims of the big bad bosses here.
“Employees are entitled to know and should know their rights when working over a holiday period. This information should be provided in employee handbooks and it is good management practice to let employees know of their entitlements. Employees may also contact the Department of Labor that enforces labor laws or employment standards to file a complaint,” the professor said.
“Sometimes, it is necessary to ask employees to work during a holiday period. However, employers have a duty to accommodate employees who are unable to work over a holiday period for religious observances (religious accommodation). Employees should inform their employers in advance to allow their employers to find replacement workers. US laws also require employers to accommodate employees only to the point of undue hardship, i.e., more than a de minimis cost or burden to the employer.”
Is it just me or did you read that as 'Super here's my please turn over request'?
This is disturbing in many ways. There are quite a few places in the world where these practices are illegal (16h days, threatening termination when taking leave, 24h shifts). Of course people need to earn to provide for themselves and their families but at what cost of life quality? The USA oriented posts here show that (some) norms and values of US society are outdated, unsustainable, and unhealthy for the mind and general mindset. For foreigners the USA seems to be (increasingly) on a slippery slope downwards. It is inconceivable that such practices are accepted by the people. I hope this person is doing better now.
Lordsprout’s thread on Twitter received a lot of attention online. It got over 13.1k likes and was retweeted nearly 2.5k times.
In a perfect world, what Lordsprout says should be how things happen: when we’d need to take a day or a week off, we’d simply notify our employers that, hey, I’m off to enjoy life outside the job for a bit. However, this isn’t a perfect world that we live in.
You got the traditional severance. The luck of not being in a “right to work” state.
Unless you’re very high up in your company’s hierarchy or the business fully trusts its workers, you can’t take time off at the drop of a hat (unless it’s a family emergency, of course). If you want a vacation, that means communicating with quite a few people.
Small scale kitchens in resort towns were the worst for time off. There’s none, as they’re only open maybe 10mos/year. You’re there the whole time and then off and unpaid during “off season”. Good luck filing job-attached unemployment unless your boss loves you, there’s no 2 weeks paid vacation and OT does NOT kick in at 40hrs. Oh, no health insurance either, and almost no calling in sick. You show up and if you actually look/sound bad enough you might get sent home. Maybe. ‘Murica!
For instance, odds are that you’ll have to inform both your manager/direct supervisor, as well as a member of your human resources team (if the company has one). Then they’ll check if it’s not an incredibly busy time for the company and if there are enough people on the team to get the job done with you being gone for a bit.
Checking in with so many people for time off, which you should get depending on your contract, can seem like quite a hassle. However, it’s become pretty standard practice and, usually, there are no issues at all. Naturally, some industries have very busy periods of time that can last a month or a few, so managers tend to dissuade their employees from taking time off then.
Crappy Manager Playbook. Basically telling you 'go and hector Sally into rescinding her non-essential holiday request so I don't have to get off my backside and, you know, manage anything.'
I would have pretended to think I put him on hold and was calling an employment lawyer. You know. " Hang on boss, I'll be right back ,just hold a sec. Beep boop ( tones really loud in his ear from fake dialing. ) Hello is this (Whoever in your area instills fear, in our area the guys name is actually Buzzard like the bird) MR Buzzard? Do I have a case for you!!"
It might not sound fair if your manager denies you time off during the busiest time of the year for the company, however, the issue here is about proper communication. If everyone knows upfront that everyone’s going to be incredibly busy around the holidays, then it’s easier to juggle your vacation plans and go before/after the busy season.
You shouldn't get in trouble for being unavailable, when in hospital.
On the flip side, if the rules regarding time off are incredibly opaque and kept secret, then odds are that you’ll have a lot of angry workers on your hands. The reason for denying someone time off has to be water-tight. It can’t be some random excuse like, “No, you can’t take time off because I said so” or, “No, it’s all hands on deck” if it’s actually just business as usual.
Reprehensible. Interestingly, these bosses eventually behave the same way in their personal lives.
Working without proper breaks can lead to burnout. If you can’t spend quality time with your family, can’t find the energy to take care of your health, and can’t find the time for your passion projects and hobbies, you won’t have much motivation to continue working at your job. Aside from your wage, of course. However, working for money alone won’t inspire you to do your best and will likely leave you working at minimum power. Take the burnout out of the equation and you might have someone motivated to reach for the stars.
Had the same thing an a previous job when I told them IN ADVANCE, meaning before I even started, that I was going back to college, and that I would register for classes early so I could give them a copy of my schedule well in advance of the schedule being made. At first, it was cool. Then the cool boss retired, and an anti-intellectual asshole took their place. Suddenly, I saw myself put on the schedule at times I would be sitting in class. If you went to college, you know what it’s like to reschedule classes last minute. When I said I gave them my school schedule weeks ago, they said I needed to choose school or the job. I took the issue to that boss’ boss. Didn’t happen again, but then the retaliation started. Every time, I would go to that same higher-up, and things would settle down for a while. After three more years of that s**t, I graduated, got another job and was overjoyed to put in my notice.
Screwed up situation or not, he failed the CYA policy. CYA means getting everything in writing. (having said that, his boss was an ass)
I always tell my bosses I'm going on a cruise and will not have cell reception.
What does DV stand for? Excuse my ignorance if it's something really obvious.
This happened to me when I asked the deputy head and he refused in an unpleasant way. I said "I AM going to my cousin's funeral" left his office, told the person who arranges cover and went to the funeral. (It was the next day. Jewish funerals happen quickly.) I didn't get into trouble as I wasn't in the wrong.
As someone who is in the US, can confirm that these were all most likely in the US. I'm luckily working for an international company at the moment that actually cares about us and forces us to take time off every month.
Load More Replies...I am deeply grateful I am living in a country with decent workers‘ rights. Not everything’s perfect, but could straight up take your employer to court for a lot of these cases.
I'm in the UK and although our rights are protected it still really hurts if your boss is nasty about something like time off for a funeral. You can't legislate against ars*oles.
Load More Replies...Most of these must be American, the best thing about working and living in Europe, is that holiday and workers rights are protected, I am not saying we are not sometimes exploited, but we have more protection.
We have more protection but some aspects are really bad, like internships, temp or migrant jobs.
Load More Replies...I had to stop reading cos I couldn't believe the archaic situations I was reading. I just kept thinking, isn't that illegal, call your union!
... all of these ... sound pretty unthinkable in central europe, and likely in X-1 of the most wealthy and furthest developed countries, if X is the total number thereof. And the one exception keeps telling people how patriotic it is to ... work their asses off and inners out for someone else to benefit way more of it, who still is a great and creative mastermind in almost nothing, but certainly in tax avoidery. Because paying taxes, somehow, is unpatriotic, just as unpatriotic and unamerican as using any welfare that you're perfectly and rightfully entitled to. Or, more or less ... fuggem, all offem! Exploitation never is right, never do you owe any company THAT much ... and no company in the civilized world would even have the nerve to ask you for, like, 90 % of the mentionend.
american boss seem to don't understand that happy worker are LOYAL and PRODUCTIVES workers.
American bosses are "usually" decent people doing the best they can within company policy, trying to juggle within a broken system that is short-staffed, and short-sighted. American companies, and American STANDARDS of acceptable vacation/holiday time are what needs to change most.
Load More Replies...A very small minority of these are not unreasonable. My team don't just tell me when they are having a holiday because there is resource to manage, I can't have the whole team off at the same time, so they request it. It is hugely unlikely that I would say no, and would see what I could do to accommodate if it looked like I might have to, but the idea that they would just dictate to me when they are off (outside of those absences beyond their control to schedule) is ridiculous. Of course, we have decent time off in this country, so the likelihood of a clash is higher than in the States. Advice I give to all my team, don't book your holiday before you book time off work. It's easier and cheaper to cancel time off than a holiday.
Plus, I'm prepared to bet you don't make your employees contact their own peers to arrange cover!
Load More Replies...I was sexually assaulted at work, more than once, by the same man (if I was bending over and a bit of underwear was showing at the top of my trousers, he'd give me wedgies, one time he grabbed my bum and shook it. Had a performance review in the morning, my boss said I was doing brilliantly and he was impressed, reported it to HR at lunch and in the afternoon called me into the conference room and was so angry he was shaking. He made up that I'd nearly cost the company a £1m contract (I didn't even work in the department that dealt with things like that) and fired me on the spot. I'd been there less than a month. I should've known something was wrong because when he introduced me to all the different departments he said, every single time, that I was the first girl to work there.
It's not always about your boss knowing and respecting your rights, it's also about them being good leaders and knowing what's the right thing to do. An example I've always held up about 'a good way to lead' was when i was attached from brit military to a US unit and my US col. overheard me on the phone one day and when I got off the call he said 'bad one?' .... 'yes sir, that was my mum... my childhood dog has to be put to sleep tomorrow' He got me to fill out a leave form there and then and said as long as I was back safe in a couple of days he'd rip it up anyway and to go and say goodbye to my dog. He did the same thing thing when my toddler nephew was injured falling into a scalding bath (put the cold in first when you've got kids around was a harsh lesson for my brother in law to learn), told me to go and be with him for a week and by the time i got home he'd had a whip round and sent him a present to the hospital ward. Some bosses you remember for the good reasons
I really don't understand how people can work like that and how people don't go crazy. In my job(not in US obviously), they force us to take the vacation days. Only allowing us to leave 10 days in the end of the year. And we get an angry email from HR if we work 12 hours in a day because it's illegal.
Some with internships, which is even worse since you don’t even get paid. I did a research internship (obligatory to finish my master) in a university. They wanted me to work the full time (my contract said that I needed time off to do the analysis and write the thesis), work on Saturdays (not allowed there) and at night. Not only that, While I was there I got sick and needed to go to the hospital a few times for tests. (It was nothing but it could have been dangerous). Not only they were angry that I took time off but they called me irresponsible and immature in my evaluation.
All of these are why I could never live/work in the US. It's so f****d up.
American here. We've been fortunate to work overseas a number of years, and the work structure felt like getting out of a prison we didn't know we were in. I love the U.S., but we have a long way to go in several areas, and the way we work (and the way we DON'T vacation) is an important one. More vacation time, with the option of taking it CONCURRENTLY is a big need. We frequently encountered Europeans, Australians, Norwegians, etc., who were on vacation for a MONTH!! It's not just a mental break from work, each immersion in a different country or culture enabled them to see the world from a different perspective. I really believe the lack of global travel in Americans perpetuates an insular, toxic type of patriotism that prevents a true participation in global citizenship. Otherwise, there were just a couple of these I didn't agree with, where I think those employees were a bit entitled and need to consider OTHER employees vying for the same vacation dates.
I'm in Australia, one year two of us got told we had too much rec leave and had to take it. Only problem was only one member could go at a time and there were 14 on staff. so we both had nearly 8 weeks owing (4 weeks a year here).The young ones would book all the school holidays to spend with their friends.
I remember well the Draconian policies at my last job on time off. Zero sympathy to be found. They would not allow more than 1 person to be out on a given day, despite being more than sufficiently staffed. And guess who usually got the time off? Yep, the managers. Surprise, they got preferential treatment for scheduling time off. The scheduling lady even bragged about how she was about to go on a month-long cruise, which she did every single year, even as she prepared to deny my time off.
I spent 11 years on active duty (US Marines and Army). When you enlist, each year-from the start-you earn approximately 2.5 days paid leave (for 30 days total per year). You can "save" up to 60 days without losing any BUT you only get leave when operational commitments allow AND the ONLY time you can take a full 30 days is when you're under PCS orders(meaning you're transferring to another base). Yes, maternity leave and being sick you get that time off BUT you literally have to be under a doctor's care. No calling in sick at all. For the most part, I think just about anyone in the military will tell you leave and vacation are NOT the same thing.
Mom's had a full time data entry job, and a part time catering job back in the early 90s. Well, one night at the catering job, someone dropped a percolator of hot coffee and it hit mom's foot, causing 1st & 2nd degree burns. Catering boss took Mom to ER, stayed w/ her, brought her home that night, & kept checking in on her recovery. Full time boss, however? When Mom explained she couldn't come in for a few days, this a**clown said "What you do on your own time should never interfere with your job. If you don't come in, we'll have to fire you." Mom told him to go right ahead and try that, b/c she somehow doubted the unemployment office was going to rule on his side when she had a legit medical excuse.
Had a bad appendix.. didn't know it yet but was in excruciating pain.. called my supervisor to tell them I'm sick and can't work today and she told me there's no one to cover my mail route so somehow I managed to get out of bed.. do my job 3 times slower than usual in pain... sweating just to raise my hand above head level.. went out on delivery amd only got relief when other mail carriers finished their routes and came and got the rest of my mail so i can go home. Wish 8 could redo that day and go in to ER instead and tell the supervisor to figure it out. I'm the type of person who comes in if I'm a little sick or fatigued. And they abused it. Never again.
A couple of years ago I changed my schedule at work to take a longer lunch so I could visit and feed my grandmother in the home while she was dying. A few months later my dad died a few days before my scheduled vacation (overseas) so I would come in to make sure things got done before I left and my boss told me if I kept coming in he would give me work to do. Some people are awesome bosses that have genuine respect for their workers. Others . . . . not so much.
My senior/boss (we're both fashion stylists) once asked me casually "wouldn't you prefer working the Woolmark show over this trip to Jordan? Since you love working fashion shows." Lets see, would I really prefer a fashion show where I'm spending sleepless nights coordinating with 20 different people, labelling (multiple times) 100 sets of clothing, having anxiety attacks over shoes not arriving on time, being in charge of all the clothes/accessories, the models and the people who dress up the models, running the entire green room and backstage area and then sitting in the shadows while she (boss) and others are credited for all the hard work over a week long all expense paid trip to Jordan in exchange for social media coverage? No prizes for what I picked.
I worked ten years with the same boss, who showed us all from day one that he had our backs. As an example: the son of one of the women in the front office lived in another city and wound up in hospital after a car crash. She asked for a couple of days off to go to him and the boss said take a week – longer if you need to. I retired and a few months later the boss was on the phone, telling me that the guy who I had worked with when I was there had left suddenly and the boss had no one to replace him and could I come back for a while, until they could find someone to fill the gap? There was no hesitation – he had always had our backs, so loyalty given is loyalty returned. It took a year before they found someone to replace me and I could retire again, and I never begrudged the boss a second of that time.
My youngest has this problem at work. He was been told to take his holidays or they would cancel the ones he had. So he organised to take 2 months off and was approved for them. So taking this time off he was called a number of times to come in and fill in a shift that needed someone. They were not happy to find he was on the other side of Australia taking his time off. Last year with COVID he decided a four week period to go north in WA as this was safe choice. They even offered to fly him home to cover a shift. What part of you need time off and then taking it mean if they keep calling you back to work. Yet as a permanent staff member they will not give him a permanent shift as he is so handy for filling in shifts at different parts of the workplace. So it happens the world over. Yes he is looking for another job but is getting close to the 10 year working there, meaning a bonus or for some staffers time to quit/retire.
I used to work for brothers who co-owned a business. One was a leader, the other was a boss. The leader would never hesitate to jump in and help, would often mop the employee bathroom, and was generous with thanks and compliments. The other was always telling us what to do, even though we were professionals, and while he complained if we did something wrong, he never said a word when we did something right.
Wow talk about HORRIBLE BOSsES. I wish they would name the companies are at least the line of work. I had great bosses my whole working life. Glad I never worked for a corporation though.
Power and money is all that matters here, people, their lives and well being, be damned. Our system is inhumane and immoral.
My boss gave me 2 weeks off paid when my dog died, compassion is at a manager's discretion here, I was not "emotionally fit for work" to quote the relevant laws.
My boss gets mad if it looks like I'm not going to use all my holiday days up before the end of the year. Totally different attitude to the US, but as a result I frequently decide I'm going to do some extra work at home in the evening. It's about give and take.
It was a huge relief to come to the realization that I really didn't care what job I did as long as the people didn't suck. Took a 50% pay decrease, but I am never asked to work OT, never get denied time off within reason, and never even have to think about work when I'm not there. I had at least one major medical condition resolve itself within a year of changing jobs just because I wasn't running myself ragged.
Sort your s**t out America. Work to live, not live to work. You own your time, you own your life. Holidays are part of your contract, they constitute part of your remuneration package, they are yours. If you are a manager or business owner and your staff are so thinly spread that they can’t use the time they are entitled to then you’ve failed, hand in the keys and let someone competent run the show. They aren’t owned by you, they simply work for you and make your business what it is, don’t treat them like slaves.
I worked at a fast food place for about half a year. My time there spanned all the major summer holidays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. I worked every holiday, worked 10-14 hours shifts, worked split shifts, and worked weekends. This is all in a college town where most people left on weekends/holidays because so many had family in the area. I asked for Christmas Eve off, that was it. Not Christmas Day or any other holiday, just the evening of Christmas Eve. I go in for a shift the day before and find out my boss had switched me with another girl so I had to cover a 14-hours shift on Christmas Eve. He did this the morning before Christmas Eve, despite company policy saying schedules can't be changed once posted except in an emergency. I quit on the spot. It didn't help that he was sleeping with a 17 year old employee (which many of us reported to no avail) and had threatened several us with termination and even issued non-verbal physical threats. Worst job ever.
Jesus washed his disciples' feet. If you want to be a good leader, be like Jesus. Everyone else needs time off at Christmas? Then you, as the boss, work Christmas. Summer holidays clash? Give your employee first choice. Pick up the slack yourself if your employee has had a baby so that they can have their proper maternity/paternity leave.
I worked in a large museum in NYC as 1 of 4 operations managers. Typical 5 day work schedule on site, but I was basically "on-call" 24/7. If an email wasn't answered promptly even on my day off there were words next time I was in. I was so stressed and always working that I never had the time to take care of myself. I ended up doubled over at my desk with the head of Security calling for an ambulance to take me from the museum to the hospital immediately. Bloodwork and imaging scans came back that I had a severe infection and my appendix was about to burst. Sent an email to work informing them of the situation. Then I got a call from my boss that night asking if I would be back at work the next day. I had to provide documentation from the hospital just to get two weeks off to recuperate. I was given one week. They laid me off 4 years later because I wasn't dedicated enough to my job.
We got 14 months paternity leave, in Germany. And we're not even the top. It's not full pay and the government pays most of that. The US are just f*cked up.
Canadian here; not as bad as USA, but definitely worse than many European countries. Better laws that are more closely monitored, but we don't get the same level of benefits vis-a-vis maternity/paternity leave or mandatory days off. Still have a lot of the "working longer hours is a badge of honor" even if those hours are less productive.
Uh oh! I'm being blamed by my boss, because during my month long sick leave, they were short on people and to much on work. So when I've got back there was to much work, so it's my fault, because I didn't said to anyone about it. Like, dude, I wasn't here for over a month. Anyway, welcome in Pooooolaaaand!
I had a family member get sick and after telling my boss he looked me dead in my face and said “Go, call me when you are ready to come back” I was away about two weeks. He called me every day, to make sure we were doing okay asked if we need anything. When I did start back to work he only let (not made let) me work half days. I was not charged any leave or sick days.
Do these managers/bosses from this post have any soul? consideration? families? It seems that once they get into that "paper pushers" position - SOME become incompetent, and forget that their employees are human beings with families, medical necessities, and let's go on a limb here, life. I'm flabbergasted on how they're treating their employees.
Same school. Was out sick with surgery to remove a 5lb tumor from my uterus. I had a sub scheduled between holidays for a longer break. Found out the sub did not keep up with the students to make sure they turned in their assignments. One boy had turned nothing in the whole time I was out. Had the class line up to leave in the hallway and held him back. n Told him no papers to give a report card grade and I would have to hold him in at recess until he made up the work. I got written up for him not doing his work while I was out and for discussing it with him. I never raised my voice. Just let him know the consequences and how to resolve the problem. I followed school disciplinary procedures. The reprimand went in my permanent teacher folder. I had to take classes in anger management. I was not angry. The door was left open. I talked quietly so the students in the hallway could not hear what was going on. The parent must have complained it was my fault. I should have called in UEA.
Coworker. Daughter's third grade teacher got brain cancer. We had 10 days a year off. More and they would doc your pay. Quit she would loose her insurance. Coworkers were willing to donate their sick days to her. HR refused to let us. She was on chemo and swelled up huge. She went home on a Friday and died over the weekend. I have never been so angry with a boss before. The next year they voted in a sick day bank to cover such instances that teachers could donate their days to. Karma some how caught up with them however. I got a job in a better district but found out most of the administration had either left for a better job or come down with cancer themselves. The whole administration had turned over just about. Oh and two of the 10 days could be taken for personal reasons not being sick. However you had to ask for those days way in advance. Only 2 employees a month could take them. Out of over 100 employees. You do the math. Another perk of being a teacher.
My coworker got sick and wa in a hospital for almost three weeks. The manager asked me to come day on my day off to replace her. I agreed once. ut when he asked again. I refused and told him to find another replacement.When I came to work a day after my day off, the manger said, in a very bragging and disapproving tone: "Well,we got by without you". Yes. as you should. If one employee taking a sick leave wreaks havoc with the entire working process, this process is extremely poorly organised.
Early 2016 I got into a car accident on the way home from work on a Friday. Car was written off, couple of hours in the hospital, and spent the weekend with my partner and his parents until the Sunday when my mum told me she would be picking me up to stay with them until I got a new car sorted as I couldn't get to work otherwise. Monday I spent in the hospital because I had started throwing up in the morning and thought there was some blood in it. Tuesday she insisted I was going to work, despite injuries to my neck, back and knees, because she thought I would lose my job if I didn't, spent the day at work with an hour's commute either end, in enough pain that one of my coworkers was genuinely concerned and asked if I was okay as I was struggling to put my coat on at the end of the day. Get into an argument with my mum the next day because I am in so much pain I insist I am not going to work, she concedes and tells me just the one day and she's taking me in the next day.
Call my boss to tell him I can't make it in and he insists I take the next couple of weeks off to focus on recovering and look into getting the insurance and finding a new car sorted. He even gave me an advance on my wages and worked out a repayment schedule with me to pay it back over the next 12 months so I could get back on my feet faster but make sure I wouldn't be out of pocket for it. I was so grateful not only for living in a country which protected my rights as a worker but also for having a boss who genuinely cares about his employees.
Load More Replies...As someone who is in the US, can confirm that these were all most likely in the US. I'm luckily working for an international company at the moment that actually cares about us and forces us to take time off every month.
Load More Replies...I am deeply grateful I am living in a country with decent workers‘ rights. Not everything’s perfect, but could straight up take your employer to court for a lot of these cases.
I'm in the UK and although our rights are protected it still really hurts if your boss is nasty about something like time off for a funeral. You can't legislate against ars*oles.
Load More Replies...Most of these must be American, the best thing about working and living in Europe, is that holiday and workers rights are protected, I am not saying we are not sometimes exploited, but we have more protection.
We have more protection but some aspects are really bad, like internships, temp or migrant jobs.
Load More Replies...I had to stop reading cos I couldn't believe the archaic situations I was reading. I just kept thinking, isn't that illegal, call your union!
... all of these ... sound pretty unthinkable in central europe, and likely in X-1 of the most wealthy and furthest developed countries, if X is the total number thereof. And the one exception keeps telling people how patriotic it is to ... work their asses off and inners out for someone else to benefit way more of it, who still is a great and creative mastermind in almost nothing, but certainly in tax avoidery. Because paying taxes, somehow, is unpatriotic, just as unpatriotic and unamerican as using any welfare that you're perfectly and rightfully entitled to. Or, more or less ... fuggem, all offem! Exploitation never is right, never do you owe any company THAT much ... and no company in the civilized world would even have the nerve to ask you for, like, 90 % of the mentionend.
american boss seem to don't understand that happy worker are LOYAL and PRODUCTIVES workers.
American bosses are "usually" decent people doing the best they can within company policy, trying to juggle within a broken system that is short-staffed, and short-sighted. American companies, and American STANDARDS of acceptable vacation/holiday time are what needs to change most.
Load More Replies...A very small minority of these are not unreasonable. My team don't just tell me when they are having a holiday because there is resource to manage, I can't have the whole team off at the same time, so they request it. It is hugely unlikely that I would say no, and would see what I could do to accommodate if it looked like I might have to, but the idea that they would just dictate to me when they are off (outside of those absences beyond their control to schedule) is ridiculous. Of course, we have decent time off in this country, so the likelihood of a clash is higher than in the States. Advice I give to all my team, don't book your holiday before you book time off work. It's easier and cheaper to cancel time off than a holiday.
Plus, I'm prepared to bet you don't make your employees contact their own peers to arrange cover!
Load More Replies...I was sexually assaulted at work, more than once, by the same man (if I was bending over and a bit of underwear was showing at the top of my trousers, he'd give me wedgies, one time he grabbed my bum and shook it. Had a performance review in the morning, my boss said I was doing brilliantly and he was impressed, reported it to HR at lunch and in the afternoon called me into the conference room and was so angry he was shaking. He made up that I'd nearly cost the company a £1m contract (I didn't even work in the department that dealt with things like that) and fired me on the spot. I'd been there less than a month. I should've known something was wrong because when he introduced me to all the different departments he said, every single time, that I was the first girl to work there.
It's not always about your boss knowing and respecting your rights, it's also about them being good leaders and knowing what's the right thing to do. An example I've always held up about 'a good way to lead' was when i was attached from brit military to a US unit and my US col. overheard me on the phone one day and when I got off the call he said 'bad one?' .... 'yes sir, that was my mum... my childhood dog has to be put to sleep tomorrow' He got me to fill out a leave form there and then and said as long as I was back safe in a couple of days he'd rip it up anyway and to go and say goodbye to my dog. He did the same thing thing when my toddler nephew was injured falling into a scalding bath (put the cold in first when you've got kids around was a harsh lesson for my brother in law to learn), told me to go and be with him for a week and by the time i got home he'd had a whip round and sent him a present to the hospital ward. Some bosses you remember for the good reasons
I really don't understand how people can work like that and how people don't go crazy. In my job(not in US obviously), they force us to take the vacation days. Only allowing us to leave 10 days in the end of the year. And we get an angry email from HR if we work 12 hours in a day because it's illegal.
Some with internships, which is even worse since you don’t even get paid. I did a research internship (obligatory to finish my master) in a university. They wanted me to work the full time (my contract said that I needed time off to do the analysis and write the thesis), work on Saturdays (not allowed there) and at night. Not only that, While I was there I got sick and needed to go to the hospital a few times for tests. (It was nothing but it could have been dangerous). Not only they were angry that I took time off but they called me irresponsible and immature in my evaluation.
All of these are why I could never live/work in the US. It's so f****d up.
American here. We've been fortunate to work overseas a number of years, and the work structure felt like getting out of a prison we didn't know we were in. I love the U.S., but we have a long way to go in several areas, and the way we work (and the way we DON'T vacation) is an important one. More vacation time, with the option of taking it CONCURRENTLY is a big need. We frequently encountered Europeans, Australians, Norwegians, etc., who were on vacation for a MONTH!! It's not just a mental break from work, each immersion in a different country or culture enabled them to see the world from a different perspective. I really believe the lack of global travel in Americans perpetuates an insular, toxic type of patriotism that prevents a true participation in global citizenship. Otherwise, there were just a couple of these I didn't agree with, where I think those employees were a bit entitled and need to consider OTHER employees vying for the same vacation dates.
I'm in Australia, one year two of us got told we had too much rec leave and had to take it. Only problem was only one member could go at a time and there were 14 on staff. so we both had nearly 8 weeks owing (4 weeks a year here).The young ones would book all the school holidays to spend with their friends.
I remember well the Draconian policies at my last job on time off. Zero sympathy to be found. They would not allow more than 1 person to be out on a given day, despite being more than sufficiently staffed. And guess who usually got the time off? Yep, the managers. Surprise, they got preferential treatment for scheduling time off. The scheduling lady even bragged about how she was about to go on a month-long cruise, which she did every single year, even as she prepared to deny my time off.
I spent 11 years on active duty (US Marines and Army). When you enlist, each year-from the start-you earn approximately 2.5 days paid leave (for 30 days total per year). You can "save" up to 60 days without losing any BUT you only get leave when operational commitments allow AND the ONLY time you can take a full 30 days is when you're under PCS orders(meaning you're transferring to another base). Yes, maternity leave and being sick you get that time off BUT you literally have to be under a doctor's care. No calling in sick at all. For the most part, I think just about anyone in the military will tell you leave and vacation are NOT the same thing.
Mom's had a full time data entry job, and a part time catering job back in the early 90s. Well, one night at the catering job, someone dropped a percolator of hot coffee and it hit mom's foot, causing 1st & 2nd degree burns. Catering boss took Mom to ER, stayed w/ her, brought her home that night, & kept checking in on her recovery. Full time boss, however? When Mom explained she couldn't come in for a few days, this a**clown said "What you do on your own time should never interfere with your job. If you don't come in, we'll have to fire you." Mom told him to go right ahead and try that, b/c she somehow doubted the unemployment office was going to rule on his side when she had a legit medical excuse.
Had a bad appendix.. didn't know it yet but was in excruciating pain.. called my supervisor to tell them I'm sick and can't work today and she told me there's no one to cover my mail route so somehow I managed to get out of bed.. do my job 3 times slower than usual in pain... sweating just to raise my hand above head level.. went out on delivery amd only got relief when other mail carriers finished their routes and came and got the rest of my mail so i can go home. Wish 8 could redo that day and go in to ER instead and tell the supervisor to figure it out. I'm the type of person who comes in if I'm a little sick or fatigued. And they abused it. Never again.
A couple of years ago I changed my schedule at work to take a longer lunch so I could visit and feed my grandmother in the home while she was dying. A few months later my dad died a few days before my scheduled vacation (overseas) so I would come in to make sure things got done before I left and my boss told me if I kept coming in he would give me work to do. Some people are awesome bosses that have genuine respect for their workers. Others . . . . not so much.
My senior/boss (we're both fashion stylists) once asked me casually "wouldn't you prefer working the Woolmark show over this trip to Jordan? Since you love working fashion shows." Lets see, would I really prefer a fashion show where I'm spending sleepless nights coordinating with 20 different people, labelling (multiple times) 100 sets of clothing, having anxiety attacks over shoes not arriving on time, being in charge of all the clothes/accessories, the models and the people who dress up the models, running the entire green room and backstage area and then sitting in the shadows while she (boss) and others are credited for all the hard work over a week long all expense paid trip to Jordan in exchange for social media coverage? No prizes for what I picked.
I worked ten years with the same boss, who showed us all from day one that he had our backs. As an example: the son of one of the women in the front office lived in another city and wound up in hospital after a car crash. She asked for a couple of days off to go to him and the boss said take a week – longer if you need to. I retired and a few months later the boss was on the phone, telling me that the guy who I had worked with when I was there had left suddenly and the boss had no one to replace him and could I come back for a while, until they could find someone to fill the gap? There was no hesitation – he had always had our backs, so loyalty given is loyalty returned. It took a year before they found someone to replace me and I could retire again, and I never begrudged the boss a second of that time.
My youngest has this problem at work. He was been told to take his holidays or they would cancel the ones he had. So he organised to take 2 months off and was approved for them. So taking this time off he was called a number of times to come in and fill in a shift that needed someone. They were not happy to find he was on the other side of Australia taking his time off. Last year with COVID he decided a four week period to go north in WA as this was safe choice. They even offered to fly him home to cover a shift. What part of you need time off and then taking it mean if they keep calling you back to work. Yet as a permanent staff member they will not give him a permanent shift as he is so handy for filling in shifts at different parts of the workplace. So it happens the world over. Yes he is looking for another job but is getting close to the 10 year working there, meaning a bonus or for some staffers time to quit/retire.
I used to work for brothers who co-owned a business. One was a leader, the other was a boss. The leader would never hesitate to jump in and help, would often mop the employee bathroom, and was generous with thanks and compliments. The other was always telling us what to do, even though we were professionals, and while he complained if we did something wrong, he never said a word when we did something right.
Wow talk about HORRIBLE BOSsES. I wish they would name the companies are at least the line of work. I had great bosses my whole working life. Glad I never worked for a corporation though.
Power and money is all that matters here, people, their lives and well being, be damned. Our system is inhumane and immoral.
My boss gave me 2 weeks off paid when my dog died, compassion is at a manager's discretion here, I was not "emotionally fit for work" to quote the relevant laws.
My boss gets mad if it looks like I'm not going to use all my holiday days up before the end of the year. Totally different attitude to the US, but as a result I frequently decide I'm going to do some extra work at home in the evening. It's about give and take.
It was a huge relief to come to the realization that I really didn't care what job I did as long as the people didn't suck. Took a 50% pay decrease, but I am never asked to work OT, never get denied time off within reason, and never even have to think about work when I'm not there. I had at least one major medical condition resolve itself within a year of changing jobs just because I wasn't running myself ragged.
Sort your s**t out America. Work to live, not live to work. You own your time, you own your life. Holidays are part of your contract, they constitute part of your remuneration package, they are yours. If you are a manager or business owner and your staff are so thinly spread that they can’t use the time they are entitled to then you’ve failed, hand in the keys and let someone competent run the show. They aren’t owned by you, they simply work for you and make your business what it is, don’t treat them like slaves.
I worked at a fast food place for about half a year. My time there spanned all the major summer holidays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. I worked every holiday, worked 10-14 hours shifts, worked split shifts, and worked weekends. This is all in a college town where most people left on weekends/holidays because so many had family in the area. I asked for Christmas Eve off, that was it. Not Christmas Day or any other holiday, just the evening of Christmas Eve. I go in for a shift the day before and find out my boss had switched me with another girl so I had to cover a 14-hours shift on Christmas Eve. He did this the morning before Christmas Eve, despite company policy saying schedules can't be changed once posted except in an emergency. I quit on the spot. It didn't help that he was sleeping with a 17 year old employee (which many of us reported to no avail) and had threatened several us with termination and even issued non-verbal physical threats. Worst job ever.
Jesus washed his disciples' feet. If you want to be a good leader, be like Jesus. Everyone else needs time off at Christmas? Then you, as the boss, work Christmas. Summer holidays clash? Give your employee first choice. Pick up the slack yourself if your employee has had a baby so that they can have their proper maternity/paternity leave.
I worked in a large museum in NYC as 1 of 4 operations managers. Typical 5 day work schedule on site, but I was basically "on-call" 24/7. If an email wasn't answered promptly even on my day off there were words next time I was in. I was so stressed and always working that I never had the time to take care of myself. I ended up doubled over at my desk with the head of Security calling for an ambulance to take me from the museum to the hospital immediately. Bloodwork and imaging scans came back that I had a severe infection and my appendix was about to burst. Sent an email to work informing them of the situation. Then I got a call from my boss that night asking if I would be back at work the next day. I had to provide documentation from the hospital just to get two weeks off to recuperate. I was given one week. They laid me off 4 years later because I wasn't dedicated enough to my job.
We got 14 months paternity leave, in Germany. And we're not even the top. It's not full pay and the government pays most of that. The US are just f*cked up.
Canadian here; not as bad as USA, but definitely worse than many European countries. Better laws that are more closely monitored, but we don't get the same level of benefits vis-a-vis maternity/paternity leave or mandatory days off. Still have a lot of the "working longer hours is a badge of honor" even if those hours are less productive.
Uh oh! I'm being blamed by my boss, because during my month long sick leave, they were short on people and to much on work. So when I've got back there was to much work, so it's my fault, because I didn't said to anyone about it. Like, dude, I wasn't here for over a month. Anyway, welcome in Pooooolaaaand!
I had a family member get sick and after telling my boss he looked me dead in my face and said “Go, call me when you are ready to come back” I was away about two weeks. He called me every day, to make sure we were doing okay asked if we need anything. When I did start back to work he only let (not made let) me work half days. I was not charged any leave or sick days.
Do these managers/bosses from this post have any soul? consideration? families? It seems that once they get into that "paper pushers" position - SOME become incompetent, and forget that their employees are human beings with families, medical necessities, and let's go on a limb here, life. I'm flabbergasted on how they're treating their employees.
Same school. Was out sick with surgery to remove a 5lb tumor from my uterus. I had a sub scheduled between holidays for a longer break. Found out the sub did not keep up with the students to make sure they turned in their assignments. One boy had turned nothing in the whole time I was out. Had the class line up to leave in the hallway and held him back. n Told him no papers to give a report card grade and I would have to hold him in at recess until he made up the work. I got written up for him not doing his work while I was out and for discussing it with him. I never raised my voice. Just let him know the consequences and how to resolve the problem. I followed school disciplinary procedures. The reprimand went in my permanent teacher folder. I had to take classes in anger management. I was not angry. The door was left open. I talked quietly so the students in the hallway could not hear what was going on. The parent must have complained it was my fault. I should have called in UEA.
Coworker. Daughter's third grade teacher got brain cancer. We had 10 days a year off. More and they would doc your pay. Quit she would loose her insurance. Coworkers were willing to donate their sick days to her. HR refused to let us. She was on chemo and swelled up huge. She went home on a Friday and died over the weekend. I have never been so angry with a boss before. The next year they voted in a sick day bank to cover such instances that teachers could donate their days to. Karma some how caught up with them however. I got a job in a better district but found out most of the administration had either left for a better job or come down with cancer themselves. The whole administration had turned over just about. Oh and two of the 10 days could be taken for personal reasons not being sick. However you had to ask for those days way in advance. Only 2 employees a month could take them. Out of over 100 employees. You do the math. Another perk of being a teacher.
My coworker got sick and wa in a hospital for almost three weeks. The manager asked me to come day on my day off to replace her. I agreed once. ut when he asked again. I refused and told him to find another replacement.When I came to work a day after my day off, the manger said, in a very bragging and disapproving tone: "Well,we got by without you". Yes. as you should. If one employee taking a sick leave wreaks havoc with the entire working process, this process is extremely poorly organised.
Early 2016 I got into a car accident on the way home from work on a Friday. Car was written off, couple of hours in the hospital, and spent the weekend with my partner and his parents until the Sunday when my mum told me she would be picking me up to stay with them until I got a new car sorted as I couldn't get to work otherwise. Monday I spent in the hospital because I had started throwing up in the morning and thought there was some blood in it. Tuesday she insisted I was going to work, despite injuries to my neck, back and knees, because she thought I would lose my job if I didn't, spent the day at work with an hour's commute either end, in enough pain that one of my coworkers was genuinely concerned and asked if I was okay as I was struggling to put my coat on at the end of the day. Get into an argument with my mum the next day because I am in so much pain I insist I am not going to work, she concedes and tells me just the one day and she's taking me in the next day.
Call my boss to tell him I can't make it in and he insists I take the next couple of weeks off to focus on recovering and look into getting the insurance and finding a new car sorted. He even gave me an advance on my wages and worked out a repayment schedule with me to pay it back over the next 12 months so I could get back on my feet faster but make sure I wouldn't be out of pocket for it. I was so grateful not only for living in a country which protected my rights as a worker but also for having a boss who genuinely cares about his employees.
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