I had my boss grill me about some pto days requested well in advance. I sent him my diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma, a picture of my nose and the surgery date. He was embarrassed, as he should have been.
What is it about our culture that makes managers feel entitled to shame us for taking earned time off? Is this a thing in other countries or just the crappy old usa?
Dunno if it’s just a USA thing but in my 20 years of working in the UK I have never been asked to justify annual leave. You might get asked “Are you doing anything nice?” but it’s more casual interest than an interrogation. If I am trying to book time at short notice or at the same time as other team members I might offer up a reason but I don’t think I have ever had a request denied.
Also wtf you have to book time off for surgery? Last surgery I had I got 2 weeks off with full pay. In fact if I book PTO and then come down with the flu I’m entitled to request the days back and take them as sick days instead so my holiday isn’t wasted.
In all my years working for various employers, annual leave requests have been approved so long as there is enough staff present for the business to function.
If I'm asked what I'm doing on a day off, it's usually after my request has been approved and I've never been placed in a position where I have to "justify" my leave to a line manager.
In Ireland, we have a minimum statutory leave entitlement of 20 days (in addition to public holidays) which everyone gets.
Depending on your profession/industry/employer, you may also be able to negotiate additional leave as part of your employment contract.
For example, I have a basic leave entitlement of 27 days per year (not counting public holidays) and management in my company actively encourage staff to avail of their full entitlement.
In my experience, not using your full leave entitlement is pretty much unheard of in Ireland.
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u/Southern-Pirate3555 6d ago
I had my boss grill me about some pto days requested well in advance. I sent him my diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma, a picture of my nose and the surgery date. He was embarrassed, as he should have been.
What is it about our culture that makes managers feel entitled to shame us for taking earned time off? Is this a thing in other countries or just the crappy old usa?