'You're on salary, so you have to work during your vacation': IT worker plans vacation in the middle of nowhere to spite boss

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Nov 17, 2023 5:00 PM EST

You gotta be careful with your words. No need to tell this dude's boss, who bamboozled himself with his own admission! 

Companies love to brag about their great vacation time packages while they're hiring you. A popular perk is "unlimited vacation time," but it's not as great as it seems. If you ask to take off three months for no reason, your boss still has to approve it, and they can easily just say no to your request. So unlimited vacation time has a huge asterisk next to it: unlimited so long as every higher-up above you approves it. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 

Planning where you travel is important, too. Do you want a vacation full of hiking and adventure in the wilderness, or do you want to lounge on the beach with a book? If you work at u/out_run_radio's company, you also have to consider if your boss will be able to contact you at your vacation locale. The whole point of a trip is to get away, spend time with your family or friends, and return refreshed. The OP's boss disagrees, and doesn't think his employee should ever stop working. You can check out this great story below, as well as additional information from the OP in the comments section. 

Next, this landlord had to show one of her apartments… but she brought along her two young kids. 

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  • 01
    'Unless you're in the D middle of nowhere you have to work during vacation'
    via Olivier Guillard on Unsplash
  • 02
    "Unless you're in the middle of nowhere you have to work during vacation, you're salary!
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 03
    I work for a small company in the trades as head of the IT department (aka the only IT person). Truthfully the gig is pretty great. Good pay, benefits and I can come and go as I please within reason. The two people I have to answer to are the VP and CEO and as is par for the course they know -all about anything to do with technology and generally leave me be as I'm good at my job and everything runs smoothly.
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 04
    Being a small company a lot of us don't take vacations due to A) building the company and B) not having replacements for the time we're gone but after two years vacationless (we're in the US) my wife convinces me to use the time I'm given to decompress and take a small, one week, get away. I talk to VP and he gives me the thumbs up to take the time barring I get everything in order and do some minor teaching to other staff incase of an emergency. Cool, easy.
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 05
    Enter FOD (Field Operations Director) a man who is an attack dog for the VP for no reason as the VP is nothing but polite and reasonable. FOD loves giving everyone a hard time, adding steps to tasks to make himself look like he's part of the process, reminding everyone how much of a "boss" he is to the rest of us in management and calling me a nerd any chance he gets. Fair to say - I dislike FOD immensely
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 06
    After making my rounds with other staff it's FODs time to do some scary computer related learning. FOD refuses to look weak under any circumstances and gets very aggressive when learning new things because "I'm the boss, I already know." In the midst of learning it dawns on him to ask why he has to learn this stuff anyway, I'm the nerd and it's
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 07
    my job to do this. I clue him in on the week I'm taking off and this stuff is just precautionary. This worries FOD as he'll have to retain information, answer questions and do some minor troubleshooting.
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 08
    The conversation went something like this, and I wish I could tell you that this guy isn't this much of a , but he is. FOD="boss" Me = me FOD: Who approved your vacation? Me: VP did as long as I could get you guys comfortable with some small maintenance.
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 09
    FOD: I only approve vacation time, I'm your boss. (Side note: he does THIS so much that VP actually wrote out the hierarchy in chart form and we all carry a digital copy with us to remind him who he's actually in charge of) Me: You're not. shows chart
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 10
    FOD: Well fine! But you're salary so you have to work during your vacation. You'll bring your laptop and work phone with you. Me: When YOU vacation you make it very clear you're unreachable and can't be bothered even if it's an emergency.
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 11
    FOD: That's because I go to places without service and unless you're going to the mountains you have to work! You're salary! Malicious Compliance Initiated Me: Just to be clear; if I go to a place without service I won't be expected to work, yeah?
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 12
    FOD: That's right, but you're a nerd you don't do anything outdoorsy. Me: Great, thanks for clearing that up. Fast forward 3 weeks later and it's vacation time. All my ducks are in a row, people are comfortable with me being gone for the week and are all encouraging me to just disconnect. A close coworker of mine knows of the conversation FOD and I had and asks what I plan to do to about it so I shared my easy but effective plan.
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 13
    1. wife and I rented a cabin in the woods, 2 hours from the nearest town and it doesn't have service 2. set up automatic email replies that have all IT questions and concerns forwarded to FOD since "he's the boss, he knows."
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 14
    3. leave work phone on the charger in my office with ringer on, door locked so he has to hear it and voicemail changed to have FOD become IT for the week.
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 15
    Coworker loves the idea of flooding FOD with questions he can't answer so much that he gets other coworkers in on it.
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 16
    Midway through the week I get a call from coworker with an update: FOD loses it. He can't keep up with any requests for help and didn't bother to memorize the simple tasks I showed him so he does what any good "boss” does and puts in a request to take a vacation until I get back. Retreat is always an option. Nothing screams leader more than retreat. It's not weakness and failure if he's not there!
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 17
    My coworkers were able to manage and FOD got his 3 day vacation, unfortunately. After the week off I'm called to VP's office to catch up and get things back on track. VP obviously heard of the hardships FOD faced in my absence and laughed at my MC surprisingly. VP struck a deal with
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 18
    me moving forward since it was made clear to him no one else knew how to do my job: I can go on vacation wherever I'd like as long as I bring my laptop and phone and check it once a week. They'll refund my vacation time for that day even if I only work for 5 minutes.
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 19
    I took that but with the caveat of making FOD actually learn some of my duties just in case. VP agreed. Now I do an hour of teaching a week to a very surly FOD. After all, he's "the boss" he's gotta know.
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 20
    th_blackheart Awesome. And you even ended up in a way better place than you began with, regarding your vacations.
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 21
    My_SFW_LOGIN Word of advice as one IT professional to another. If you're showing FOD parts of your job every week, once he feel's comfortable doing small tasks he's going to complain about why do they even need you. Great story though.
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 22
    out_run_radio OP I anticipated that as which is why he gets small pieces to make him feel important while I get the satisfaction of annoying him. I appreciate the concern nonetheless.
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 23
    grauenwolf They'll refund my vacation time for that day even if I only work for 5 minutes. right they will. That's a serious violation of labor laws in the US.
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 24
    out_run_radio OP It makes them feel like they're doing me a favor, which they aren't but hey, I like the company and I'll compromise.
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 25
    /PLACE tasartir It is so strange that you can go for 2 years without vacation. We have 20 days and at least 2 weeks of it unbroken by law and companies give even much more. Rested people perform much better then overworked.
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 26
    out_run_radio OP I agree with that completely. Unfortunately not working here is seen as being lazy, especially in the construction industry. They give you the time but chastise you for using it. It's very silly. After two years I was given 10 days time. At 5 years I'll be given another 5. 15 days paid off total after 5 years served. It's exhausting.
    via u/out_run_radio
  • 27
    Eudonidano If you went somewhere without service, how did you get a call from your coworker? Reply Share 45 out_run_radio OP We went in to town at a point in the vacation. Going without technology is more maddening than we expected.
    via u/out_run_radio

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