'They paid thousands for 4 unused vacation days': Employee sues boss for gaslighting them about their remaining annual leave

Brad Dickson • Managing Editor

Jan 29, 2024 9:00 AM EST

If there's one thing employers hate, it's benefits; even the greatest employer or boss has likely at one point begrudgingly approved a PTO request or ticked off additional PTO for their staff. And I'll admit, as a manager, when you see a PTO request, sometimes your intrusive thoughts kick in… "Do they really need this week off?" "How about the next one?" "Can't your brother just reschedule their wedding?"

Obviously, this is ridiculous, but show me a manager who hasn't had these thoughts, and I'll show you a liar. It's just one of those minor inconveniences that you put up with for your staff for their happiness and well-being… and also because it's a mandatory legal obligation.

Ignoring this mandatory legal obligation would be silly—you probably just wouldn't do it. But, this manager tried to, and paid the price… A price far greater than their employer would have paid for those four days of leave.