Manager threatens to fire an employee for attending his brother's funeral, then the guy rage quits on the spot: ‘I hung up and blocked her’

Author image for Jesse Kessenheimer
Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Jun 1, 2024 8:00 PM EDT

Whenever managers are short-staffed, they send a mass text message to every employee begging them to come in and work a shift. But when a hardworking employee asks for one measly day off, all of a sudden their baby eyes and good graces go straight out the window… 

When one particular employee asked for a single day off, he learned exactly how far his loyalties at work would go–and how far his guilt-tripping manager would push him. 

After receiving terrible news of his brother's untimely demise, the original poster of this story (OP) knew he had to be in attendance at a very impromptu funeral. His minimum wage job was the last thing on his mind so he submitted his PTO request a little bit late, thinking he would be shown mercy by his manager. Little did he know, his direct supervisor was hardly a humanoid and didn't have a shred of grace in their body. 

Scroll for the entire story of how one employee rage quit on the spot after an insensitive manager threatened to fire him for requesting 1 day of PTO. After this, here's another tale of workplace drama where Redditors debate the best response to 'nobody wants to work anymore'.

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  • 01
    "They were gonna fire me because I asked for 1 day off"
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  • 02
    They were gonna fire me because I asked for 1 day off I used to be a traveling quality control auditor. The job was exhausting I worked 12 hours 7 days a week and was only getting paid $13 hours to do this. We
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  • 03
    only got holidays off and I had been there a year when this happened. My older brother passed away unexpectedly and the day it happened I texted my supervisor telling her I would not be in to work tonight because of
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  • 04
    this. She then texted me telling me that she would have to replace me for the night and it would be worth 2 points on my record. Whatever I didn't care and I was not coming in. Anyway
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  • 05
    the funeral was 2 months later and my company has a stupidly outdated website for requesting time off and I had put in a request for that day off 1 months in advance. 1 week before the funeral I got an email saying my
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  • 06
    request for time off was denied and I texted my supervisor telling her I would absolutely not be coming into work that day as I would be 3 hours away at a funeral. Well the funeral comes and while I'm there it's about an
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  • 07
    hour past my shift start time and suddenly I get a call from my supervisor and she's asking me where I am. I told her I wasn't coming in because I was at a funeral 3 hours away. She told me it doesn't matter and my request
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  • 08
    for time off wasn't approved and I had to be here because it would be worth 3 points if I didn't show up and they would be reconsidering my employment here (all Because I asked for 1 freaking day off). At this point I
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  • 09
    was just fed up with signing my life away to this crappy company and I told her that I'm sorry asking for 1 f#$_&+g! Day off was just too much and she can go get someone else to do my
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    job because I quit. I hung up and blocked her. I also knew darn well they had nobody to cover me so Karen would have to do my job for me. This company is no longer in business (probably because they can't modernize there outdated mindset)
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    SF-Sensual-Top • 18h ago I learned a long time ago, if I really need a specific day off, I don't ask. I just call in sick
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    Kultaren 18h ago That's horrible. The lack of empathy is astounding. I'm so sorry that happened OP.
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    OkSector 7737 • 17h ago The only mistake was quitting. You always let them fire you so you can collect unemployment benefits.
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    ewok_lover_64 • 17h ago What kind of workplace doesn't give you paid time for bereavement? Wow...
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    RockNRoll85 • 16h ago 12 hours/7 days a week of work? ? How is it that you got no time off at all? They were overworking & underpaying you
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    Ronh456 17h ago Why would anyone work 12 hours 7 days a week and only get paid $13/hour? Yes Ohio
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    Zen_Badger .7h ago I'm in Australia. A couple of years ago my sister in law passed away suddenly. I rang my boss and told him i was flying to the other side of the country immediately and would be gone for a week. He told me
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    to do what I needed to do and the company would sort out coverage for me. This is generally how Australian culture works. America is a dystopian corporate hellscape
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    • notyeezy1 16h ago Honestly. I know this mentality cannot blanket apply to everyone bc we're all in different financial situations/obligations, but I never request time off. My work didn't birth me, I don't need to ask permission to take a day off. The boss is not my parent so why the heck would I ever ask for time off. Hate that mentality
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    Optimal-Scientist233 • 17h ago Works Best Idle Of all the things in my life which I have, my possessions and place of employment are likely to be the things most easily replaced. My time, health, well being and the people in my life can not be replaced for any amount of money.
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  • 21
    HundRetter 15h ago • I got fired for asking for "too many" days off once. I asked for two, not even in the same week, and on both I specified I could close. I was having a beer after my shift and the gm came up to me and said I'm asking for all the days she needs me for off so they have to let me go. I was so baffled I just laughed and left
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    Phobet 15h ago • They didn't fire you, you actively denied them access to your skill set. With good reason!
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    Mentallyfknill⚫ 15h ago 13 dollars an hr, 7 days a week for 12 hr days blows my mind. Then to be Insane enough to really think you are gonna choose the job over a family idiots. funeral.
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    Wide_Sense5114 • 15h ago Stories like this make me realise how much I take for granted our legislated leave days for compassionate reasons (ie. death or serious injury/illness of immediate family) that we get in Aus. Up to 2 days guaranteed off for each occasion, allowing for an unlimited number of occasions.
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    Jacobysmadre 15h ago OP good riddance, they can off! It's bereavement and he was your brother. Btw- I'm so sorry for your loss. You deserve so much better.
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    Geminii27 • 14h ago Days off aren't requests. You generously inform the employer that you're taking that time, so they can use their existing rescheduling/coverage setups to handle it. If they don't have those, that's not the problem of the employee; that's a decision which was made by management.
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