Spiteful manager throws ‘tantrum’ and denies employee's time-off request for their 21st birthday, employee feels this may be a targeted attack: ‘He’s looking for a reaction’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Sep 25, 2024 7:00 AM EDT

Listen, being a manager isn't easy. Dealing with scheduling alone is a laborious task if you're trying to find employees to keep the business running at any given moment. Especially in college towns, you run the risk of hiring students who can't work for days at a time. However, when an employee puts in a time-off request promptly, and you have no real reason to deny their request, that's when you step into nonsensical territory. This can be classified as workplace discrimination, especially when you clearly had a bone to pick with your employee moments before you sent out a heated message in the company chat.

When you hire students, you're signing up for this kind of runaround. The student in this story put in their time-off request for the day of their 21st birthday, not really worrying about the possibility of getting their request denied since that had never happened before. The student employee expressed that they by far have the most availability compared to their coworkers, and even stayed extra late during a shift because their coworker forgot they were scheduled to work. Well, this entitled manager grew upset when the student employee didn't want to stay an extra two hours after their initial shift was supposed to end, even though the manager was there to watch over the business until the forgetful employee got to work. The manager then denied the original poster's (OP's) time-off request and sent out a heated message. Did I mention that this manager is taking a week of PTO despite claims of needing availability? You can scroll all the way down to read the entire story with included photos of the messages their manager sent.

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  • 01
    Hey team all time off must be approved by me in advance moving forward. You will not tell me when you are taking off you will ask. Unfortunately until we get better availability most time off will likely be declined. I am burnt out guys. I've tried my hardest to facilitate your schedules unfortunately if you cannot work with the availability we need, we may have to let you go. Me time off request October 4-5 is declined. October 5th time off request is declined
    via lil artsy
  • 02
    My manager had a tantrum earlier today & denied my Time off for my 21st birthday. And he's taking the same week off for PTO.
    via gcimatt01
  • 03
    Added context: My "team" and I are young. 20-23 years old. All of us go to college besides one who works another job. Ever since classes started in early August, I've been working closing shifts on the weekdays and regular shifts on weekends. I have the
    via gcimatt01
  • 04
    best availability besides the manager currently. So everyone besides the manager work part time. It's a retail, commission- based, job. As well, everyone works solo shifts besides on weekends. This isn't our store's fault but it's just how the company sets it up.
    via gcimatt01
  • 05
    Now my manager primarily works opening shifts. He originally didn't have an issue with this and actually looked forward to working those type of shifts when school was starting back up.
    via gcimatt01
  • 06
    Anyways now, it seems to be taking a bit of a toll on him. So, he's been having interviews with several people in hopes of hiring an opener. Luckily, a few have that type of availability.
    via gcimatt01
  • 07
    Important as well, me and my manager don't necessarily get along. We've argued through text & in person & don't necessarily see eye to eye. He also tends to put himself over us, his employees, a lot. He can be an sometimes and has
    via gcimatt01
  • 08
    pushed several employees to quit. Like he's VERY petty. He's also very forgetful and leaves us to deal with the problems he creates (i.e. scheduling you on a week that you requested off despite him initially confirming it to as fine. He actually did this to
    via gcimatt01
  • 09
    an employee who told him weeks in advance that he was going to Hawaii. Manager tried to force him to work). You basically get the feeling that you need to absolutely have this job as first priority. But I like working here because it works perfectly with my classes & I just love the job in general.
    via gcimatt01
  • 10
    Now as to why he's texting like this: So I was working my mid day 4 hour shift. I planned to get to my goddaughter's birthday then immediately head home to work on my school projects. Anyways when I clocked in, my manager tells me that I'll be working on the
    via gcimatt01
  • 11
    floor and selling while he does interviews. I should basically pretend he's not here. Fine with me. Hours later and my clock out time rolls around the corner so I'm ready to clock out. His interview process was done hours ago. He immediately stops
    via gcimatt01
  • 12
    me and tells me "You can't clock out until the person taking over the rest of the shift comes in." Fair. But then I think about it and reply back, saying, "But aren't you here?" (his clock out time is 2 hours after mine) He responds, "Yes, but remember I'm not here."
    via gcimatt01
  • 13
    So then I'm thinking in my head, but didn't you tell me that your interviews are done for today? Are you still not available even though you've been helping with sales? But it's whatever, I'll stay a bit to wait for my coworker.
    via gcimatt01
  • 14
    About 15 minutes pass by and he informs me that the same employee didn't know they were working today. This employee works another job so I assume they were still at their other job. So he asks me if I can stay an extra 2 hours and then the other
    via gcimatt01
  • 15
    employee will come in. I, hesitant, say no because I have plans and I've allotted time to take care of these things. He immediately retorts, "Well I'm not about to work another 10 hour shift." Things are kinda tense now. He goes into the backroom to start
    via gcimatt01
  • 16
    making calls to my coworkers in hopes that someone will cover. I'm there, at the register, just thinking about what to do. I ultimately decide I'll stay 30 min past my clock out time and clock out. Nothing after that. Around 27 minutes after my supposed clock out time, he comes out, saying, "I
    via gcimatt01
  • 17
    guess you can clock out if you want to. You have a life. I don't obviously" in a sarcastic tone. Laughs it off as well. I'm thinking well that works for me. But I don't get why he's so upset with me when it's basically that other employee's fault. It's up to everyone to keep track of their
    via gcimatt01
  • 18
    shifts. It feels almost like he's taking his frustrations out on me. But let me get out of here. I get my stuff and head out, and I don't even say bye cuz I'm a bit upset about the whole thing. Fast forward to the party. He starts texting like crazy in the group chat saying these things in the images above. He denies my
    via gcimatt01
  • 19
    time off request for my birthday. My 21st birthday. Keep in mind that Time off Requests weren't necessarily requests. If you put it in at least 2 weeks prior, 99.9% of the time it's getting approved. So while I'm at this party, I'm thinking, it definitely feels like you're targeting me.
    via gcimatt01
  • 20
    Especially since he denied my request as soon as I left as well. On top of that, he denied another employee's request and then he didn't even schedule them on the day that same day. So was their request really denied? I bite my tongue though because I know he's looking for a reaction. Craziest part about it is he's
    via gcimatt01
  • 21
    going to be gone for a week despite complaining about availability issues. Note that these aren't emergency related. He usually takes PTO to visit friends/family. He leaves us to take care of the store. So I'm stuck in between a rock and a hard place at the moment.
    via gcimatt01
  • 22
    This is Arizona if it matters. I'm thinking about calling the regional manager to help me out. I don't know what to do and I definitely don't want to spend my 21st at work. Even when I get off on October 4th (my birthday) I have to wake up relatively early the next day to get ready then head to work. I'm not sure I want to
    via gcimatt01
  • 23
    quit because of how balanced this job is at this location specifically. But I've started to look at Indeed anyway because I've had to put up with a lot of similar situations like this with him. I can't necessarily remember
    via gcimatt01
  • 24
    all the instances of him acting like this or putting me in difficult situations but he's denied days off when I was sick & tried to hint at denying a trip I told him about months before which he approved. What do I do?
    via gcimatt01
  • 25
    Yesterday Hey team all time off must be approved by me in advance moving forward. You will not tell me when you are taking off you will ask. Unfortunately until we get better availability most time off will likely be declined. 1 I am burnt out guys. I've tried my hardest to facilitate your schedules unfortunately if you cannot work with the availability we need, we may have to let you go. Me time off request October 4-5 is declined. October 5th time off request is declined. D R DELL v N M. Time
    via gcimatt01
  • 26
    WORK SCHEDULE: WEEKLY WEEK ENDING 10/05/2024 GOAL 5575 5952 EMPLOYEE NAME POSITION SUN 9/29 MON 9/30 TUE 10/1 WED 10/2 THU 10/3 Start End Start End Start End Start End Start End 2380-GOAL: 8.283 FRI 104 SAT 10/5 HOURS Start End Start End NOTES HOURS New Hire 000 000 000 0:00 000 000 0:00 1045 AM 3:00 PM 000 000 000 000 000 OPENSHIF PROHODATDIVENT UNAVAILABLE 300 815945AM 400PM 12:00 PM 7:00 PM 000 Manage HOURS 5:15 0:00 5:15 7:00 2345 SCHEDULED OFFIAVALABLE 100 Keyholder HOURS HOURS New Hire 000
    via gcimatt01

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ask reddit antiwork workplace-stories toxic-workplace birthday work askreddit reddit story horrible-management PTO workplace Horrible Bosses subreddit reddit thread red flag job interview entitled people toxic-work-environment
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