Restaurant manager has their leave revoked after being prevented from taking it all year: 'No one is allowed to take my shift because I am the only one that knows how to do everything'

Working in a workplace that almost seems to be full-tilt all the time is exhausting and can lead quickly to burnout if you don't pace yourself. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the environment, pacing yourself isn't really an option. In places like this, you're technically able to take leave, but the reality is that you're never going to be able to since there always seems to be something going on. Your place of work is always "too busy," "understaffed," or "It's the wrong season." When the reality is that your employer just needs to hire more staff but is reluctant to. 

This is especially true when you have a certain amount of irreplaceable knowledge of the business that no one else seems to be able to get right—that or everyone else who knew how to do the tasks has left due to high turnover and burnout. You might hope that if your skills make you so unreplaceable that you couldn't even take time off, you'd be getting paid to reflect that… but chances are you probably aren't.

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    COFFE
    Via Rod Long
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  • This is brutal in industries like retail, where you're essentially prevented from taking leave during the holiday season because it's the busiest year of trade, thanks to everyone who is out shopping for presents.

    Of course, if you haven't been able to take your leave, the silver lining is that you'll get paid out for any PTO you haven't taken when you leave. Right?.. Well, no. That's not always the case, and it depends on what the laws are where you live and what your employer's policies are—and how closely they follow those policies.

  • 02
    FILTER NO 2 COUNT BOLIV ORIGIN/F "My boss denied me PTO throughout the year then wouldn't roll it over..." SEASONAL LEND
    Via Rod Long

  • This is something that this kitchen manager appears to be learning the hard way in a post that they shared with this online workplace community. In the account of events that they shared in their post, they detailed how their boss had repeatedly made excuses as to why they couldn't take leave through the year, but once the New Year hit, when the manager asked to roll over or cash out his leave, he was told that the policy was “Use it or lose it.”

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  • 03
    So i'm a kitchen manager at a pub. I asked for a week of back in june to burn some of my PTO and my request was rejected because there was two new people and i had to train them. Then people quit and we where short staffed for the next few months.
    Via Reasonable-Wafer-248
  • 04
    Currently we have new people and I have been working 6 days a week to train them. There are "rules" that we aren't allowed to call out with out finding our own coverage. But no one is allowed to take my shift because I am the only one that knows how to do everything. My boss COULD but always finds excuses to not be here and when she is she just sits at the bar and drinks all day. Examples: "well i don't have anyone to watch my kid" "I already paid for these concert tickets" "Im taking a week of
    Via Reasonable-Wafer-248
  • 05
    could have used 25+ hours buy was only given 8. The very next week she sent us all a message saying anyone that calls out would be written up and risks getting fired. Then when i asked to rollover or cash out my PTO she said "It's use it or lose it!" I explain how i havnt had the chance because i keep doing 6 day weeks and overtime everyweek buy she doesn't seem to care. Anyway thanks for listening to my rant on how I got screwed by my boss!
    Via Reasonable-Wafer-248
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  • 06
    SushiRoll2004 Honestly, I hope that when you find your next gig, you no show, no call this one F your boss
    Via Reasonable-Wafer-248
  • 07
    superdeepborehole That's cruel of your manager to deny your PTO, delay your vacation requests, and disposing of your accrued benefits.
    Via Reasonable-Wafer-248
  • 08
    Agent-c1983 You need to have a chat with your local friendly employment lawyer. Taking PTO is a contractual right, and whilst you employer does get some say over when it can be used, constantly denying it just acts to frustrate the contract.
    Via Reasonable-Wafer-248
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  • 09
    Joey_BagaDonuts57 Stop covering for 'Miss Management'. Start looking elsewhere, as your experience is needed everywhere. Covering for her lack of management isn't your job, it's HERS.
    Via Reasonable-Wafer-248
  • 10
    Background-Hyena If there's no possible recourse, find a new job. Do not tell your manager that you're looking for a new job. Don't even give her two weeks notice. If she doesn't care enough to give you the benefits you've earned, she won't care enough to give you a good reference. Soak that bridge in gasoline, drop the match, and walk away.
    Via Reasonable-Wafer-248
  • 11
    tandyman8360 In 2020, my employer encouraged overtime and a lot of people didn't take vacation (there was nowhere to go) and they paid hourly people cash for up to 2 weeks of accrued vacation. Salaried employees didn't get that offer and lost a lot of "use it or lose it" time. In 2022, they went to "unlimited" PTO for salaried employees, presumably to avoid that issue again.
    Via Reasonable-Wafer-248
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  • 12
    shapeofthings Sounds like you are the business and should ask them do you want me to walk, because you need me... pay up or else.
    Via Reasonable-Wafer-248
  • 13
    NoMansSkyWasAlri... "Hey boss, what do you think is going to happen to this place if I walk? Are you really sure you want to keep on like this?" Better yet, just don't show up for a couple of days.
    Via Reasonable-Wafer-248

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