Boss schedules employee to work during their vacation, threatens to fire them if they don't come in and hires someone to replace them: 'Turns out while I was gone he tried to replace me with someone who quit after 2 days'

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Aug 18, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

Being asked to work when you're on vacation is like finding a raisin in your muffin. On the one hand, the muffin was really good so far; you were really enjoying it. That delightful melding mix of cinnamon, sugar, and butter was hitting just right. That was until your teeth sank straight into that unexpectedly chewy and sticky mass that was a lurking raisin, now stuck in your teeth and refusing to break free, its noxious sweet taste and texture persisting long after you've rescued your teeth and taste buds from its death grip.

Of course, there are some twisted people out there who like raisins in their otherwise perfectly fine baked goods, and the same is true for those who carry their work phone with them the entire time they're supposed to be switching off.

In a world where we're constantly connected and that line has been blurred to the point of indistinguishability, it's more important than ever to be able to get away from everything and have some time to think about and do literally anything else. While that includes switching off after work and on the weekend, it also applies to going on vacation. Taking time off is a part of working, whether your boss wants to admit that or not.

Your brain can only handle a certain amount of intense thinking and deep work every day, and also needs breaks from long periods of sustained effort. Carrying on for too long without taking a break will just cause burnout to creep its way in.

This worker's boss refused to accept that the fine line between work and life existed, and just went ahead and scheduled them anyway during a period of leave that they already had booked. This was a non-negotiable for the employee since they were traveling for a family member's wedding, so they stood their ground, refusing to work. Their boss turned to threats, threatening to fire them if they didn't come in for the scheduled shifts.

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  • "Boss scheduled me to work during my pre-approved vacation, then threatened to fire me when I refused"

    This happened last week and I'm still processing how ridiculous this whole situation got. I requested time off back in March for a family wedding this month and got it approved in writing. Been planning this trip for months, won some money on Stake and spent that money on flights and everything. Two weeks ago my manager calls me saying they're short staffed and I need to cancel my vacation to cover shifts.
    via TestAshamed9615
  • A man pointing at a schedule on the wall
    via Mikita Yo

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • When I reminded him it was already approved and I had non-refundable travel expenses, he said that was "my problem" and that the business comes first. Then he actually had the nerve to suggest I should have saved more money before booking trips I couldn't afford to lose. I told him absolutely not, I'm going to the wedding as planned. He got all pissy and said if I don't show up I'll be written up for job abandonment and probably fired. I just said okay, do what you gotta do, but I'll be in anoth
    via TestAshamed9615
  • Turns out while I was gone he tried to replace me with someone who quit after two days because the working conditions were so bad. Now he's been texting me asking when I can come back and acting like nothing happened. The whole thing really opened my eyes. to how little they actually value employees here. Been looking at other jobs since I got back because I'm done with this kind of treatment. Life's too short to let some power tripping manager stress you out over approved time off.
    via TestAshamed9615
  • A man stands with his arms crossed
    via Antonio Araujo

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • R-Dragon_Thunderzord Keep as much as you can on writing and when you can't make contemporaneous notes as much as you can and record any audio you need to. Could talk himself into losing an unfair dismissal case. Consider getting a lawyer or be prepared to get one on short notice.
    via TestAshamed9615
  • shontsu Its never made sense to me. "We're short staffed, if you don't come in you're fired" So...your solution to being short staffed is to fire people?
    via TestAshamed9615
  • tiggerfan79 I had a boss do that but for a thanksgiving holiday that our family does every year and they know about. She tried to say if I don't find a person to cover my shift I can't go. I said it's not my job to cover my shift. I am not the manager. I planned for this and it was approved. I found a job while on vacation and came back and gave 1 week notice. So joke was on them. Now I have a better job with better benefits and remote twice a week
    via TestAshamed9615
  • Th3TeeJ Document it all and keep it for when you need it. Chances are they'll try to fire you at the earliest opportunity.
    via TestAshamed9615
  • virgilreality Start your job search before you get back. When the new job is lined up, quit immediately. When he complains, tell him it's "his problem". "Perhaps you should have planned better."
    via TestAshamed9615
  • A man points at a schedule on the wall while a man stands with his arms crossed
    via Antonio Araujo

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workplace discussion employment issues antiwork workplace-stories jobs employee employment-discussion job work employees overworked-employees workplace Horrible Bosses employment in the workplace
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