Employee gets PTO request approved for family emergency, then revoked with no notice: 'If you take off unapproved time then we'll have to let you go'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Sep 14, 2025 8:00 AM EDT

Most managers should know not to mess with an employee's time off when it comes to family emergencies. However, not all managers possess a basic level of empathy. 

In this instance, we have an employee who requested two weeks off due to a family emergency. He relayed this immediately to his manager and explained the situation. He even got that time off request entirely approved so that he could attend the memorial service of his mother. That was a month in advance. Well, guess what happened right before the time off period began? You probably guessed it. The manager revoked the previously approved PTO request and informed the employee that upper management had changed their minds.

Of course, as the employee explained in his reaction, this should be why managers exist. They are supposed to have the backs of their employees, especially when it comes to sensitive matters. Perhaps upper management did not know the full extent of the situation, and it was the manager's responsibility to step in and explain why that PTO request should not and could not be revoked. Unfortunately, the author's manager did not step up to the plate, and when the employee doubled down on his need to take that time off, the manager even went so far as to threaten termination if the author went ahead and traveled anyway. 

Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the best reactions from the outraged members of this online community.

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  • "I might get fired because I pushed back on my management canceling my time off for my mother's funeral"

    A male and female employee conversing at their work desks.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • What is the point of having a supervisor to report to upper management on your behalf if they won't actually defend your feelings and circumstances? Bereavement should be a non-negotiable issue, and if the company cannot function without that one employee's presence, then there is a much bigger problem that needs fixing here.

  • The week after I got the news that my mom d I put in a request for paid two weeks off to my manager. She approved it through
    via [deleted]
  • the program we use to put in time off requests. I knew that I needed this time to go out of town, so all of my funeral plans are based on these two weeks, and I made that very clear to my manager in the email I sent her. This was about a month ago.
    via [deleted]
  • She called me into her office yesterday during my shift to tell me that they "cancelled" my two weeks off because they're understaffed. I was absolutely shocked. The first thing I asked her
    via [deleted]
  • was why she didn't tell me this news sooner. I sat there explaining to her that I needed, NEEDED! these two weeks for my family. She gave me the whole manager bulls tone with the "I understand that, but we need you
    via [deleted]
  • to understand this too." I got extremely angry sitting there listening to her go on and on about how she's just the "messenger" and how if I have a complaint, I should let her boss know.
    via [deleted]
  • I snapped at her and said "isn't your job organizing these things so that your employees can take time off for important things" She continued with her corporate tone
    via [deleted]
  • bulls so I just told her that I'm done talking, and that I'm leaving for this funeral whether they find someone to fill in or not. She said "that's all good and well, but if you take off unapproved time then we'll have to let you go" so I just
    via [deleted]
  • said that's fine and walked out of her office. It was approved and when I checked the program, she somehow removed the status where she approved it. Wow. Idk what to do. This job pays well compared to other ones but I'm
    via [deleted]
  • A male employee speaks to a female employee in an office.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • Raging_Progressive 3 days ago Let her fire you, then collect unemployment
    via [deleted]
  • lydriseabove 3 days ago OP needs to send a very clear email stating that they are NOT leaving the job,
    via [deleted]
  • are leaving for some previously approved PTO time, and will be returning on X date. Send it to as many people as possible and even set up an out of office email referring to PTO.
    via [deleted]
  • Mermaidtoo 3 days ago 2點 & 8 More Absolutely. OP only knows what their manager has told them. It may be that the manager messed up or doesn't want to be inconvenienced.
    via [deleted]
  • OP - be completely factual and professional in all communications.
    via [deleted]
  • Send something like this and cc everyone in management and HR you can:
    via [deleted]
  • Boss- I'm following up on our conversation from (date) when you informed me that you cancelled my time off that had been approved on (date).
    via [deleted]
  • As I'd shared at the time of my original request on (date) and brought up again during our recent conversation, this time off is due to a family bereavement. I will be attending services for my mother from (date to date). It was on (date) that you approved this time off.
    via [deleted]
  • In the month since your approval, I've set the date for the services, coordinated with family members, and made traveling plans. None of this can be rescheduled.
    via [deleted]
  • During our recent conversation, you informed me that my time off is now cancelled due to issues with other staff and the status no longer shows as approved in the system.
    via [deleted]
  • Due to this exceptional situation, I am not able to comply with any scheduling change other than what was previously approved. I hope that you can understand and manage accordingly.
    via [deleted]
  • To reiterate, I will be taking my previously- approved leave from (date to date). My first day back to work will be (date).
    via [deleted]

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workplace-stories employee work stories toxic-workplace job work overworked-employees Horrible Bosses company toxic-work-environment
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