Manager claims employee “should be grateful” for having a job after denying employee's PTO request for one day off to attend sister's wedding: ‘What does that even mean?’

Should you really be grateful for a job that doesn't allow you to take ONE day off?

There are many things we should be grateful for in life. We are grateful for our friends, our family, being healthy, and having a roof over our heads.

Obviously, we are also immensely grateful for having a job, which is not a given for anyone these days. That being said, just because we are grateful doesn't mean we shouldn't fight for our rights or stand up for ourselves when we feel like we're being wronged.

You can be grateful and still feel like you deserve better.

When the manager in the story below told their employee they should be grateful they even have a job, after this employee asked for one day off to attend their sister's wedding, we knew it was time for this employee to stand up for themselves. Not only is it just one day, which the employee is asking for weeks in advance, after following HR protocol precisely, but it is one day after weeks of being overworked with no retribution.

This led the employee not only to not feel grateful, but also feel like they deserve so much better, especially from a workplace they have given so much to.

Whether or not this employee will get their day off approved remains to be seen, but it doesn't seem like that matters as much, since the employee is not planning on sticking around in a job that doesn't appreciate hard work. And when this employee turns in their letter of resignation, we hope they tell their manager they should have been grateful for having such a great employee, and they should have shown it.

We hope this employee translates PTO to Prepare The Others and does not cave to their manager’s attitude. They deserve a break, and they should wait for an “approval” to take it, especially not for just one day.
What advice would you give to this employee? Should they take the day off regardless of their manager’s decision, or should they “be grateful” and keep quiet?
via Ziga Plahutar

Employee enters boss's office for a meeting.
^{Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.}
My manager told me I should be "grateful" I even have a job after I asked for a day off for my sisters wedding

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Calendar with marked day off.
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