Boss refuses to approve 1-week vacation request sent in months in advance, claims they can't find coverage

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Apr 29, 2026 10:00 AM EDT

What would you do if you had to quit just to take a vacation?

You probably wouldn't want to stay at that job very long, would you? Vacations are essential. They keep you chugging along as you should, and if you never had room or space to take them, then you would burn out quickly. Good managers know this and don't discourage their employees from taking the time off that they need. Because they know that good employees need time to rest and recharge, and that doesn't always just happen on nights and weekends. Sometimes you need a true break in the schedule before you can return with a full tank of gas. But when a company isn't run properly, you might end up in some sticky situations where scheduling gaps happen more than you would like them to. This isn't the employee's fault. It's the system's fault for letting them end up there with no place to turn. 

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  • An exhausted medial professional puts he hand on her forehead
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • That's what happened here, where a manager was unwilling to let their employee take the break they deserved. Everyone deserves a rest. And you shouldn't have to climb through hoops to get it. If you give enough notice, that should be enough for the people you work with. Finding coverage is the manager's job, one that they should be comfortable doing. It's part of the job description. But too often, managers rely on their employees to keep showing up, and then everything falls apart once they need a couple of days off. How are you, as the employee in this situation, meant to deal with that? At a certain point, you have to demand what you want. But it's also a tough job market out there, and you don't want to end up jobless just because you wanted to take some time off. This is a pretty impossible situation, and you don't want to make the wrong move. That's where this employee ended up, and they needed to seek some outside perspectives to get a handle on it. Keep scrolling to read all the details and see what you think about it. 

  • My employer won't let me take a vacation because they don't have coverage for me. I'm considering to give my two weeks before my vacation because what choice do I have?

    I put in a request on March 11 of this year to take a whole week off in the end of May. My manager didn't approve or decline it. I'm the only employee working in my department since my other coworker retired weeks ago.
    via deadliftz420
  • My manager said to me she can't do anything with my time off since they don't have coverage and she said she spoke to upper management about it and they didn't say that they were taking initiative to hire someone to work with me.
    via deadliftz420
  • I have worked with the company for two years and I am an outpatient clinic nurse. I was going to just put my two weeks in before my vacation because I fear if I just don't quit and don't show up on those days I would get in trouble for patient abandonment.
    via deadliftz420
  • I'm a bit angry because I didn't want it to end this way and I do enjoy what I do. I also dread the job hunting process. But what's the point of staying with a company if I can't take a vacation when I have PTO?!
    via deadliftz420

  • Commenters gave their takes on the situation.

    Moving TargetPra... there is another way. tell them you are informing them of your vacation not asking for approval. If they don't agree, they can fire you. same outcome, but you get to work/get paid until your vacation.
    via MovingTargetPractice
  • BigBirdsBrain They're understaffed, not you. PTO isn't a favor, it's earned time, take it or start planning your exit.
    via BigBirdsBrain
  • PigslsEqual RN here - Patient abandonment doesn't apply unless you walk away from an assigned shift that you're already working. Not sure clinic patients would even count!
    via PigslsEqual
  • Phogoff Take the time off and do not quit first. Let them fire you, then you can collect unemployment. If you're full time and earning vacation hours they are yours to take.
    via Phogoff
  • esoteric_vagabond DO NOT QUIT. Have it in writing that that they are firing you and collect unemployment at THEIR expense. When employees take PTO it is NOTICE - not a request.
    via esoteric_vagabond
  • L... I'll bet you $20 they'll miraculously find coverage for you vacation when your resign.
    via LifeRound2
  • An exhausted nurse sits on a bed in a hospital
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • HermanGulch Be careful with the timing, some places have a rule that you can't take vacation during the notice period. And some places might walk you out as soon as you give your notice.
    via HermanGulch
  • But if I were you, and I was willing to quit over it, I'd also be pretty aggressive about pushing them to approve the time off, even if they have to hire a temp for a week or two. If they fired me for pestering them about my vacation, at least I'd get unemployment while I looked for a new job.
    via HermanGulch
  • sopcannon Coverage is a managers job, if the holiday has been booked and approved. Depending on the country you are in.
    via sopcannon
  • RainbowRandom... Life is too short. I put in for holiday they later removed. and claimed hadn't been approved. Asked what can be done, they said get cover. I got cover for the two shifts I would be missing that seemed to be causing the issue, and it still wasn't enough.
    via RainbowRandomness
  • I fought and I fought for months. It wasn't my fault they decided weekends only needed three people working because a lot of people retired during CO ID. I worked weekends so my holiday/PTO was there to cover those hours I worked. But work didn't want to hear it and thought I'd just miss my holiday and come into work. As if!
    via RainbowRandomness
  • Life is short, jobs come and go. I wouldn't of been able to get the time spent with my family enjoying time on that holiday back if I hadn't of gone. So I told them look, I've got the cover for the shifts like you asked (even though that shouldn't be my job but the managers anyway!) and this holiday was approved before it was removed and changed with the new system. I'm going on this holiday.
    via RainbowRandomness
  • They tried to bring me into meetings and warn me with disciplinary action. I said okay, I'll deal with that when back from my holiday. They tried to tell me this holiday had never been approved, even though I knew it had. They tried to pressure me and I just said nope. And I had the support of my colleagues which just made it funnier lol.
    via RainbowRandomness
  • So I went on the holiday. I had an amazing time. I visited places I loved, spent time with my family, made memories I cherish. And when I came back to work I think I worked like one shift and then spent time in meetings for an "investigation" with others.
    via RainbowRandomness
  • being interviewed as part of it to look at the situation and what happened. All came to a head when there was a big meeting to discuss it all, took like two hours, and then I was fired cause I showed no remorse for my actions Imao. Think my colleague I brought with me to the meeting as moral support was more upset than I was with the outcome.
    via RainbowRandomness
  • This comment is long winded. My point is, you've done what you can. You've tried working with them, you've informed them, you've tried to do it proper. And they're ignoring you and making it your fault for their lack of staff and planning. Your PTO is owed to you for the hours you work, they
    via RainbowRandomness
  • can't deny you time off you've earned because they don't have staff. They're managers, that's their issue to sort out. So go on your holiday. Quit or wait to be fired. But go on your holiday and enjoy yourself. This is a blip in the echos of your life and will be a funny story later on when
    via RainbowRandomness
  • the dust settles, like my story is now it's been years since it happened and the stress of it has melted away lol. Best of luck to you, I hope everything happens as smoothly for you as it possibly can in this situation.
    via RainbowRandomness
  • jwse30 If they have to close if someone calls off, can they really do anything if you just take the vacation? Just go, and when you come back, see if they still have a job for you. I wouldn't put two weeks notice in to take a vacation.
    via jwse30
  • Corrupted-Chewie I had a similar situation at my last job. Not in the medical field but still very similar circumstances. I put in for my vacation time and was denied. Tried multiple other dates but was routinely denied because, just like you, my department
    via Corrupted-Chewie
  • was short staffed and Management was refusing to hire anyone. I eventually escalated to HR, as well as my boss's boss. That got the ball rolling. Told them my boss was denying my vacation and they either had to pay me out my vacation time if my requests kept getting denied, or force my boss to give me my time off and make her run the department.
    via Corrupted-Chewie
  • That got their attention pretty d in fast and my boss was forced to let me take my time off.
    via Corrupted-Chewie

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antiwork toxic-workplace job bosses coworkers working toxic-boss workplace vacation
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