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Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
Woman typing on a laptop in a professional business offfice -
My new manager filed a complaint with HR because I took too many days off... But it didn't work out in her favor.
"I had already taken about 14 days of my paid leave this year. This is completely normal for me; I've been doing this for years, and my previous manager never objected. But this new manager, who just joined us, seems to have a problem with me using my allocated leave days.
I won't post screenshots of the messages for obvious reasons, but our conversation went something like this:" -
"Manager: 'Hi SML, I've noticed you've taken a lot of PTO days recently. I've approved them for now, but when you return, we need to discuss why you take so much leave. Thanks, Manager.'
Me: 'Hi Manager, this isn't unusual. I follow this pattern every year. I usually take some leave in the first few months, and then more towards the end of the year. If this arrangement is an issue for you, please let me know. Best regards, SML.'
Manager: 'How many PTO days do you have exactly?'
Me: 'I assume you mean annual leave? I have the company's 33 days, plus 4 extra days agreed upon in my contract. I also have 5 days rolled over from last year. As of 15/04/25, I will have 28 days remaining for this year. I plan to take 12 days in September, 9 days in November, and the remaining 7 days as needed.'' -
Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
Woman typing on a laptop computer sitting at a clean table. -
"Manager: 'That's too much; we don't have all that PTO, so I don't know where you're getting these numbers from. I've escalated this to HR because I don't think this is right.'
Me: 'Okay, fine. I was supposed to return on Thursday, please grant me leave for the rest of this week. And if HR confirms that my leave terms are correct, I expect those 4 extra days to be a bonus.'
Manager: 'I don't understand what you mean, but okay, I'll see you Tuesday morning.'” -
"After that, I contacted HR. It was a calm chat; they had known my situation since I started, as I had traded a higher salary for those 4 extra leave days. Frankly, HR was a bit annoyed that they received a report about something so simple. They just told me: "SML, enjoy your extended leave. Seriously, who wouldn't want a manager to mistakenly give them extra days off?"
It turned out my manager works from another country and doesn't understand our local labor laws at all." -
"When I sent a message to my team that I was taking the rest of the week off, a colleague mentioned that this manager had also tried to report another colleague to HR for wanting to take the full 50 weeks of maternity leave all at once. The manager apparently thought this was 'unacceptable' too, but HR just did this (shrug gesture) and said: 'No, she is absolutely entitled to do that. We'll see her back in about ten months. Don't forget the baby pictures!'”
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When HR is on your side, then you really know the company is messing up. How do you hire someone who doesn't know the local labor laws? That sounds like something was overlooked. Perhaps her credibility? It also feels like this manager just wanted to pull some power moves immediately with her team.
Question: Why do managers think that playing some power moves, like work is a game, is a good idea? Has that ever worked for any manager? Definitely not in the long run. If you want a successful team, then you treat each other with mutual respect. Why is that such a revolutionary concept??
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Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
Business professional woman in a suit typing on a laptop computer. -
ConkerPrime
This feels like an American manager working for a foreign company. A disturbingly high volume of managers think employees should be grateful for employment and shouldn’t even want time off. Meanwhile, only management works hard, so deserves all the time off.
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icewalker2k
My current manager can’t believe how much PTO I have. I negotiated that prior to joining the company (with my first manager), which was then purchased by another company. After the purchase, a new manager tried to have my expanded PTO taken away but a contract is a contract and he learned very quickly not to *uck with legally binding documents. I eventually get a new manager and he is shocked but proud that I negotiated. He is actually cool about it.
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SadFaithlessness8237
I worked one job with the same “company”, and transitioned to a different job. I make more now but had a ton of leave time from my previous year round job. I tallied it up and have 14 1/2 weeks. I could take off if I needed to. I tell myself that on a really bad day “I could take the rest of the semester off if I wanted to“. It gets me through and I will be sure to use that leave before I retire, unless it is more financially advantageous to take the payout. But it’s nice to have it as a backup in case of a medical issue. I have a friend that had to be out for cancer, surgery and treatment, and didn’t have enough leave so people were able to donate some of their leave to her.
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Better-Rice5898
I work in the US. Before PTO, I had 5 weeks vacation and 10 days sick time. Now I have unlimited PTO. It depends on the company and how long you've been with the company.
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