Employee Resigns After HR Reprimands Him For Excessive PTO Despite Taking the Same Time Off Every Year

Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor

Jun 9, 2026 8:00 AM EDT

Can you imagine being told that the vacation time you took, which you rightfully earned, was suddenly considered excessive?

It's safe to say that this is not how you treat a loyal employee who has been working with you for over half a decade. This man, who shared his story with the r/antiwork subreddit community online, found himself taken aback when, on the first day of the same annual leave he had been taking for five years, he was notified by a coworker from human resources that he needed to come into the office to discuss his "excessive leave."

For context, not only was this the same amount of time off he always took each year, but the argument from HR's perspective also incorporated the bereavement leave he took earlier this year when he was handling a personal family matter involving his grandmother. It was company policy that bereavement leave and paid time off were not one and the same, so we find it interesting that all of a sudden, when it suits upper management, they have deemed that they can, in fact, conflate the two. Not to mention, there seems to have been zero expression of empathy for what their employee has been going through with his family.

via Vitaly Gariev

A model poses as a frustrated man sitting on the steps with his head in his hands.
Accused of taking excessive leave on my first day of annual leave

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via One_Prune_6882
via Vitaly Gariev

A photograph representing an angry employee sitting on the steps of a building screaming on his phone while working on his laptop.
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via One_Prune_6882
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A model poses as an employee submitting his letter of resignation in an office.
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A photo depicting an employee carrying a box of personal supplies away.
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The Redditor responded to several members of this online community with some further clarification about his employment status, along with a promising update. The good news is that the author has spent no time dwelling on the matter and has instead used a good chunk of his time off looking for better opportunities. Of course, we wish he could take an actual vacation given the year that he has had, but here's hoping that he will have some time to recharge before the next employment opportunity begins.
For more stories about PTO debacles in the workplace, check out this ridiculous story about a new hire who couldn't take off any time between September and June, as well as this article about the mixed bag that is unlimited PTO.
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