'Got in trouble for having a life outside of work': Boss chews out employee for taking time off during the summer

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jun 16, 2026 9:00 PM EDT

Should you be punished for having a life?

Absolutely not, and anyone who makes you feel that way should seriously reconsider how they're moving through the world. That's what happened to this employee, though, who shared their story on the antiwork subreddit. They were living their life the way they would like, and making sure to keep their boss abreast of their plans. This didn't go the way they had hoped, though, and brought out some pretty ugly feelings that were hard to ignore. When your business is threatening to fail the minute someone calls out of work, then there is a bigger issue at play. It's not the worker's fault for taking the time off that they need to take off. It's the employer's fault for not building a sustainable business. The blame here should never fall on the employee's shoulders. But it often does. If your scheduling time off is causing a ricochet through the business that you can't ignore, then there is something bad afoot. You should be able to live your life and take the time off that you need, provided that you clear it with your supervisors in a correct amount of time. That's what this employee did, but they still faced the consequences. 

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boss workplace-stories toxic-workplace job work working toxic-boss workplace bad bosses
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