Company forces employee to cancel approved PTO after policy change: 'They may now try to fire me if I don’t play along'

JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor

Jun 23, 2026 10:00 AM EDT

If your PTO is approved, you should be able to take it.

This is a pretty simple idea. If you want to take time off, and let your employer know in plenty of time, and if they approve that request-- you should be able to take it. That's the point of approved PTO. But this doesn't always work out, much to the chagrin of workers, especially the worker in this story, which they shared on the anitwork subreddit. Nobody wants to feel like their time is being disrespected, and nobody wants for their job to misunderstand their intentions. Jobs are precious things, especially these days. They're not easy to get, and once you have one that you like, they're worth holding onto for dear life. But companies don't always make that easy, and they sometimes insert themselves between business and pleasure in a way they they shouldn't. Sometimes jobs don't understand that you have a life to live outside of work, and that sometimes that comes first. The employee in this situation was trying to play by the book and do the right thing, but they still ended up being punished for it. When companies change policies, they don't always think about how it might affect their employees on the ground. They think about the bottom line, not the real-life impact. But when you enact policy without thinking about it, you end up suffering. The employee in this story was put in a difficult place by their employer. Either they cancel their hard-earned time off, or they risk losing their job.

via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

A woman looks stressed out at her desk at work
Work Attempting to Force Me to Cancel Approved PTO

via whitepineowl
via whitepineowl
via whitepineowl
via whitepineowl
via whitepineowl
via whitepineowl
via Unsplash + (Getty Images)

A man looks confused at his laptop at work
Time off is incredibly important. It helps you recharge everything that you need to do your job correctly. It's hard to do your job if you are not well rested and recharged. You need time away from your tasks in order to stay effective at them. It doesn't just happen magically, it happens with planned time away. That's what this employee was trying to do, but it backfired in a major way. Keep reading for the full story.
via AcadiaRemarkable6992
via JohnSolo22
via herp_derp_shmerp
via herp_derp_shmerp
via herp_derp_shmerp
via No_Address687