Manager denies 2 PTO requests, claiming the employees submitted them too late, employees refuse to work in response: ‘Consider it your resignation’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Aug 16, 2026 1:45 PM EDT

When a manager denies something from an employee, our first instinct is to take the employee's side, the one who doesn't have the power. But there are plenty of instances where the boss is actually the one making the right call.

It's not easy being a boss. The responsibility is staggering; you constantly find yourself juggling between being a supportive manager to your employees, while also ensuring you put the company's interests first. The balance between the two is almost impossible to find, because often an employee's needs don't align with what is best for the company; then you have to find a way to somehow make both happy, which rarely happens.

This means that managers often find themselves with tough decisions to make. Granted, we mostly see managers as the 'bad guy' because the decisions they end up making are often the worst, especially for the sake of the employee. But we have to admit that there are some managers out there who genuinely try to be fair and make the right call, even if their employees don't approve.

Speaking of approval, these two employees wanted to get their store manager's approval for a PTO request for a weekend, but they asked for it way too late. There were already two other employees who were approved for PTO on the same weekend, including the manager themselves. So, the manager had to make the difficult decision of simply saying no to the two workers, telling them they were going to have to come to work since there wouldn't be enough people to work that weekend without them. 

Since the two employees already bought tickets to a concert, they weren't going to take no for an answer and told the manager that even if they were denied the PTO, and will still call in sick that day. The manager informed them that if they did that, they would be fired.

We think the manager tried their best to find a solution that would work for everyone, but maybe you might think things could have been handled differently. Read the full story below to find out.

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  • Retail store manager.
    via Thomas_EyeDesign from Getty Images Signature

    Retail store manager.

    Subjects are models.

  • WIBTAh if I deny two PTO requests?

    I am a store manager for a national retail store. I had 2 employees put in for a weekend off in the middle of next month. The problem is I
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  • already have that weekend off for a vacation I've had planned for over a year, and one of my other employees had also asked for the time
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  • off a couple months ago. I can't spare these two weekend because it would leave only 3 people, with only one of them in a leadership role for the whole.
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  • weekend. That wouldn't be fair to them. I'm not going to cancel my vacation that I've had approved through my district manager for over a year, nor am I willing to the
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  • other employee who had theirs approved months ago that they can no longer have it off.
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  • When I told the other two I can't approve it unless they themselves call the other stores in the area to see if they had anyone in a leadership role that could fill
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  • in for the weekend. They replied saying that they already bought tickets to a concert and they'll just call in if I don't give it to them off. I
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  • told them if they do that I will consider it their resignation as they've already have been told no.
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  • I've been told them I'd be the a hole if I don't give them the time off, but I disagree for a couple of reasons.
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  • A. They know time off is first come first served. B. I'm not going to punish myself or someone else because we followed the rules.
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  • C. I gave them an option they can take to get it off but are unwilling to do that claiming it's my responsibility to find their coverage.
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  • D. Most importantly one of them hasn't even been with the company long enough to have PTO.
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  • Time off on calendar.
    via Curated Lifestyle

    Time off on calendar.

    Image for illustrative purposes.

  • Update: After reading the comments on here I did reach out to the managers at the nearby stores, but they would have to ask their staff if they'd want to come to my
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  • store. So in the meantime I tried coming up with a solution that would make it possible for them to see their concert and still be able to work. The concert is only
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  • a 90 minute drive from where we live. I offered to schedule them opening shifts on the day of the concert (8am - 4pm), the doors for the concert don't
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  • open till 7 so it would give them plenty of time to get there and get in line. Then for the day after I would schedule them for closing shifts (3pm - 10pm). That
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  • way they would have plenty of time to get home and rest before their shift. Unfortunately they turned it down.
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  • United Gift3028 I suggest you start hiring two new employees, because I'm fairly sure they will be going to that concert.
    via United_Gift3028
  • tracey1215 I would deny the pto. Then they have to deal with the consequences of calling in
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  • Stephinator917 You are not wrong but be aware they arent coming that day. Plan accordingly. Maybe you can hire more help and replace them.
    via Stephinator917

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boss workplace-stories employee manager job tales-from-the-workplace time off PTO workplace company
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