Employee gets fired for low attendance after HR forgot to put in their PTO, only to get called back to work after HR realized their mistake: ‘My bad, if you come back, we'll pay you’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Sep 7, 2026 10:30 AM EDT

Everybody makes mistakes, they are truly measured by how they deal with the aftermath.

Judging someone because of a mistake they made is not really fair. You can't expect people to never make any mistakes. We are all humans, and a misstep here and there is bound to happen to every single one of us. How we view mistakes, learn from them, and try to fix them is what others should judge.

When someone is unable even to recognize their fault, we tend to criticize them for it. Grown adults should be able to look a mistake in the eye and admit they are to blame for it. Furthermore, we expect people to do what they can to fix the problem they caused by making the mistake. Even if they fail, it's the thought that matters; it is the attempt to right a wrong that proves that people can do better.

Which is why, when the HR agency in the story below made a mistake, the employee wasn't quick to judge them for it and waited to see how they would handle the aftermath.

It all started when this employee put in a time-off request for July and noticed that it took a long time for it to be acknowledged. Still, since the employee had enough documentation for the vacation request, they took the time off with their boss's approval and returned to work immediately after. However, the day the employee came back, they noticed that their card wasn't working, and no one could figure out the issue. Checking their email, the employee found out that they had been fired because HR forgot to enter their time off in the system, which led the agency to believe the employee was simply missing days of work without approval. 

With no one able to address the mistake, the employee had to pack up and leave. However, it wasn't long before the agency called them to own up to their mistake and asked them to come back to work. Should the employee comply, or is that mistake too grave to forgive? Scroll down to find out more.

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  • Female employee packing a box after getting fired from her job
    via fizkes

    Female employee packing a box after getting fired from her job.

    Image depicted solely for explanatory purposes.

  • Fully fired after HR forgot to input time off.

    I was relieved of my position on Wednesday night via email for "poor attendance."
    via Outside_Candidate_35
  • I started trying to request time off for a previously scheduled vacation during the interview in early July.
    via Outside_Candidate_35
  • Finally got it acknowledged july 22 via email. There were also multiple text threads. where I mention said vacation.
    via Outside_Candidate_35
  • So I go on that vacation. Come backkk work Wednesday no problem.
    via Outside_Candidate_35
  • Went to work Thursday morning couldnt clock in, supervisor couldnt figure out the issue. Worked half the day, checked my personal
    via Outside_Candidate_35
  • email to find I had been fired by the staffing agency for poor attendance. My supervisor immediately went to the office to work out what
    via Outside_Candidate_35
  • he could on his end.(sent him all the proof) I was told 20 min later not to turn in my badge but bc security blah blah blah I had to go home for the day & they were doing everything they can.
    via Outside_Candidate_35
  • Fast forward 40 minutes later, nearly home. Staffing agency calls and says "my bad, if you come back we'll pay you for the day and give gas cards" which I was fine w at the moment & I accepted.
    via Outside_Candidate_35
  • My reasoning was like wouldn't I want grace had it been me who made that mistake... but now that I'm looking at the situation I'm
    via Outside_Candidate_35
  • kinda peeved by it. I feel like I took it too lightly bc thats a serious thing.. like you couldve completely ruined my lively hood had there not been the documentation idk how this would have gone.
    via Outside_Candidate_35
  • So now my question is, HR proffesionals, what can I do? Like how far do I take this?
    via Outside_Candidate_35
  • Woman Talking on the Phone While Driving
    via Golib

    Woman Talking on the Phone While Driving.

    Individual pictured is a model used for illustrative purposes.

  • edit: I worked the whole day. thats literally what the post says. I had to leave work bc i was technically fired the night before but no one knew cause I hadnt seen the email yet.
    via Outside_Candidate_35
  • saw the email 5.5 hrs into a 12 hr day they sent me home at hr 6. called me almost 40 min later and asked me to come back. I came back. I was off the clock for a hr and 25
    via Outside_Candidate_35
  • min my lunch break should have been an hr which they put in as a part of the time I was gone. they only comped me 25 min worth of pay.
    via Outside_Candidate_35
  • theyre saying "we're going to pay you for today" bc technically I wouldn't be getting paid even though I was at work bc i was fired for
    via Outside_Candidate_35
  • the first six hrs.. they didnt make my day whole or pay for half a day while i did nothing
    via Outside_Candidate_35
  • and by how far do I take this im talking escalation w the company/agency not a lawsuit.
    via Outside_Candidate_35
  • OldLadyKickBot Someone made a very bad mistake. They tried to make it up to you by paying you and giving a gas card.
    via OldLadyKickB**t
  • Enough-Reindeer 1033 Just drop it and move on. You got your job back plus a perk. Take the win and move forward.
    via Enough-Reindeer1033
  • YouCanCallMeDani It all worked out in your favor. I'd day just move on from it and use it as something to laugh about in the future.
    via YouCanCallMeDani
  • link3505 This is a win. You're getting paid for time you weren't there, and for the commute you wouldn't have been compensated for otherwise.
    via link3505
  • People make mistakes. Be glad they didn't double-down and you still have your job. This post is about as far as you should take it.
    via link3505

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getting fired employee hr work PTO leaving work workplace paid time off vacation
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