Working constantly is no good as your brain and your body need rest in between, and going on vacation is what helps the most. After all, we are not robots. Now, imagine you plan the perfect escape but your boss throws water on it by not approving your leaves.
Sounds super annoying, doesn’t it? The original poster (OP) lost it after her line manager refused to approve her leaves as she found out the details about her holiday. The woman felt that OP wouldn’t be “fit to work” after she returned, so here’s what she did!
More info: Mumsnet
Working constantly, without going on holiday, can drive anyone nuts, especially if your leave isn’t approved
Image credits: Wavebreak Media / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster works in a medium-sized company in the UK, and recently got a new line manager, who seems fine enough
Image credits: Truffleshuffle84
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The line manager asked for her plans when she put in her leave, but she refused to approve it as the poster won’t be “fit to work” after returning
Image credits: Truffleshuffle84
Image credits: lookstudio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster was livid as she felt that what she does during her time off is none of the company’s business
Image credits: Truffleshuffle84
Image credits: shurkin_son / Freepik (not the actual photo)
She replied claiming that she can work even if she returns the night before and she’s not canceling her plans
Image credits: Truffleshuffle84
The line manager made a snarky reply, but approved the poster’s leaves, and although she was glad about it, she still found it annoying
Today, the poster tells her how her new line manager made things difficult for her when it came to her leave. She has been working in a medium-sized company in the UK for the past 8 years, and never had any problem with their leave policy. As per the staff handbook, the line manager approves it based on the business need and staff numbers, which sounds fair enough.
Recently, however, her team got a new line manager from a different department, and she seems fine, as they get along. However, when OP asked for a week off in autumn, she got curious and asked her the details. The poster felt that she was just having a casual conversation, so she shared that she was going to Tenerife, and she would return Sunday night at 10:30 PM.
Next thing she knew, her leave got rejected! Apparently, the manager thinks she won’t be “fit enough” to work on Monday, and her work performance would be affected. The poster just lost it as she felt it’s none of the company’s business what she does during her days off. I, for one, totally agree with her, just like netizens, who felt that the boss took things too far.
Well, OP updated us that she wrote back to the woman, claiming she won’t be canceling her plans and that she will be perfectly fit to work. The lady replied quite grumpily that she has finally approved the leaves, but she expects that OP won’t slack off on Monday. While our poster was happy that she finally approved it, she still felt annoyed by the whole incident.
Image credits: grustock / Freepik (not the actual photo)
To get a deeper insight into holidays and workplace dynamics, Bored Panda got in touch with HR specialist Nicola Dias. She claimed that annual leave is a personal entitlement, and how it is used, whether for rest, travel, or family time, should be up to the individual.
Nicola believes that as long as the employee meets their contractual obligations and operational needs are covered, the specific details of their trip shouldn’t factor into the approval process. Besides, micromanaging how an employee uses their leave, especially questioning their ability to work based on return flight times or travel destinations, can undermine trust and damage morale, she added.
“It shifts the focus from professionalism and accountability to personal judgment, which can create tension and a sense of being overly controlled. In modern workplaces that value autonomy and output, this level of scrutiny is often seen as unnecessary and counterproductive,” our expert explained.
She also stressed that in most cases, it’s just not appropriate for managers to make assumptions about an employee’s fitness for work based solely on their personal travel plans. Nicola also advised, “A more appropriate managerial approach would be to evaluate leave requests based on business coverage, team capacity, and fairness, not on speculation about personal choices.”
Looks like this new line manager has a lot to learn, right? What would you do if you were in the poster’s shoes? Let us know in the comments below!
People were baffled by the line manager, as they completely agreed it’s none of the company’s business what she does on holiday
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