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By Soo Kim
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A worker who quit their job after their employer allegedly wouldn't allow them their paid time off has gone viral on Reddit, where it had 11,200 upvotes at the time of writing.
In a post shared five days ago on Reddit's "antiwork" subforum under the username IntelligentRodent, the worker said they gave their three-week notice to quit and has had to "jump through hoops" to try to get their "20 hours of pto [paid time off]."
"There are no federal laws regarding paid time off, and few state or local laws related to this policy," according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
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The department explains: "The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations, sick leave or federal or other holidays. These benefits are matters of agreement between an employer and an employee (or the employee's representative)."
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The worker in the latest Reddit post said the human resources department claimed they "can't really do anything," after "playing the blame game with every other manager."
The poster said they "left my uniform in my locker yesterday" and told the new manager "that yesterday was my last day."
Did the worker make the right move?
Professor Thomas Roulet, who teaches human resources and other subjects at the University of Cambridge, told Newsweek that "the employee is not to blame here—poor management and bitterness is responsible."
The worker in the latest post is not alone in their frustration. A February 2022 survey by the Pew Research Center found that more than a third (35 percent) of workers who quit their job in 2021 cited feeling "disrespected at work" as a "major reason" why they quit. Other major reasons included "not enough flexibility to choose when to put in hours" (24 percent) and working long hours (20 percent).
The poster in the latest post said they worked at "a VERY expensive members only club where it costs over 10k just for admittance."
The poster, who is "basically their only host," said that after giving their three-week notice, they were asked to "cover basically every shift I don't work" and when they didn't, the employer had "an attitude."
The poster said: "My last day was the 7th and I've been trying to get my 20 hours of pto applied to my schedule. But for the 1st week they dodged the request and now this week, since they dodged me until the schedule was put out," the company said it's "out of their hands."
"This whole thing has been ridiculous," the worker said, noting that "because they didn't want to pay me my 20 hours of pto, [they're losing] 60+ hours of me working and they have literally no other employee to fill which means the managers will have to work."
'Revenge Management'
Roulet teaches human resources, career management and leadership at the Judge Business School of the University of Cambridge. He said the case outlined in the latest Reddit post "very much sounds like a situation of 'revenge management.'"
He explained that: "Managers of this club are p***ed at the employee leaving and make [them] go through even worse experiences as a revenge..."
He said the worker should make sure to get what they're entitled to under their contract. If they don't get it, "they will have to threaten to take their employer to courts...sometimes threat is the only way to bargain for the less powerful parties," which in this case is the employee.
Sophie Nutley is the head of recruitment at Protect Line, a life insurance brokerage based in the U.K. She told Newsweek: "If you're legally entitled to take the PTO, then there isn't really much that HR can do to stop you taking it, especially if you've already quit."
She suggests informing the company that your lawyer wants to confirm the amount of PTO you're owed and that they'll be "responsible for any legal costs accrued" in trying to get your PTO, which "should ensure that the situation is resolved in a timely and correct manner," she said.
Opt For a 'Negotiated Separation'
Karan Ferrell-Rhodes, a leadership strategy coach, told Newsweek: "Most companies and a few states have policies around the terms of how PTO will be paid out."
She says employees can "take the upper hand" by pitching a "negotiated separation" when they give their notice to quit, "which will help to define win-win terms of the end of their employment."
For example, the worker in the latest post could have said: "I have a new opportunity and they would like for me to start in one week. However, I realize that you may need additional time to make plans, so I am prepared to readjust my start date to three weeks out, if I can be assured to also be paid out my PTO. What would work best?"
'HR Isn't There for Employees'
Several users were understanding of the original poster's position.
User elmariachi304 said: "I would have taken my PTO, then quit with no notice. I don't see why anyone feels bad doing that, it's a business, let them figure it out. They wouldn't give you two weeks notice to fire you."
DerogatoryDuck said: "HR isn't there for employees, it's there for the company."
User ArsenalSpider said: "Management should have to cover. It is their fault they were short-handed, to begin with, and their fault you quit because they were short-handed."
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system.
Do you have a similar work-related story or dilemma? Let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
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