'I Need You To Be A Team Player': Worker Quits After Boss Threatens Termination If He Doesn't Work During Approved PTO

An employee resigned after his boss threatened to terminate him for not working during previously approved PTO (paid time off).

In a new video titled "The most violent text message between a boss and employee ever," entrepreneur Chris Donnelly highlighted the situation an employee named Mike, faced. His boss, Geordie, demanded he work on Christmas despite previously approving his time off.

Vacation Denied: The New Workplace Battleground

"Hey Mike, I need you working Christmas week this year. We've had Rachel working that time but she's quit yesterday," the boss said. "Geordie, as I said before, you approved my PTO already for Christmas and I got plans with my family. I'm not working that week," Mike replied.

Geordie informed Mike that the company was understaffed and needed him to be a "team player." Mike responded by asserting his own commitment to the team, mentioning his willingness to work on Thanksgiving and New Year's but firmly stating his unavailability on Christmas.

Mike suggested the newly hired employees could handle the workload, but Geordie countered that they needed more training for Mike's department, emphasising Rachel's unique capabilities. Mike asserted his seniority and past contributions as reasons for his time off, but Geordie firmly insisted on Mike's presence on Christmas, stating it was non-negotiable.

Mike defiantly declared that his boss would have to physically remove him from his home to force him to come in on Christmas. His boss threatened to deny his PTO request and issue a disciplinary mark for absence if Mike persisted.

Geordie warned Mike that accumulating three disciplinary marks could result in termination. Mike then retorted that his boss was pleading for him to come in due to severe understaffing, likely exacerbated by his boss's treatment of employees like Rachel.

Mike emphasised the lack of trained personnel in his department while being threatened with termination. Mike accused his boss of treating the job as life or death for him despite being paid minimum wage.

He emphasised his ability to find a new job easily and threatened to quit if his PTO was denied, and a disciplinary mark was issued. Geordie asked Mike to check his schedule, but Mike simply responded, "That's fine. I quit."

Surprised, Geordie exclaimed that Mike couldn't quit without a two-week notice and requested a call to discuss the matter before making any rash decisions, emphasising his desperate need for help. Mike retorted that Geordie should have considered his actions before "acting like a di*k."

Bosses Become PTO Gatekeepers

Like Geordie, many bosses expect employees to prioritise work over personal time. A contributor on the "Work Trauma Podcast," hosted by a former corporate worker, recounted a particularly harrowing experience with a micromanaging boss.

This boss would text every Saturday morning, demanding a detailed itinerary of the employee's weekend plans, complete with time estimates, to justify their unavailability for work. In another example, a micromanaging American manager accused a UK employee of not being a "team player" for declining a meeting outside of regular work hours.

Complaints about such managerial expectations drive a popular internet meme across Instagram, Threads, and TikTok. Workers are redefining PTO, claiming it now stands for "prepare the others."

"We feel like our right to have a life outside of work is being violated, and that's super triggering for people," said Tessa West, New York University psychology professor and author of "Jerks at Work: Toxic Coworkers and What to Do About Them."

The PTO Gap Widens

If your boss has recently turned down your time-off request, you're not alone. Securing vacation days has become increasingly difficult. While there's always been a discrepancy between the amount of time off employees desire and what they receive, this gap is now more pronounced than ever.

A new report from BambooHR, a cloud-based HR software company, reveals a growing gap between employee PTO requests and approvals. Since 2019, PTO requests have increased by an average of 11 percent annually, while approvals have only climbed by nine percent.

Compared to last year, PTO requests increased by nine percent in the first two months of 2024. However, the number of approved requests only grew by three percent.

"You have this huge friction going on between organisations that are getting slammed with these requests and individuals who feel like they have the right to make them," West said.