Healthy boundaries are an absolute necessity in all parts of life, from relationships to work. You can tell a lot about your boss’ values and character by how they react when you gently push back against their unreasonable demands.
Redditor u/Nannyneedabreak, who works as a nanny, opened up about how she planned to take some time off to attend her sister’s wedding. However, at the last moment, her client asked her to babysit her children. When told ‘no,’ she blew up and threatened the OP. Read on for the full story, as well as to see how the AITA online community reacted to the drama.
Bored Panda reached out to the author of the post via Reddit, and we’ll update the article as soon as we hear back from her.
Everyone needs time off to rest and be with their loved ones. However, some employers are less than friendly when it comes to approving time off
Image credits: dvatri (not the actual image)
A nanny asked the internet for advice after sharing how her boss was against her taking a few days off to go to her sister’s wedding
Image credits: Prostock-studio (not the actual image)
Image credits: Nannyneedabreak
Burnout is a common problem among working professionals
Employee burnout is a major problem and far more common than you might think. One Deloitte survey of US professionals found that a whopping 77% of professionals have experienced burnout at their current jobs.
Over half of all respondents admitted that this has happened more than once, which is very worrying.
Harvard Business Review urges employers to treat these burnout concerns seriously. Many employees feel like their managers don’t appreciate them enough.
Showing empathy and that you genuinely care about your staff’s well-being can be very powerful. But it’s vital that this support and attention is authentic, not just done for the sake of better efficiency.
Employees who are burned out are going to do a far worse job than if they’re rested, content, see purpose in their jobs, and have a boss they can trust.
All employees should be free to take time off to rest, recharge, and enjoy life without the stress of work hovering around them. However, the particular details of how much paid time off you get each year and how you register it will depend on your work contract. While many countries around the world have mandatory paid leave, some (including the US) do not.
If you don’t have a work contract or you’re a freelancer, then you’ll have to come to some sort of verbal or written agreement with your clients. Whatever the case, it’s good form to give your employer some sort of heads-up that you’ll be going on holiday.
Nobody should have to face threats at work, especially from their boss
The OP shared that she had constantly reminded her boss that she’d be away for a wedding a whopping 7 months in advance. It wasn’t something that suddenly popped up. It wasn’t a bolt from the blue. It was clearly communicated. The employer got lots of reminders.
Something to keep in mind is that poor planning on the employer’s part doesn’t constitute an emergency on the sitter’s part. The boss clearly knew her sitter would be unavailable. She could have easily found a replacement when she had so much time. What’s more, she could have asked the sitter herself to find someone to take on her responsibilities for that particular weekend, as a one-off favor.
As a rule of thumb, if your employer threatens to fire you (or with other unfair consequences) if you take time off, it’s probably best to jump ship. Nobody should be forced to work in a toxic workplace, even if they enjoy the work they do.
Call your boss’ bluff that they’ll fire you for resting: you’ll win either way. Alternatively, if you have the time and money to spare, you may want to consider seeking legal help for wrongful termination. It helps if you have the details of what exactly happened in writing.
Taking some time off is a reasonable thing to do. Being threatened is thuggish behavior. Talented and hard-working individuals shouldn’t be afraid of quitting if they’re surrounded by people who emotionally abuse them. You’ll always be able to find another job.
There are lots of employers and clients out there who are great to work with and who understand that their staff need rest, just like they do. You shouldn’t have to settle for someone who throws tantrum after tantrum just because you’ve spent a long time working for them.
What would you have done in the nanny’s situation, Pandas? Have you ever had your boss not want to give you time off for ridiculous reasons? What do you do to have a healthy work-life balance? Feel free to share your opinions and experiences in the comment section.
Most readers stood in support of the author. Here’s what they had to say about her situation
