Employee says manager verbally approved leave, then imposed last minute condition: ‘Finish the work first’

An employee at a startup has sparked a discussion online after claiming that his manager verbally approved his leave but later attached a work related condition to the approval.An employee questioned his manager’s decision after booked travel plans were put at risk over unfinished work. (Representational image/Gemini AI generated)(Also read: ‘My manager told me not to work over 40 hours a week’: Indian woman compares New Zealand and Indian work culture)The employee, who works as a business analyst, said he had planned an impromptu trip with his cousins and approached his manager for two days of leave. Although the manager immediately agreed verbally, the formal request remained pending on the company’s human resource management system.Sharing his experience on Reddit under the title, “Manager went back on approved leaves”, the employee questioned whether the manager’s actions were fair and sought advice about the possible consequences.Manager links leave approval to pending work“I work as a BA for a startup. So, I had an impromptu travel plan last weekend. I went to my manager and asked him for two days’ leave. He approved it instantly, verbally. I raised a request on the HRMS, but he hasn’t approved it yet,” the employee wrote.According to him, the manager later said, “This work should be done, otherwise I won’t be able to approve your leave.”The employee was taken aback because his tickets had already been booked and his cousins had arranged their travel according to his plans.“I was like, ‘What? My tickets have been booked, and my cousins are travelling based on my plan. How can you just ask me to cancel?’ Is it fair?” he wrote.He added that no deadline had previously been communicated for the task. The employee informed his manager that he would complete whatever was possible the end of the day before proceeding with the trip. However, the manager did not respond.“My fear is: will this have any consequences later on? Could there be any negative action or consequences? I’ve never faced such a situation before, so I’m clueless,” he added.(Also read: ‘You can chill’: Woman compares US and Indian managers after telling boss she had no work for 3 days)Reddit users share adviceThe post received several reactions, with users advising the employee to document workplace conversations and review the company’s leave policy.One person wrote, “Top five reasons why I record conversations whenever I speak to people in positions of power about things like leave. I honestly have no idea what could happen now, though. Startups often do not have proper systems in place to begin with.”Another commented, “The most likely consequence you may face is loss of pay for the days covered your travel plans. Check your company’s leave policy to get a clearer understanding. I assume your manager may have around 50 per cent control over leave approvals.”A third person said, “If the salary is low, I don’t really mind a loss of pay. In fact, I hate the concept of leave encashment. One of my colleagues was desperate for it, and I found the whole thing pointless.”Another user simply wrote, “I can relate to this.”(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)