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Taking some time off work every once in a while is necessary to prevent burnout, minimize stress levels, and get some well-deserved rest. Sometimes even one day off can work wonders for an employee’s well-being.
However, certain reasons for requesting time off might not fly in some workplaces. A Gen Z manager, Elizabeth Beggs, known to her online audience as ‘bunchesofbeggs,’ recently went viral on TikTok after sharing why she has denied some employees’ time off requests. If you want to see her reasoning, scroll down to find Elizabeth’s video below.
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In a video that went viral, Elizabeth recalled the times she had to deny time off requests
Image credits: bunchesofbeggs
The Gen Z manager covered three different scenarios when she had to say no to employees asking for time off
Image credits: Andrej Lišakov / unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Jonas Leupe / unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: bunchesofbeggs
Elizabeth’s video was viewed more than 4.6M times
@bunchesofbeggs Edited to clarify- 1. My team is all salary. 2. These examples are not all recent or from my current position. 3. My team works hard and hits thier KPIs above and beyond. Time off is meant to recharge and be used how you need it, not to handle life changing events #mangers#corporate#genzmanagers#sales#vetstocorporate#veterans♬ original sound – Elizabeth
Many people don’t use the paid time off they’re entitled to
The reasons for wanting or needing some time off work are ample; just ask anyone who has been working non-stop for quite some time now. That’s why for many, paid leave policies are a true blessing, allowing employed individuals to take some much-needed time off without having to worry about their job or their income.
If you’re curious who has it best when it comes to annual leave, people in the UK seem to be the luckiest. According to the data, provided by the World Economic Forum, they get 28 days of annual leave and have nine public holidays they can make use of. Next on the list are France (with 25 days of annual leave and 11 public holidays), Spain (22 and 14 days respectively), and Germany (20 and 13, the latter number depending on specific state). Last on the list, with zero days of annual leave and 10 public holidays, is the US, where the amount of paid time off one gets is a matter of agreement between the employer and employee.
Delving deeper into the situation in the US, Clockify noted that last year, nearly 90% of full-time employees had access to paid vacation. (Though, nearly 70% of employed individuals admit to working even during their time off.) Civilian and private industry employees, for example, get an average of 11 vacation days after 1 year of service. According to the aforementioned source, 62% of people think having paid time off is extremely important.
Image credits: Jason Goodman / unsplash (not the actual photo)
Taking some time off can help minimize one’s levels of stress
Bearing in mind how stressful some people’s jobs are, it’s no wonder that most of them consider paid time off to be extremely important. The American Institute of Stress reports that for nearly half of employed individuals, the majority of the stress they experience in life comes from work. To make matters worse, as much as 77% of them say that stress has negatively affected their health or mental health, and 71% even saw their relationships suffer because of it.
Even if taking some time off work does not eradicate all the stress that has built up at work, it can minimize it, as well as help combat burnout. According to Harvard Business Review, vacation time can have a positive effect on not only one’s mind, but soul and body, too, as time off allows an employee to catch up on sleep, manage the levels of stress hormones in their body, and focus on themselves.
Needless to say, the scenarios Elizabeth spoke about in her video do not sound stress-free, nor do they entail a lot of free time for sleeping or resting. That is why the woman didn’t think they should be counted as paid time off. Understanding that unexpected situations in life are inevitable, the Gen Z manager showed empathy and understanding, and encouraged employees to take care of themselves and their families first. Fellow netizens applauded her style of management.
Image credits: Leandro Crespi / unsplash (not the actual photo)
People in the comments applauded the manager’s views
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What do you think ?
Joe Reaves 9 months ago
The one saying you can't be this nice to most employees... If you treat people fairly, most of them will respond in kind. If you're a s**t boss however, then yes people are going to use every opportunity to get whatever they can from you and not feel guilty.
Don Adams 9 months ago
Slightly disagree. Most people, when treated with respect and empathy will respond in kind and not try to game the system. Unfortunately, there always seems to be one that feels they must be given more than anyone, and constantly screams about things being unfair. Usually the wind up firing themselves.
Load More Replies...
marcelo D. 9 months ago
the fact that americans seem to have PTO as both vacation time and medical emergencies / sick leave just shows you the lack of work rights the country has. Companies literally tell you that you being sick is your vacation.
Monosyllabicgirl 9 months ago
I am a restaurant manager for Burger King, a huge chain restaurant in America. I was at work 3 months ago when i got a phone call that my fiancé of 13 years died and they wanted to know if they should stop chest compressions. (its a whole other story why we couldn't marry, he would have lost his health insurance due to my income which is NOT a lot.) i asked a few questions, I knew his wishes so i said no, please stop CPR. I was on phone to hear time of death called. i stayed at work for the rest of my shift firstly because I didn't want to go home alone and second I had already used my PTO for the year. Im 42 so kind of a blase Gen X but the idea of taking unpaid bereavement leave terrified me as there was noone to help me pay bills now. This shouldn't have to be our first thought.
Load More Replies...
Mark Savoie 9 months ago
I'm a boomer. Just barely, but still … When I was a junior manager for a departmrnt (about 25 people) at my company, there was a strict policy about when people could take time off. It was my responsibity to approve time with regard to this policy. The policy was quite strict but I can't tell you what it was. I never looked at it and approved every time off request I received, both official and unofficial. Upper management never gave me a bit of grief about this. Then again, my staff never gave me a bit of appreciation, either.
Julie S 9 months ago
In the UK if you get sick whilst on holiday you get your holiday time back so long as you have a sick note from the doctor.
Meowzers! 9 months ago
I don't understand how in the usa they don't have something as basic as sick leave as standard. Sick leave is seperate to pto. If you're sick it's not a holiday so it doesn't count as pto it counts as being sick. We still get paid in full and we still have our pto to book in when we want. My company offers sick pay at the full amount for 6 months, then it's 70% for 6 months. Though you do need a doctors note if you're going to be off for that long. For individual days you can call in to say you're sick without a doctors note for 7 days. Though you can't just decide to take sick days on a whim, if you appear to be taking the pis5 then you'll get a write up. For pto we get 5 weeks plus bank holidays on top.
Dion Huel 9 months ago
I've managed people for more than 20 years. My personal thought is life is more important than work and I want people who work for me to feel the same. Doctor's appointment, go. Kid has hockey at 3, go. Feel like c**p, I don't want you here. But, if I need someone to stay and extra half hour, it's appreciated if someone will. It's give and take and most people are happy to have that kind of flexibility. We're all adults after all.
Anna Drever 9 months ago
It’s not a boomer thing. I’m a boomer, and if I was in charge I’d do exactly the same for my staff. It’s about caring, and that doesn’t translate in any way to age.
TTorrest Author 9 months ago
I have always been a results-oriented type of worker, so to be chained to some desk with arbitrary 9-5 hours has always seemed pointless. Just work until the work is done, you know? Some days that might mean a 2-hour day; others may require 14. Unfortunately, too many incompetent employees take advantage of such freedoms and the rest of us suffer under micromanagement because of it.
Ravioli 9 months ago
When I miscarried my doctor gave me a week off that was just paid sick time off, as per the law. With children illnesses also, by law, up to a certain amount of hours, the parents can take paid sick leave. I don't understand why the US has just decided that basic human rights don't matter and so many citizens agree too! And they are the ones working 50 hours a week for peanuts
Joe Reaves 9 months ago
The one saying you can't be this nice to most employees... If you treat people fairly, most of them will respond in kind. If you're a s**t boss however, then yes people are going to use every opportunity to get whatever they can from you and not feel guilty.
Don Adams 9 months ago
Slightly disagree. Most people, when treated with respect and empathy will respond in kind and not try to game the system. Unfortunately, there always seems to be one that feels they must be given more than anyone, and constantly screams about things being unfair. Usually the wind up firing themselves.
Load More Replies... marcelo D. 9 months ago
the fact that americans seem to have PTO as both vacation time and medical emergencies / sick leave just shows you the lack of work rights the country has. Companies literally tell you that you being sick is your vacation.
Monosyllabicgirl 9 months ago
I am a restaurant manager for Burger King, a huge chain restaurant in America. I was at work 3 months ago when i got a phone call that my fiancé of 13 years died and they wanted to know if they should stop chest compressions. (its a whole other story why we couldn't marry, he would have lost his health insurance due to my income which is NOT a lot.) i asked a few questions, I knew his wishes so i said no, please stop CPR. I was on phone to hear time of death called. i stayed at work for the rest of my shift firstly because I didn't want to go home alone and second I had already used my PTO for the year. Im 42 so kind of a blase Gen X but the idea of taking unpaid bereavement leave terrified me as there was noone to help me pay bills now. This shouldn't have to be our first thought.
Load More Replies... Mark Savoie 9 months ago
I'm a boomer. Just barely, but still … When I was a junior manager for a departmrnt (about 25 people) at my company, there was a strict policy about when people could take time off. It was my responsibity to approve time with regard to this policy. The policy was quite strict but I can't tell you what it was. I never looked at it and approved every time off request I received, both official and unofficial. Upper management never gave me a bit of grief about this. Then again, my staff never gave me a bit of appreciation, either.
Julie S 9 months ago
In the UK if you get sick whilst on holiday you get your holiday time back so long as you have a sick note from the doctor.
Meowzers! 9 months ago
I don't understand how in the usa they don't have something as basic as sick leave as standard. Sick leave is seperate to pto. If you're sick it's not a holiday so it doesn't count as pto it counts as being sick. We still get paid in full and we still have our pto to book in when we want. My company offers sick pay at the full amount for 6 months, then it's 70% for 6 months. Though you do need a doctors note if you're going to be off for that long. For individual days you can call in to say you're sick without a doctors note for 7 days. Though you can't just decide to take sick days on a whim, if you appear to be taking the pis5 then you'll get a write up. For pto we get 5 weeks plus bank holidays on top.
Dion Huel 9 months ago
I've managed people for more than 20 years. My personal thought is life is more important than work and I want people who work for me to feel the same. Doctor's appointment, go. Kid has hockey at 3, go. Feel like c**p, I don't want you here. But, if I need someone to stay and extra half hour, it's appreciated if someone will. It's give and take and most people are happy to have that kind of flexibility. We're all adults after all.
Anna Drever 9 months ago
It’s not a boomer thing. I’m a boomer, and if I was in charge I’d do exactly the same for my staff. It’s about caring, and that doesn’t translate in any way to age.
TTorrest Author 9 months ago
I have always been a results-oriented type of worker, so to be chained to some desk with arbitrary 9-5 hours has always seemed pointless. Just work until the work is done, you know? Some days that might mean a 2-hour day; others may require 14. Unfortunately, too many incompetent employees take advantage of such freedoms and the rest of us suffer under micromanagement because of it.
Ravioli 9 months ago
When I miscarried my doctor gave me a week off that was just paid sick time off, as per the law. With children illnesses also, by law, up to a certain amount of hours, the parents can take paid sick leave. I don't understand why the US has just decided that basic human rights don't matter and so many citizens agree too! And they are the ones working 50 hours a week for peanuts
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