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“Boomer Managers Could Never”: Gen Z Boss Explains Why She Rejects PTO Requests

“Boomer Managers Could Never”: Gen Z Boss Explains Why She Rejects PTO Requests

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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

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    Image credits: Andrej Lišakov / unsplash (not the actual photo)

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    Image credits: Jonas Leupe / unsplash (not the actual photo)

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    Image credits: bunchesofbeggs

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    Elizabeth’s video was viewed more than 4.6M times

    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.

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    Image credits: Jason Goodman / unsplash (not the actual photo)

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    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.

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    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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    Ic_polls

    Poll Question

    What do you think about Elizabeth's approach as a Gen Z manager?

    It's refreshing and modern

    It's too controlling

    It's fair and empathetic

    It's not applicable to all workplaces

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    Miglė Miliūtė

    Miglė Miliūtė

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    A writer here at Bored Panda, I am a lover of good music, good food, and good company, which makes food-related topics and feel-good stories my favorite ones to cover. Passionate about traveling and concerts, I constantly seek occasions to visit places yet personally unexplored. I also enjoy spending free time outdoors, trying out different sports—even if I don’t look too graceful at it—or socializing over a cup of coffee.

    Read less »
    Miglė Miliūtė

    Miglė Miliūtė

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    A writer here at Bored Panda, I am a lover of good music, good food, and good company, which makes food-related topics and feel-good stories my favorite ones to cover. Passionate about traveling and concerts, I constantly seek occasions to visit places yet personally unexplored. I also enjoy spending free time outdoors, trying out different sports—even if I don’t look too graceful at it—or socializing over a cup of coffee.

    Gabija Saveiskyte

    Gabija Saveiskyte

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Hi there! I am a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. My job is to ensure that all the articles are aesthetically pleasing. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from all the relationship drama to lots and lots of memes and, my personal favorites, funny cute cats. When I am not perfecting the images, you can find me reading with a cup of matcha latte and a cat in my lap, taking photos (of my cat), getting lost in the forest, or simply cuddling with my cat... Did I mention that I love cats?

    Read less »

    Gabija Saveiskyte

    Gabija Saveiskyte

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Hi there! I am a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. My job is to ensure that all the articles are aesthetically pleasing. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from all the relationship drama to lots and lots of memes and, my personal favorites, funny cute cats. When I am not perfecting the images, you can find me reading with a cup of matcha latte and a cat in my lap, taking photos (of my cat), getting lost in the forest, or simply cuddling with my cat... Did I mention that I love cats?

    What do you think ?
    Add photo comments
    POST
    Flopsy
    Community Member
    1 day ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Besides the fact that all she does is basic in most places in Europe, I can’t get my head around the fact that she has 4 kids (if I understood correctly) and is a people manager as a gen Z. Well done!

    Emma S
    Community Member
    1 day ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's quite sad that being given time off because of a miscarriage or to take care of your sick child is considered going above and beyond in the US, and it's the law in most of Europe. In the UK I would tell, not ask, my employer that I'm not coming in if I was ill.

    Joe Reaves
    Community Member
    1 day ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    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.

    Load More Comments
    Flopsy
    Community Member
    1 day ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Besides the fact that all she does is basic in most places in Europe, I can’t get my head around the fact that she has 4 kids (if I understood correctly) and is a people manager as a gen Z. Well done!

    Emma S
    Community Member
    1 day ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's quite sad that being given time off because of a miscarriage or to take care of your sick child is considered going above and beyond in the US, and it's the law in most of Europe. In the UK I would tell, not ask, my employer that I'm not coming in if I was ill.

    Joe Reaves
    Community Member
    1 day ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    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.

    Load More Comments
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