Many Americans and a couple of other folks will argue that the fourth Thursday of November is one of the greatest days of the year.

Thanksgiving is a real blessing since it gives us a whole day when there is no need to be anywhere else but with our loved ones, without the burden of looking for the perfect gifts, yet still in the company of some fabulous food.

Though before we can start stuffing ourselves with that delicious turkey, there’s one thing that every working person ought to do, and it’s to request that time off.

When preparing to take a leave, it is advisable to follow a certain routine. For instance, you should notify your employer in advance that you want to take time off; the notice should be at least twice as long as the number of days you intend to take. The same holds for your employer and their refusal. If they decide not to grant it, they should give you at least as much notice as your desired leave. However, like in the case of this Redditor, some workplaces simply lack respect for their employees.

More info: Reddit | Sarah Burrows | Alice Stapleton

Having a bad boss isn’t your fault – however, staying with one is

Image credits: Kelly Sue DeConnick (not the actual photo)

“I feel like I can breathe again” – this netizen turned to one of Reddit’s favorite communities to reveal a text conversation that she recently had with her boss. The post managed to garner over 147K upvotes in just a span of a few days, as well as 7.1K comments discussing the audacity of some managers.

Woman quits over text after boss tries to make her work on her time off

Image credits: bearandthebunny

It’s no big secret that this whole “I’d rather be tired than broke” mentality is a bunch of malarkey. Everyone knows that getting some time off from work is essential. Visiting distant family, spending a week with your couch, going abroad to enjoy some sun and sip on margaritas – whatever it may be, you have the right to break out from this frequently pretty taxing routine.

Now, this doesn’t change the fact that some – or perhaps most – employers regard working ourselves to the bone to be the norm and an expectation, even – but without regular breaks, your productivity will decline and you’ll start to burn out, meaning that the bosses themselves will suffer.

Fellow Reddit users shared their thoughts and opinions on this eventful text exchange

Bored Panda decided to reach out to a couple of professionals to get their take on this text exchange. Sarah Burrows is our first expert, and here’s what she says about herself: “I’m a Career Change Coach based in London. I’m passionate about helping people change career and find a role that is suited to them and aligns with their values. I support my clients to break down the overwhelm, increase motivation, and ultimately help them find a job that fulfills them and makes them excited to go to work.”

We asked Sarah what a person should do if they find themselves in a similar scenario, and she replied: “Is there an expectation to be contactable outside of your working hours in the first instance? Is it necessary to respond to your boss at all hours? Especially for those last-minute requests? These are more general boundaries that can be good to exercise in any job where your personal mobile number is shared. There is no single answer for this, at times it might be necessary but you need to manage your own boundaries first if you don’t want to do it.”

Now, we then posed the same question to our second expert, Alice Stapleton. Identically to Sarah, Alice is a career coach that helps individuals decide what career they’d prefer to be doing, and how to go about making that a reality, and here’s what she had to say: “I would advocate calling the boss and discussing the situation over the phone, if possible. Perhaps there’s a compromise or negotiation conversation to be had where both parties get what they need. It’s absolutely reasonable to maintain boundaries and not accept disrespectful behavior from a manager.”

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We then asked how one might resist succumbing to such provocations. “Speak to your boss assertively about their behavior. Describe how it makes you feel using ‘I’ statements, not ‘You’ statements, as they can get defensive and the situation can escalate. Respectfully ask for their behavior to change. You have the right to lodge a formal complaint to the organization if the behavior continues. It is perfectly acceptable to stand up for yourself in these situations,” said Alice.

Sarah, our first interviewee, also responded: ““It’s easy to want to be helpful at work and want to prove yourself, but saying no and following through with it is also good to practice. If you ABSOLUTELY can’t say no, and you feel like you need to go in on that occasion if you can’t quit, and if this happens regularly and you’re not ok with it, then it might be worth thinking about an exit strategy, it seems like that workplace doesn’t suit you & your lifestyle.”

Image credits: Quinn Dombrowski (not the actual photo)

Finally, both experts were asked whether they had any advice for managers who treat their employees in a similar manner. Sarah replied: “Treating the staff team well will be beneficial in the long run. Staff well-being is linked to staff retention! Don’t rehire and retrain when you don’t need to! Do it, for yourself!

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“Respect your employees. They are human, just like you. Accept that they have lives outside work. Collaborate with them in situations where a problem needs solving. Treat them like the capable adult that they are, trusting them to come up with a solution. Remember to treat others how you would like to be treated. Communication is key to building trust and an accommodating workforce – they won’t want to help you out when you’re in a bind if you treat them like they don’t matter to you,” said Alice.

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