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For many, vacations are a sacred escape from the grind of work—sun, sand, sightseeing, or just good old-fashioned relaxation. But in one employee’s case, a much-needed break turned into a guilt trip, courtesy of an overbearing boss who refused to take I'm on holiday for an answer.Ben Askins, entrepreneur and co-Founder of Gaia, recently shared a jaw-dropping exchange between a worker and their boss in a viral post titled Worst Boss Ever Number 218 The story, which has since sent social media into an uproar, perfectly captures the ongoing battle between work-life balance and tone-deaf managers who think employees should be available 24/7.
Just a Quick One —Famous Last Words The ordeal began when the employee, who had already booked and approved their vacation months in advance, received an unexpected text from their boss. The message? A request to tidy up a 70+ slide presentation, with an urgent focus on slides 73-78. Despite being on a plane when the message arrived, the employee eventually responded, politely reminding their boss that they were on holiday and had just landed.
But rather than respect the boundary, the boss doubled down. Yes, I know, but this is important. The meeting has been moved up, and we need to sort this out.
When the employee explained they hadn’t even brought their laptop—because, well, it’s a vacation—the boss was downright baffled. You don’t have your laptop? Why on earth not? Can you find somewhere to jump online? It won’t take long. At this point, the situation took a turn from mildly annoying to full-blown absurd.
119700604 119045668 From Guilt-Tripping to Begging The employee, standing their ground, suggested the boss ask someone else on the team. That would have been the logical thing to do, right? Not according to this manager, who complained that onboarding another employee would take too long. As the conversation escalated, the boss moved from demanding to desperate, even uttering a please.
But the employee, clearly done with the nonsense, gave one final and undeniable response: I booked this holiday months ago. I’m here with my family. I can’t just abandon our plans to go looking for somewhere to work.
Cue the boss’s guilt-laden parting shot: Right. Good to know where your priorities are. And in what might be the ultimate mic-drop moment, the employee simply replied: Yes.
It's with my family. 119873200 This Is Your Fault, Not The Employee’s —Askins Weighs In Ben Askins, who exposed the conversation, didn’t hold back in his commentary. He slammed the boss’s behavior, pointing out the obvious flaw in their logic.
It's just so obviously incorrect, he said in the video, highlighting how there were clearly other employees available to do the work. The handover's there. All they have to do is onboard.
If you've not arranged that, then that is your fault. If no one else on your team can pick it up, that's also your fault as a boss. He went on to criticize the toxic mentality of pestering employees when they should be recharging.
You can't just keep badgering people. I know it's tempting. I know it's easy, especially with WhatsApp.
But you're just going to make people leave. They won't be able to switch off. They won't be able to recharge.
They won't be able to do good work for you. He called it a complete failure of leadership. So this is entirely in your benefit.
So, yeah, terrible from start to finish. That presentation sounds so long. I was bored just thinking about it.
And just at every single point, he missed the mark. He really did. Social Media Reacts Unsurprisingly, social media had a field day with the exchange.
Some couldn't believe the sheer audacity of the boss, while others found humor in the absurdity of the request. I died of boredom just thinking about a 78 slide presentation. 😬 one user joked.
Another offered a taste of the boss’s own medicine: Yeah sure! Can you just get a full standing desk expedited to my location? I NEED it to work. Also, I need you to DoorDash Chipotle to me for my lunch break. And then there was the simplest, most effective piece of advice: Don't acknowledge.
Don't reply. It's your time, not theirs..
Work-Life Balance or Work-Life Invasion? This viral debacle highlights a growing issue in the modern workforce—where employers act as if vacations are mere suggestions rather than a right. With remote work blurring the lines between office and home, some bosses seem to believe they own their employees' time, no matter where they are. But if this exchange proves anything, it’s that workers are getting bolder in reclaiming their personal time.
And sometimes, all it takes is one well-placed response to remind a boss exactly where the line should be drawn..
