Gen Z employee's candid leave request spurs chaos among the managers, sparking debate

Many companies have strict policies, especially when it comes to leave, yet employees somehow find a way to get a day or two off. However, some carefree souls leave no stone unturned while putting their point across. Similarly, a Gen Z employee’s rather frank email asking for leave has caused quite a stir on social media. His manager, an investor from India named Siddharth Shah–who goes by @siddharthshahx on X (formerly Twitter)–shared an excerpt of their private conversation.

“How my Gen Z team gets its leaves approved,” Shah wrote while attaching a screenshot from the email sent by his young colleague. The email, with the name of the employee hidden, states, “I will be on leave on November 8, 2024. Bye.” The casual tone is amply clear in the message, adding to Gen Z employees’ unique approach to evolving workplace interactions.

Several people started reacting to Shah’s post, which garnered nearly 3 million views online. In the comments section, another manager shared how one of his Gen Z team members took one week off from work to spend time in the mountains after a breakup. Krishna Mohan (also known as @KiMoJiRa) revealed how his team had to face the consequences of this “bizarre leave request.”

"One of my Gen Z team members suddenly declared one week of leave. It was a critical time for the project, so I tried to reason,” Mohan remarked, adding that the team member remained persistent with his request. “He did not budge. The leave was because he had a breakup and he wanted to go to the mountains to forget the breakup,” the manager added. When someone commented that it is always better to give people leaves than deadlines, Mohan replied, “Believe me, it was one-way communication. I had to deal with the repercussions of the project.”

A majority of viewers chose to support the employees over their employers despite the unprofessional way of communicating their concerns. These posts ignited discussion on the ever-evolving workplace culture, with many finding it completely fine to step aside from work during personal crises or mental health challenges. Others, who could not stand what they described as “bizarre” requests, empathized with the managers who had to deal with such behavior. "This is a boomer fallout issue. Because over the decades, people learned even top performers were not treated well, so the pendulum has swung the other way with extreme prejudice," @JasonkkParker assumed.

@ankushmahajann commented, “And if I had sent this message to my manager, he would have scheduled a meeting with HR to discuss my behavior issues.” @Biswachat1234 offered advice, suggesting they “change such managers.” Offering a different perspective, @SurrealSaka opined, “Normalize this. People shouldn’t have to give reasons if they want to take an off. It’s their right.” Shah responded by saying, “I don’t ask as a manager. I ask because I love to gossip.” @thereal_ravan added, “Honestly, I get annoyed at times with their responses! But other side, I appreciate them! They're balancing it! Nobody can show them colorful appraisals or hike and make them slog! They would say f*** off in the face and jump to the next company! So they're good! We couldn't do it though.”