Young employee takes a stand after manager fired them on unfair grounds over PTO

Though employees are entitled to their paid time off, many bosses can't handle their absence. It's a clear sign of bad management when bosses approve employees' leaves and proceed to gaslight them for not responding to work calls. In the case of this 17-year-old nursing home kitchen worker u/Responsible_Plate_78 on Reddit, the manager who was informed of their leaves months in advance, double-crossed at the last minute. She also fired the teen for not reporting to work during their vacation and so people rallied around in support of the young worker. 

Being confident about their vacation time, the employee was basking in nature at their camp free from phones. But 32 missed calls, 28 text messages and 10 voice mails were awaiting them - all from work. Their boss knew about this very well when the worker asked for a week's PTO 3 months in advance. Still, she decided to torment the worker's vacation by sending "inappropriate for work," voicemails as they didn't show up at work. "I texted the big boss when I got my phone to make sure everything was okay only for her to inform me that my 'vacation' wasn’t approved last minute," the teen explained. Turns out, the boss was on vacation that week as well so she worried for her 3 children who worked in the same kitchen for they might find it difficult to manage everything. 

Since the worker didn't respond to her calls and didn't report to work, the manager fired them. "The reason I didn’t know about the complication was because she forgot to tell me that my vacation days are denied till two days into said vacation," they explained. So, seeking advice from the internet, the teen wanted to know how to deal with this issue. While they wanted to report this to HR, they were unaware of what evidence they had to bring to the meeting. So, hundreds of supportive comments and fruitful advice poured in.

"Department of Labor or an employment lawyer, if you have anything in writing or any sort of acknowledgment of your vacation you have a case," said u/rachlync. "HR is there to protect the company. In many cases, backing an employee will protect the company. After you go to HR, make a complaint with the labor board and find a new job," suggested u/Woodburger. "You’re a minor. That job doesn’t matter. Doesn’t sound like a good place to be anyway. Find another job and move on," added u/My_Back_Hurts_803.

After a myriad of suggestive actions, the teen employee got clarity about the toxic workplace. They shared an update saying, "I ended up not going to the HR meeting and instead spent the morning getting in contact with the Department of Labor. I was able to talk to some people and report my work for the concerns." They started gathering evidence against their employer which included confirmation messages of their vacation, voice mails and messages from their manager and boss and proofs of violations of contract and child labor laws. "I really hope I can sue them into the ground," they said determined to take a stand for themself.