No vacation ends up going according to plan. Sometimes, what tarnishes the experience of a trip is completely out of your hands. Recently on a trip to London, my partner and I discovered while about to board our return flights that our flight was overbooked and our assigned seats were merely taken as a request. We ended up not getting seats on that flight and found ourselves temporarily stranded abroad at the end of what would have been the first trip of mine to go according to plan. We should…

The business world is calculated and vicious. Whether on purpose or not, there are always some who want to take advantage of your hardship and struggle. The story below is an account of a frustrated employee. For a significant duration, the original poster (OP) was employed by the same company. The social perks that the company provided, such as the number of vacation days that could be carried over to the following year, were among its most notable benefits. Every worker received a total of th…

Your family should always come first. Conversely, setting boundaries and declining help when necessary is perfectly reasonable. The story below is an account of a confused sister. Every year, the original poster (OP) and her family take trips together. OP, however, informed her family that neither she nor her spouse would be able to attend because of her current unemployment. Things were going well at first, but when her brother insisted that she take care of his five dogs the entire journey, t…

As a participant in the industry, you are expected to follow the guidelines set forth by the business community. The story below is an account of a clever employee. The original poster (OP) is employed by a company that offers services to oil and gas corporations. According to company rules, he is required to work from the office for three consecutive days per week. But after becoming ill approximately a month ago, OP decided that it would be best to remain in his hometown till he recovered. He…

This is definitely crossing the line… and probably illegal, too. This poor employee works for a school district that was gearing up for summer break. Before they leave, all the teachers have the responsibility of submitting important paperwork before they take their annual leave. Well, when one coworker left the team high and dry, their entitled boss tried to get the Original Poster (OP) to finish the coworker's work. After refusing , saying that there simply wasn't enough time in the workday t…

When traveling, whether it's for business purposes between states or a long-distance trip to the chilly alpine slopes of Switzerland, it's necessary to adhere to airline etiquette. The story below is an account of a frustrated traveler. The original poster (OP) had just returned home to Seattle from Florida. In the story that follows, OP describes his interaction with an entitled couple who attempted to steal his designated seat. They tried to claim the seats as their own at first, but when tha…

Guess you're going to be short-staffed...

For some reason, employers have serious issues with the fact that their employees cannot physically work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It seems like if an employee is unwilling to commit every single ounce of their time to their job, they are suddenly not good enough for their employers. Informing your employee that their paid time off was denied, two days into said paid time off, is simply disrespectful, and a perfect example of employers' inability to accept that even employ…

When you are on vacation, there is no reason whatsoever for you to have to deal with work. Unless your job physically saves lives and makes the world a better place, there is nothing that cannot wait for you when you return from your much-deserved time off, and employers who cannot accept that, do not deserve to even have employees. That is why I am pleased with how this Reddit story turned out because the manager didn't get away with what they did to their employee. OP (original poster) shared…

This person isn't sure how to feel about their office plants suddenly being redistributed by their coworkers. The plant people of the world, those with green thumbs , often develop a close bond with their plants. They're living things that thrive with sunlight and water, and unlike pets, they don't need constant attention. You can give your plant a name and talk to it, which is apparently good for the little sprout. If you're especially good at keeping your plants alive and thriving, it becomes…

Taking time off work simply should not feel like the stressful endeavor that it is. Since you're contractually entitled to that time, in theory, you should be able to submit your PTO request with no questions asked and no issues getting that request approved. Of course, in practice, it doesn't exactly work out that way. Instead, you end up getting a lot of shade and passive-aggressive behavior, as if you're actively inconveniencing everyone else by giving yourself the vacation you deserve. What…

To savor the fleeting periods of freedom between, you hustle throughout the year. It's a vacation here, a vacation there that helps us get through the trials of life. What would you do, then, if your manager abruptly declared that you were no longer qualified for vacation time after you had scheduled time off? The story below is an account of frustrated employee. The original poster (OP) has been thinking about her family vacation for the last six months. But as the departure date drew nearer,…

If you're fortunate enough to get paid time off, you should be using it. Maybe you don't have enough time off to take a whole vacation, or maybe you can't afford to. Whatever your reason for keeping your days is, there are some clever ways to incorporate time off throughout the year. Below, these employees break down different ways they like to take a day off here and there. Whether it's by taking a Wednesday off to break up the week or taking a Friday and Monday off to get that extra-long we...

Being a stepdad may not be the easiest job, but it should never get so rough that one feels the need to sabotage an upcoming family vacation. That's exactly what happened when this dude stole and hid his 17-year-old stepdaughter's passport just days before an all-family trip organized by his wife. First of all, the entire point of the trip in the wife's eyes was to build a stronger family dynamic between her husband, her daughter, and her stepsons. Obviously, trying to exclude his stepdaughter…

Taking time off work is probably just as important as the work itself. Being able to step away, take a break, and come back with a new perspective will likely benefit your work—besides, you've earned it. Although, of course, what you'll often find happens is that the freedom and relaxation your vacation offers you makes returning to work even more difficult than it already is on a normal Monday. Being denied the chance to take leave can mean missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, fami…

One company must be confused about the meaning of “PTO." It stands for paid time off, aka those blissful days that some salaried employees earn to take vacation time without breaking the bank. There are few greater feelings than being relaxed on your vacation, safely away from your inbox and your boss, and still being paid for that. It's a lovely way to reward a company's hardworking employees. For u/ack1308, using vacation time wasn't that straightforward, though. They realized that the busine…