He requested a day off for sister’s wedding after months of unpaid overwork. Boss instead tells him to feel lucky about his job

Taking a single day off for a sibling’s wedding usually does not sound like a big demand. But for one employee, that simple request turned into an uncomfortable meeting with his manager — and a comment that left him questioning his workplace. A post shared on Reddit has now gone viral after the employee claimed his manager told him to be “grateful” he even had a job, all because he asked for one day of leave to attend his sister’s wedding.

In his post, the employee wrote, “My manager told me I should be ‘grateful’ I even have a job after I asked for a day off for my sisters wedding.”

He explained that he had submitted a PTO request six weeks in advance and followed every instruction given by HR. Despite that, he was called into the office and told, “you know a lot of people would kill for your position right now.”


The worker said he did not understand what that was supposed to mean. “Like what does that even mean? I asked for ONE day. A friday. The wedding is out of state so I need to drive up.”

He added that the leave request remains “under review,” which, in his experience at the company, usually means management hopes the employee forgets about it.

Doing the Work of Three People

The situation did not end there. The employee shared that he has been taking on additional responsibilities for months. “I've been covering for two people who quit back in September and never got replaced. Been doing basically 3 peoples jobs for 5 months and not a single word about extra pay or anything.”

He mentioned that he had some savings from Stаke and was not completely desperate for employment, but had joined the company believing there would be growth opportunities.

Frustrated, he wrote, “I'm so tired of companies acting like showing up every day is something they're doing YOU a favor for. You are paying me, I am providing a service. That's it. That's the whole relationship.” He also said he has already started looking for another job.

Internet Reacts: ‘Set the Boundary’

The post drew strong reactions in the comments section. Many users encouraged him to clearly state that he would not be available on the wedding day. One person commented, “Under review? OK, but I'm just telling you now that I won't be here that day. Do with that as you wish, it's still 6 weeks away.”

Another wrote, “PTO isn't a request. Tell them the date and that you'll be unavailable. If they try this powerplay shit escalate it above their head.”

Some questioned the manager’s remark that others would “kill” for the position. “If that was the case, I would have three other people working beside me in this role,” one user pointed out. Another added, “If it was that easy to replace you, they would have replaced the last two by now.”

Several comments advised the employee to keep records of all communication. “When your employer starts complaining about things you have a right to or what their own policies permit, start documenting EVERYTHING,” one user wrote. Others summed it up more bluntly. “Doing the work of three people without a raise? Sounds like it’s time to start acting your wage,” read one comment.