In an era of awkward emails and nervous calendar invites, one Australian employee decided to ask for leave in a way her bosses probably never saw coming, by switching up a basic vacation request into a full-blown Netflix-style documentary, complete with drama, suspense and a Bali plot twist.
The hilarious workplace moment was shared by Francois Greeff, co-founder of Realbase, on his official Instagram account, where he posted the now-viral clip of an employee’s unusually cinematic approach to asking for time off.
In the video, two bosses were seen seated inside a conference room, seemingly preparing for an ordinary meeting, before their employee hit play on what looked like a Netflix documentary created entirely around one very important question.
The clip began with the unmistakable Netflix-style intro before cutting to the employee, Talia, sitting in front of the camera in mock-documentary fashion as if starring in an emotional confession series. The dramatic setup showed her nervously speaking about something that had apparently been weighing on her mind.
“Do you want to confess why you’ve been so on edge lately?” a voice behind the camera asked.
Talia then admitted that she needed to ask her bosses, Frank and Jock, something but had been too nervous to bring it up.
“I just can’t bring myself to do it,” she said dramatically, before finally delivering the real plot twist.
“Well, I need 10 days of leave in July to go to Bali and have heaps of fun.”
The mock-serious tone instantly shifted into laughter, with one of the bosses jokingly asking whether the response also had to be delivered in documentary format. Talia, fully committed to the bit, quickly clarified that yes, it was in fact “a documentary,” before nervously asking the all-important question: “Yes or no, is there a third option?”
The creative leave won over social media, with viewers praising both Talia’s humour and what many described as a refreshingly fun workplace culture.
Several users joked that with an idea like that, the leave was probably already approved before she even finished the video.
Others called the idea brilliant, saying the effort alone deserved a reward, if not an immediate approval for Bali.
Many also said the bosses’ reactions made the workplace seem genuinely enjoyable, with some jokingly asking whether the company was hiring.