A LinkedIn post detailing the denial of a year-end leave request by a US-based employee has reignited discussion on workplace culture, managerial authority and the gap between company policies and everyday practice.
The post, shared on the professional networking platform, describes the experience of a woman working in the US whose planned leave was turned down despite being applied for well in advance.
According to the LinkedIn user, the employee had informed her team nearly six weeks before the intended leave, completed all required formalities and booked travel to India after a long absence.
“My leave just got rejected.”
The post states that on the same day the leave was submitted through the internal system, the employee received a call from her manager questioning the timing of the request. She was reportedly told there was “too much work” and that “too many people are already on leave”, despite the advance notice.
The user claimed the discussion soon became uncomfortable, with indirect pressure placed on the employee and references made to future career prospects. She was allegedly “requested” to either cancel the leave or take it as unpaid time off.
With flight tickets already booked at a cost of around ₹1.5 lakh, the employee decided to opt for unpaid leave, losing nearly half a month’s salary to proceed with her travel plans.
The post noted that the situation was particularly concerning as it involved a large multinational firm known for its generous paid time off (PTO) policy and its public messaging encouraging employees to take breaks.
According to the LinkedIn user, the incident reflects a broader issue faced by many professionals — that formal policies offer little protection without managerial support.
“If your manager doesn’t believe in taking leave, there is no policy in the world that will protect you,” the post stated.
The user concluded by advising employees to consider internal team changes where possible and to assess potential managers as carefully as organisations when exploring new job opportunities. The post also stressed that while a supportive manager can improve even a challenging workplace, a poor manager can make an otherwise ideal organisation difficult to endure — something no offer letter clearly outlines.
Here’s how people reacted on social media:
A user wrote: “The Manager is the most important person in corporate life. You peace of mind depends on your manager. I have been fortunate enough to get assigned to the best managers who were understanding and would fight for you. I do the same thing with my mentees now that I am one.”
Another said: “Another lesson is to never book your tickets until your leave is approved! That way, at least you have the option to change dates or not go if you’d rather not anymore.”
A third user said, “This happens only to Indians. This has happened to a cousin of mine too. Why? Because she is Indian. Indians are known to work hard for money. For promotion. For family. Indians can live for everyone else except themselves. We don’t know when to stop obeying everyone outside of us. That’s the speciality in all of us that will make us do what we do. This person will not get the deserved promotion and will then have to switch teams or jobs because it’s hard to report to this manager again. Sad, but believe me, everyone who works abroad, especially in service companies, struggles with this aspect. Money comes with some costs. Sadly, we realise it too late.”