The way one woman responded to her vacation time being rejected has left people in stitches after screenshots of the unconventional solution gained over 1.7 million views on TikTok.
Lucia’s friend Kay shared the pictures in a video on her TikTok. The screenshots revealed how Lucia, who works as a carer, submitted a request to take time off to secure her vacation plans.
Over 86 days before her trip to Jamaica, Lucia asked for the time off, only to get a reply from her employer that said: “Unfortunately I am unable to authorize this holiday as already three carers off that week. Sorry.”
Based in the U.K., Lucia is entitled by law to at least 28 days of paid vacation a year—quite the contrast to the U.S. where there is no federal law requiring any minimum amount of paid vacation for workers.
Daniel Grill/Getty Images & @kayswurld & @luciaandmyla on TikTok
Lucia, undeterred by the denial, sent an email back that read: “Ok I’ve booked a holiday to Jamaica so can’t really change it, so will have to sort out handing in my notice x.”
“I put in my holiday request over eight weeks away from the holiday. At first, they refused as three people were off at that time, but my manager told them they had to authorize it due to the amount of notice I gave,” Lucia told Newsweek.
“I don’t think I’ve ever requested time off work then booked a holiday,” she added. “But there was no way I was losing out on the deal I got to go to Jamaica.”
In thousands of comments, people reacted to the conversation between Lucia and her employer.
“Care sector has overworked staff that need breaks more often. P.s. enjoy your holiday, you deserve it,” said user MotherOf5.
While viewer Rob agreed with Lucia’s stance: “I’m not asking for permission, I’m telling you I won’t be in for those dates.”
“I would of done the same,” said commenter Kim.
Others weren’t as supportive, though. TikToker thenewgymchickk said: “Why do people book holidays before approving holidays with employers? Sometimes you can be lucky and find a new job straightaway but sometimes you might not be so lucky.”
Determined to enjoy her trip to Jamaica, Lucia was ready to quit her job if the vacation time wasn’t approved—but thankfully, it didn’t come to that.
Instead, her employer agreed to the time off. “It all worked out in the end. I got my holiday and still got my job to come back to,” she said.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.