Manager verbally approves employee's 2-day leave, then pulls a last-minute twist
A startup employee said his manager verbally approved two days of leave but later withheld HRMS approval over pending work. The post prompted a wider discussion on whether verbal clearance is enough before making travel plans.
A startup employee was left confused after his manager allegedly approved his leave request verbally but later refused to process it until pending work was completed, sparking a discussion on workplace communication and leave policies.
The employee shared his experience in a Reddit post on r/IndianWorkplace titled “Manager went back on approved leaves.” He explained that he worked as a business analyst at a startup and had made an unexpected travel plan over the weekend.
According to the employee, he approached his manager and requested two days of leave, which was approved immediately during their conversation.
“I raised a request on the HRMS, he hasn't approved it yet,” he wrote.
The situation changed when his manager later brought up pending work and allegedly told him that the leave request would not be approved unless the task was completed.
The employee said he was caught off guard by the response, especially since his travel arrangements had already been finalised.
“My tickets have been booked, cousins are travelling based on my plan, how can you just ask me to cancel?” he wrote, questioning whether the situation was fair.
He added that he was never informed about any deadline for completing the work before taking leave. The employee said he told his manager that he would complete whatever was possible by the end of the day and then continue with his plans, but received no response.
Sharing his concern about what could happen next, he asked other Reddit users whether the incident could lead to negative consequences later, adding that he had never faced a similar situation before.
Take a look at the post here:
The post triggered a conversation among employees, with many sharing their own experiences of handling leave requests and manager approvals.
One user said the most likely consequence could be loss of pay for the days taken off, depending on the company’s leave policy. The commenter advised checking the official rules and added that managers often have significant control over leave approvals.
Another user suggested keeping records of such conversations, saying they preferred documenting discussions whenever they requested approvals from people in positions of authority.
“Top five reasons why whenever I speak to such people in power for anything like leave, I record it,” the user wrote.
Some commenters also discussed their personal approach towards unpaid leave, with one saying that if the salary was low enough, they would not mind losing pay and preferred not to rely on concepts like leave encashment.
The discussion brought up a common workplace dilemma: whether verbal approval from a manager should be considered enough assurance or whether employees should always wait for formal approval through company systems before making personal commitments.
A startup employee was left confused after his manager allegedly approved his leave request verbally but later refused to process it until pending work was completed, sparking a discussion on workplace communication and leave policies.
The employee shared his experience in a Reddit post on r/IndianWorkplace titled “Manager went back on approved leaves.” He explained that he worked as a business analyst at a startup and had made an unexpected travel plan over the weekend.
According to the employee, he approached his manager and requested two days of leave, which was approved immediately during their conversation.
“I raised a request on the HRMS, he hasn't approved it yet,” he wrote.
The situation changed when his manager later brought up pending work and allegedly told him that the leave request would not be approved unless the task was completed.
The employee said he was caught off guard by the response, especially since his travel arrangements had already been finalised.
“My tickets have been booked, cousins are travelling based on my plan, how can you just ask me to cancel?” he wrote, questioning whether the situation was fair.
He added that he was never informed about any deadline for completing the work before taking leave. The employee said he told his manager that he would complete whatever was possible by the end of the day and then continue with his plans, but received no response.
Sharing his concern about what could happen next, he asked other Reddit users whether the incident could lead to negative consequences later, adding that he had never faced a similar situation before.
Take a look at the post here:
The post triggered a conversation among employees, with many sharing their own experiences of handling leave requests and manager approvals.
One user said the most likely consequence could be loss of pay for the days taken off, depending on the company’s leave policy. The commenter advised checking the official rules and added that managers often have significant control over leave approvals.
Another user suggested keeping records of such conversations, saying they preferred documenting discussions whenever they requested approvals from people in positions of authority.
“Top five reasons why whenever I speak to such people in power for anything like leave, I record it,” the user wrote.
Some commenters also discussed their personal approach towards unpaid leave, with one saying that if the salary was low enough, they would not mind losing pay and preferred not to rely on concepts like leave encashment.
The discussion brought up a common workplace dilemma: whether verbal approval from a manager should be considered enough assurance or whether employees should always wait for formal approval through company systems before making personal commitments.
