‘No exceptions for calling off, taking sick days’: Company gets slammed for ‘janky’ note to employees ahead of vacation

Employers impose certain restrictions on vacation days during peak work periods such as the festive season. These restrictions could entail anything from reduced off days and longer work hours to restricted lunch breaks.

An employer’s notice to employees about restrictions on vacations, however, went viral on Reddit for all the wrong reasons. The employer took it to the extreme — by refusing to grant any exceptions for sick days.

The now-viral notice reads: “From November 25th, until December 31st, there is a blackout on vacation days, time off, and there will be no exceptions for calling off, taking sick days, given that these are our busiest days of the year, we will need all hands-on deck. Thank you.”

The notice did not impress Redditors one bit. While some condemned the business owner for the sad situation of his workers, others recounted their experiences when they faced difficulties while trying to take a day off.

“If you die, you have to inform the management 3 days prior,” a user said. Another user said: “Christmas is for everyone, but employees.”

“I know a guy who owns a company and they don’t let anyone off during the summer. The staff are overworked, underpaid and the guy treats them like s***. Then he would complain that people keep quitting and that ‘nobody wants to work’,” a third user wrote.  

“When I was in military, I had strep and took a sick leave request to medical to sign so I could go home that day. Dude seriously was like, you’re supposed to request leave a week in advance. I said its a sick leave request. I’m supposed to know I was gonna be sick? Then he signed it with an attitude,” yet another user said. 

“I worked as an essential worker back during the height of COVID. Woke up one morning wildly ill with fever. Boss didn’t want to have to get up and come to work at 5 am so told me to wear a mask and glovers and try not to get close to anyone. They don’t care,” a user mentioned. 

“Having a blackout period for vacation time is very common, and varies by industry. You know that going in and it’s just part of the job. What’s janky about this is no exceptions for sick days. That’s pretty hard to enforce, and do they really want people coming to work if they’re legitimately sick?” a user asked.