# employer being assholes about time off **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 13, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112 "2012-07-13T15:06:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/1 "2012-07-13T15:06:41Z")
Argh. I have a doctors appointment next week. Id like to take an early lunch hour. Nope. I need to take time off unpaid or take half or full vacation day. I have jury duty coming up. Nope unpaid or vacation day. Heaven forbid if they actually put me on jury. I have a little surgery scheduled. Not emergency but not for fun. Gee I don’t know if u have enuff pto saved up but since it is a medical issye i suppose we can let u take vacation for those couple days even tho u haven’t technically earned them. Fuck I hate these people. Fucking bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/2 "2012-07-13T15:13:01Z")
What state are you in? Some states require employers to pay employess who are on jury duty. [Link.](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/taking-time-off-jury-duty.html) ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/3 "2012-07-13T15:18:59Z")
I’m in Illinois. I looked it up last nite and no luck. I’m on salary too. Forgot to mention. Have appointment with my surgeon and I can’t take early lunch hour. If there were other jobs available I would so be there. And insurance sucks so I’m Prolly gonna have to pay for most of surgery myself. Yay me. ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/4 "2012-07-13T15:21:23Z")
They only hurt themselves. Make me take unpaid day allows me to take vacation day later. If they want their employees to be in the office more often they would be more flexible. To me its only money. To them its a missing warm body. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/5 "2012-07-13T16:00:06Z")
I pit your shitty grammar, spelling, and punctuation skills. This is one of the few corners of the internet in which those things matter. Your OP was , figuratively, painful to read. Shape up or ship out. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/6 "2012-07-13T16:02:11Z")
One thing I do love about my employer. I can take sick time to take my Mom or Dad to the Doctor let alone myself. I wouldn’t even have to bother with an early lunch hour since I have about 800 hours of sick leave saved up… ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/7 "2012-07-13T16:02:41Z")
Someone who can’t properly space a comma has no business critiquing other people’s writing. And diggerwam’s post was perfectly legible to anyone who’s not a dillhole. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/8 "2012-07-13T16:20:22Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > Shape up or ship out. Really?:rolleyes: Who peed in your cornflakes this morning? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/9 "2012-07-13T16:28:35Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Someone who can’t properly space a comma has no business critiquing other people’s writing. And diggerwam’s post was perfectly legible to anyone who’s not a dillhole. So what? It’s full of errors, and on this board those are annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/10 "2012-07-13T16:29:58Z")
Then put the poster on ignore. There’s no need to turn into a bitchy copyeditor and threadshit. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/11 "2012-07-13T16:34:06Z")
If I understand correctly you are complaining because you might not be compensated for hours you have not worked? What makes it ok for you to get paid while a coworker must work for his/her money? Is shifting your workload onto your coworkers a habitual thing for you? ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/12 "2012-07-13T16:37:06Z")
You’re salaried but they’re treating you like you’re hourly, I bet they make you work a lot of unpaid overtime too. Next time you’re sick and can’t afford to take time off maybe you can accidentally puke on the person in charge of approving time off. Does your taking an early lunch affect anyone at all besides you? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/13 "2012-07-13T16:39:35Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > If I understand correctly you are complaining because you might not be compensated for hours you have not worked? What makes it ok for you to get paid while a coworker must work for his/her money? Is shifting your workload onto your coworkers a habitual thing for you? No, he/she just wants to take his lunch break early. I think you’re right about the surgery thing, though, and I don’t understand why the OP is bitching about that. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/14 "2012-07-13T16:45:55Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Someone who can’t properly space a comma has no business critiquing other people’s writing. And diggerwam’s post was perfectly legible to anyone who’s not a dillhole. “Shut up Beavis, or I’m going to smack you again!” ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/15 "2012-07-13T17:31:46Z")
Are you salaried and Exempt or just salaried? Exempt employees generally cannot be forced to take any pay deductions for days when they show up to work at all. I suppose they can enforce when you take your lunch but that is starting to run afoul of what being Exempt means if that is the case. Their benefit is they get unlimited free overtime if they need it. See if you are Exempt or not because, if you are, what they are doing may be illegal. > **[Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos](https://www.yahoo.com/)** > > Latest news coverage, email, free stock quotes, live scores and video are just the beginning. Discover more every day at Yahoo! ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/16 "2012-07-13T17:39:30Z")
No. Taking Lunch two hours earlier than scheduled affects no one. By insisting on a half day vacation or unpaid time they are just hurting themselves. The only reason y I brought up surgery is because, I don’t know, maybe I expect I little leniency of the rules because I’m hurting. I have enough things to worry about, like the biopsy why bust my balls about not having enough PTO? I’ll make you a deal if I do quit before I earn enough PTO you can deduct it from my last paycheck. Yes maybe I’m old fashioned but I expect my employers to care about their employees and to treat them well, maybe even get a tiny bit of special consideration in certain circumstances. And if they don’t I have every reason to feel unappreciated and unmotivated if they treat me like poo. If you treat employees like this don’t expect anything but the bare minimum. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/17 "2012-07-13T17:51:27Z")
Are you in a job where task coverage is very important? Like taking calls or responding to customers? If so, I could understand the company being inflexible on the hours you work since they are trying to maintain a certain level of productivity during work hours. Are you in a government job or a job where a lot of non-motivated people work? If so, they may need to be strict with the hours to prevent everyone from exploiting that flexibility to come in late, have long lunches, and leaving early. But if your work is mostly flexible like writing computer programs or documentation, then it seems your boss is being overly strict. ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/18 "2012-07-13T17:55:46Z")
Chicken or egg. I think you need to be self loathing and not motivated and no self esteem to work here. Which is exactly how the owners want it. I’ve seen no proof otherwise. No work coverage issues. I sit here and Fuck with complicated spreadsheets. Very rarely will I ever have deadline. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/19 "2012-07-13T18:11:27Z")
Sounds like an asshole boss who gets off by controlling his employees. If you’re working on spreadsheets, what does it matter when you take a lunch? The spreadsheet will wait until you get back. This will backfire on the boss since the employees get fed up with this and will eventually look for a company which treats its people like adults. Maybe you can do a little job searching on during your lunch hour from exactly 12 to 1 and not a minute later. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112/20 "2012-07-13T18:31:40Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Are you salaried and Exempt or just salaried? Exempt employees generally cannot be forced to take any pay deductions for days when they show up to work at all. I suppose they can enforce when you take your lunch but that is starting to run afoul of what being Exempt means if that is the case. Their benefit is they get unlimited free overtime if they need it. See if you are Exempt or not because, if you are, what they are doing may be illegal. > > [Yahoo Search - Web Search](http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080716111111AAx23e3) I might have to pit _you_ for using Yahoo! Answers as a citation. :mad: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/employer-being-assholes-about-time-off/628112.md?page=2)