Man quits after boss cancels leave for his brother's wedding in Bali via text

The worker has now decided to find a new job with higher pay. (Representational)

A man in Australia decided to quit his job after receiving a controversial text message from his boss attempting to cancel his upcoming planned family vacation. The exchange, shared by business owner and outsourcing expert Michael Sanz, has sparked outrage and discussions about work boundaries.

The conversation unfolded when the boss, identified as Nick, informed the employee, Noel, that his scheduled time off was cancelled due to another staff member resigning.

The boss claimed it would be "all hands on deck" to find a replacement. In a video shared on TikTok, Sanz expressed disbelief, stating, "This guy sounds like a tool. He's automatically cancelling leave without any conversation."

Noel, standing his ground, explained that he couldn't cancel his leave as he had his brother's wedding in Bali, with flights and family commitments already in place. Despite this, Nick audaciously asked Noel to reduce his leave from three weeks to three days, adding a dismissive comment about Bali.

The situation escalated when Nick firmly stated, "Mate, can't stress enough, your leave is cancelled, we just can't do it. I'm sorry." Noel, feeling shocked and unappreciated, decided to move his leave to start "from today" and questioned whether he wanted to continue working for a company that disregarded boundaries.

Sanz commended Noel for his handling of the situation, emphasizing that no worker should have to justify taking their annual leave. The TikTok video went viral, garnering over 667,000 views and hundreds of comments expressing support for Noel.

After the incident, Noel took his planned vacation, turning off his phone for three weeks. Upon his return, he found the management distant and decided to find a new job with higher pay, citing the incident as a significant factor in his decision.

Sanz, who received numerous messages from people sharing similar experiences, speaking to news.com.au, highlighted the importance of clear work boundaries. He urged employees to make their boundaries explicit and involve HR in such discussions. Additionally, he called for better education for both management and staff regarding work leave to eliminate feelings of guilt often imposed on leave takers.