Employee Shares TikTok Saying That Her Manager Won't Let Her Take Vacation Time, Gets Help Online

A 28-year-old woman refused to be bullied out of her own vacation days, and it turned into a TikTok that racked up more than 1 million views. Kaylina wasn’t even trying to pull a stunt, she just wanted to take time off for a trip to Houston she’d already booked.

Here’s where it got messy: after she told her manager she was “going on vacation,” the response was hostile. Her boss basically implied she should not have booked anything, then doubled down by claiming the company was “short-staffed,” even though another employee was already out on vacation and the staffing crunch supposedly wasn’t that long.

Then Kaylina dropped the part that really made people side-eye her manager, she found out full-time employees can earn PTO after three months, and she was already four months in.

“I need somebody to tell me if it’s illegal to not have vacation time.”

kaylinaaaaa via TikTok

Kaylina’s manager didn’t just deny the request, he snapped, “Well, I hope you didn’t book anything,” right after she said she was going to Houston.

In her nearly three-minute explanation, Kaylina revealed that she had purchased a good deal on a flight to Houston, which was still six weeks away, so she did not consider asking for permission. However, when she went to work shortly after, her boss asked what her time-off request meant, and she simply replied that she was “going on vacation.”

Her manager then became hostile and said, “Well, I hope you didn’t book anything.” Kaylina responded calmly, “I did.

The TikToker recounted how her manager attempted to excuse the denial of her time-off request by citing that the business was "short-staffed." Kaylina pointed out that a fellow employee was currently away on vacation and that the company had only been short-staffed for a month, but her manager refused to accept this.

Kaylina's TikTok video about her boss denying her the chance to use her vacation days was seen by more than 1 million people.

When Kaylina pointed out a coworker was already on vacation and the “short-staffed” excuse hadn’t been going that long, the manager still refused to budge.

She then proceeded to falsely state that Kaylina was not allowed vacation time and refused to cover her 12-hour shift, although Kaylina had covered the manager's shift the day before.

“I’m going on this vacation no matter what. I don’t care what she says. What is she gonna do, fire me? No, because she needs me.”

This is similar to the friend who backed out last minute, then asked to cover her share of vacation costs.

The conflict escalated further when Kaylina claimed her manager falsely said she wasn’t allowed vacation time and wouldn’t cover her 12-hour shift.

After doing a bit of investigation, Kaylina found out that, as a full-time employee, she was entitled to take a vacation after three months of working for the company. She was already four months in, so the TikToker announced that she was planning to take her Houston vacation and look for a new job.

Her viewers agreed that she had the right to take her vacation and suggested that she should just take it without asking for permission.

Here is what people had to say:

kaylinaaaaa via TikTok

PTO is her right

kaylinaaaaa via TikTok

Once she confirmed she was eligible for PTO as a full-time employee, Kaylina announced she was taking the Houston trip anyway and starting to look for a new job.

Well, this was an interesting and insightful story. What is your opinion regarding Kaylina's predicament?

Do you believe that it is ultimately the decision of management whether or not she is given time off? Or is the TikToker justified in being frustrated since she followed the proper steps for requesting vacation time yet was still denied?

If the manager needed Kaylina covered, they should not have tried to block her time off in the first place.

Before you judge the “no vacation, no problem” manager, read what Reddit said about a coworker requesting a vacation loan.