A boss has been slammed after trying to force an employee to work while they were on holiday, insisting that a last-minute presentation update was more important than their time off.

Screenshots of the exchange, which were shared by career expert Ben Askins, reveal the manager’s relentless attempts to get the employee to edit slides for a pitch – despite being repeatedly reminded that they were on leave.

The conversation began at 9:51 am, with the boss sending a seemingly casual message: ‘Hey just a quick one, can you take a look at the presentation I just sent you? They need tidying up before the pitch tomorrow. Slides 73-78 in particular are the priority.’

By 11:43 am, after receiving no response, the boss followed up: ‘Did you see this message?’

It wasn’t until 12:12 pm that the employee responded, explaining that they were on holiday: ‘I’m on holiday, remember? We’ve just got off the plane and we’re on the way to our Airbnb now.’

But instead of backing off, the boss doubled down.

‘Yes, I know, but this is important. The meeting has been brought forward and we need to sort this out.’

As the employee pushed back, reminding their boss that they had no laptop and had plans for the evening, the manager became increasingly frustrated.

A boss has been slammed online after trying to force an employee to work while on holiday

A boss has been slammed online after trying to force an employee to work while on holiday

‘You don’t have your laptop? Why on earth not? Can you find somewhere to jump online? It won’t take long,’ the boss said. 

When the employee suggested the boss ask the team for help instead, the response was dismissive: ‘It would take too long to onboard them. Please, I really need you to do this. We have to win this one.’

At this point, the employee put their foot down: ‘I booked this week off months ago and I’m with my family. I can’t just abandon our plans to go looking for somewhere to work.’

The boss’s final remark sealed their fate in the court of public opinion: ‘Right. Good to know where your priorities are.’

The employee had the perfect comeback: ‘Yes, it’s with my family.’

The exchange quickly spread online, with people blasting the boss’s behaviour.

Mr Askins weighed in, slamming the manager for their poor planning.

‘When you have other people available to do the work – all you have to do is hand over and onboard. If you haven’t arranged that, it’s your fault.’

Screenshots of the exchange, which have gone viral after being shared by career expert Ben Askins, reveal the manager's relentless attempts to get the employee to edit slides for a pitch

Screenshots of the exchange, which have gone viral after being shared by career expert Ben Askins, reveal the manager’s relentless attempts to get the employee to edit slides for a pitch

He warned that constantly pestering employees during their time off is a surefire way to drive them away.

‘They won’t be able to switch off, they won’t be able to recharge, they won’t be able to do good work for you,’ Mr Askins said.

Others were quick to point out the absurdity of the request, questioning why the boss didn’t just make the changes themselves.

‘If the boss knows which slides need tidying, then he should just tidy them himself. It could have been done so quickly,’ one said.

‘So he had time to check the presentation, find where there should be some updates, and time to bother someone else – instead of just doing it himself?’ another echoed.

Many were also shocked by the sheer length of the presentation.

A woman wrote, ’78 slides? You are looking at at least four hours of presentation. No one wants to sit through that long a presentation. That’s just too many.’

The viral post also sparked broader conversations about toxic work culture, with many sharing their own experiences of unreasonable bosses.

One person recalled being fired for getting sick:

‘I worked at a nursery and told my manager I felt unwell. She didn’t let me go home. 

‘Over the weekend, I developed a kidney infection and was hospitalised. When I called in on Monday, they told me to hand in my uniform because they ‘needed reliable staff.’

Others urged workers to set firmer boundaries:

A woman wrote, ‘Stop answering work messages when on holiday.’

‘I wouldn’t answer in the first place. I am on holiday, that’s it,’ another agreed.

Some pointed out how trivial work concerns are in the grand scheme of things.

‘In five years, no one will care about this presentation. In five years, everyone will absolutely remember a family adventure together,’ a mum said.



***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk