'Bringing my work laptop is out of the question': Company asks worker if they can be 'reachable' during PTO days, employee shuts them down

Before cell phones, the working world was a different place. Namely, your employer had no way to be in touch with you when you weren't at work, let alone ask you to work while you weren't there. The internet, technology, and all that have been great for workers in some ways (remote work allows more people to hold full-time jobs, and gives workers flexibility), but we have hit some snags when it comes to work/life balance. If we can be constantly reached, then what's stopping our bosses from constantly reaching us? Decency and the willingness to continue to employ us… and not much else.

So is it up to workers themselves to draw boundaries over their working hours? Possibly. There are many grey areas, though, that cause some internal debate. When do you decide to pay a little favor to your company, and when do you decide to prioritize yourself? These are difficult distinctions.

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That's what happened in this story when a worker was forced to draw an uncomfortable line with their manager regarding paid time off. But they were left feeling unsure about whether or not they had handled the situation in a way that wouldn't harm them down the line. Read on for details and decide for yourself.
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Manager asked if I will be "reachable" during my vacation

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Other workers chimed in to put this employee at ease with their decision.

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boss antiwork workplace-stories toxic-workplace job bosses work coworkers working reddit story toxic-boss PTO workplace reddit thread bad bosses Reddit toxic-work-environment

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