In many workplaces, the balance between professional loyalty and personal priorities often becomes a point of tension. A recent discussion on Reddit captured this conflict vividly after an employee revealed that they resigned from their job when their leave for a family event was denied—only to be called “disrespectful” by their manager for quitting during the company’s busiest period. The post has since ignited a wider debate about how employers interpret loyalty and respect in the workplace.

Leave Denied for Sister’s Wedding

The anonymous employee shared that despite two years of dedicated service—covering extra shifts, training new hires, and never calling in sick—their request for paid time off to attend their sister’s wedding was turned down. The manager cited short staffing as the reason, saying the team could not spare anyone during the busy season.

The employee recounted, “My manager pulled me into his office today. He went on about how I was being disrespectful to the team and that quitting during our busy season shows I don’t care about anyone but myself.”


They added that their consistent efforts appeared to be overlooked: “I’ve been here two years, never called out sick, covered shifts constantly, and trained every new hire. But apparently none of that matters because I chose to leave when it wasn’t convenient for him.”

Frustrated by the one-sided expectation of loyalty, the worker confirmed they would still resign in two weeks, writing, “This whole ‘loyalty’ thing only goes one way.”

Reddit Users Rally Behind the Employee

The post quickly drew widespread support from Reddit users, many of whom criticized the manager’s behavior and the larger culture of expecting employees to sacrifice personal commitments. One user wrote, “Employers love preaching loyalty when it benefits them but never return it when workers need something,” while another added, “I’ll be loyal to a company when a company is loyal to me.”

Others shared their own experiences of feeling undervalued despite years of service. A former UK police employee described being dismissed after sustaining a life-changing injury on duty, reflecting on how loyalty rarely protects workers when things go wrong.

Another commenter remarked, “Respect goes both ways. You don’t respect me or my life enough to grant PTO or any kind of decent raise but demand it from me? I owe you nothing.”