‘I’ll be on leave. Bye’: Employee’s casual message to boss divides internet

A screenshot of an email from a Gen Z employee notifying their boss of an upcoming leave has sparked a heated debate on social media. Investor Siddharth Shah shared the image on X, captioning it, “How my Gen Z team gets its leaves approved.”
In the email, the employee doesn’t follow the traditional request format where employees ask for permission, but instead opts for a more straightforward approach. The message is short, direct, and unapologetically to-the-point. Rather than asking for approval or giving an explanation, the employee simply informs Shah of their intention to take time off.
The email reads: “Hi Siddharth, I will be on leave on 8th November 2024. Bye.”

Since being shared one day ago, the email has gone viral with more than 1.2 million views and hundreds of comments on X (formerly Twitter).
While several professionals in the comments section said they were surprised to see the straightforward email, others called it normal. The primary point of contention was whether employees should request their managers for permission before taking an off or simply inform them.
“If I had sent this message to my manager, he would have scheduled a meeting with HR to discuss my behaviour issues,” wrote one person in the comments section.
“Normalise this. People shouldn’t have to give reasons if they want to take an off. It’s their right,” another said.
“This is not bad. People in my office has planned leaves in their signature and teams status. It’s others responsibility to check and make themselves aware about it. We shouldn’t be making fuss about people going on leaves they are entitled to,” X user Atul Sharma agreed.
While many felt that employees should not have to get their earned leaves approved, others said that real-life works differently. Critics argued that getting a manager’s approval for leaves is necessary to ensure smooth functioning of a team.
“You work in a team. And your boss/manager needs to manage your absence,” X user Puja said.
“Most companies don’t deny leave applications. However, depending on the job, team size and skill set, a certain level of planning is required to keep this running smoothly. Other than it being an HR policy to apply for leave, it’s also basic etiquette to everyone involved,” another agreed.
To arguments that such approvals are only needed at ‘toxic’ Indian companies, an X user said: “I live in Europe where labour laws are very strict …even here you have to get your leaves approved and they can be rejected..if someone still goes ahead and takes off despite rejection, they can be fired.”
(Also read: Noida HR reveals shocking messages from rejected candidates: ‘You were looking hawwt’)