"My Boss Texted Me While I Was At My Mother's Funeral": 30 Of The Worst Times Shameless Bosses Refused Day-Off Requests

According to Anna and Sarah, the brilliant masterminds behind the 'Work Wives' podcast, the very first step to dealing with denied leave is to take a step back and look at the overall picture.

"We all want to look out for ourselves first, especially when we are seeking leave from work, but most reasonable companies won't deny leave unless there's a logical reason. Will you be leaving the workplace short-staffed? Do they need you specifically around that time? You need to consider how important your leave is and whether you'd really be putting your team in a difficult position for a trip to Cancun," they explained to Bored Panda that there's usually more context that needs to be considered.

They said that employees should think about whether they can negotiate regarding paid time off during the specific time period that they want. It's all about quid-pro-quo... as long as your workplace is being reasonable on their end.

"Could you offer to be available at certain times online? Think about how you can work with your employer to get the best outcome for you both. If the leave denial is completely unreasonable, you need to escalate it to senior management because there's obviously been a misunderstanding that needs to be addressed," they said.

According to Anna and Sarah, from 'Work Wives,' empathy is key when dealing with difficult managers. "Try to understand why they are managing the way that they are and consider what challenges they might be facing, either personally or professionally," they noted that managers are people, too. With their own struggles, dreams, and expectations.

"There are a lot of managers who don't have great leadership skills, but on that point, you don't have to be a manager to be a great leader in your workplace. You can lead the situation with a controlling boss by staying a step ahead and working to anticipate what concerns they might have, then you can come to them with the solutions already in hand," they said.

"Understand that your manager is a human who has faults of their own and try not to take their poor management personally. Be the kind, encouraging, and supportive leader that your workplace is lacking and your peers will naturally flock to you in your role," Anna and Sarah suggested that employees shouldn't wait until they have authority to be the types of managers they'd like to see at work.

Sometimes, a scheduling mistake is exactly what it sounds like—an honest-to-God mistake. But when these mistakes tend to pop up whenever you have something important going on in your life, it might make your Sus-o-meters go haywire and show 'Max Suspicious.'

Oftentimes, it’s inflexible managers or bosses who don’t see their workers as living, breathing human beings that are the problem. Learning to navigate these sorts of superiors, who relish making your life hell and want to squeeze every little bit of usefulness from you, is a challenge. Usually, it all comes down to what you can stomach: do you want to try and stay and make things better or have you finally had enough and want to move on somewhere else?

Life coach Lindsay Hanson explained to Bored Panda during an earlier interview that we ought to be honest with ourselves about how we truly feel about our work. All of us are responsible for setting the boundaries for what we’re willing to tolerate in all aspects of our life, including at work. And it’s up to us to act when these boundaries are (repeatedly) ignored.

It might seem that you’re alone, but you always have options. You can ask your colleagues for advice. You can talk to the folks working in HR. You also have the option of speaking to your superiors directly. Sure, your direct supervisor might be a jerk who’s making you consider quitting, but their boss might be someone who actually cares.

"If you feel that there's nothing you can do to change the situation and the company or people involved are unwilling to change, then you have to decide whether you're willing to stay in that environment or not. A good question to ask yourself is, even if this toxic situation were to change, would I still want to work here?" life coach Lindsay shared some guiding questions that each employee should ask themselves.

In the expert’s opinion, workers can either try to find some form of happiness or contentment in the position they’re in now, or realize that they have to look for a way out. Nobody should ever feel like they’re imprisoned in the position and company they’re at currently, whether there’s a pandemic raging globally or due to the financial issues we’re seeing right now.

There will always be companies hiring, there are always ways to make money on your own. It’s important to let go of the notion that you’re stuck and that you can’t change your situation.

"You can do everything in your power to bring attention to the toxic situation and attempt to change it. And at the end of the day, you always have control over your own mindset, how you're reacting to the situation, and how much you let it affect you,” Lindsay told Bored Panda.

Meanwhile, Eddy Ng, the Associate Professor & Smith Professor of Equity & Inclusion at Queen’s University, stressed to Bored Panda that if one’s manager and HR don’t react to repeated complaints about a toxic workplace, it’s an indication that it’s best to switch employers.

However, there’s a flip side, too. "If management makes an effort for change, then it would be an opportunity to assist with that change," he said that if the workplace makes genuine attempts to change things for the better, it’s a sign that the employer is listening to feedback.