The Hidden Power in Your Management Role
When to Follow Rules and When to Lead
I usually use this article to show you something bad that a manager has done, using it as a “don’t do this” lesson. I’m switching it up this week and discussing a positive manager story - hoping you learn the lesson of what you can do.
A 28-year-old Gen Z sales director recently went viral on TikTok for denying her employees' time-off requests. Elizabeth Dempsey-Beggs doesn't reject PTO requests to be difficult—she does it because she understands something many managers miss: she believes paid time off should not be used for "anything other than vacation," and instead advises employees to just take the time they need without reporting it to HR.
When an employee needed time off for a potential miscarriage, Dempsey-Beggs denied the PTO request but told her to take all the time she needed without using vacation days. When a parent was up all night with a sick child, same response. Her reasoning? "If you came into work when your parent was in the hospital dying, to sit in a meeting because you couldn't take the time off—you are not actually at work, at least not mentally, and what good is that to anyone?"