New Dad Settles For Two-Week Leave To Be With Baby Instead Of Taking Full 12-Week Parental Leave, Believes He Outsmarted The Manager

"The manager still won..."

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• October 21, 2023

In a professional environment, it's not uncommon for employees to face reluctance from their superiors when requesting time off for personal reasons. Sometimes, it's a matter of mere negligence, but other times, it shows an underlying disregard for the well-being of the staff.

One man's experience while he was a Sales Manager at the now-defunct Circuit City illustrates how understanding your rights can make all the difference in securing what you're legally entitled to. He and his wife were expecting their first child.

His wife planned to quit her job to become a stay-at-home mom, and he wanted to take some time off to be with his newborn daughter. He asked his store manager for a week off, only to be told that he could take a mere two days because "we don't have extra management coverage."

This excuse didn't sit well with him, especially since the store seemed to find ways to cover other employees' vacations. Unwilling to be pushed around, he delved into the specifics of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

The law states that parents can take up to 12 weeks of Maternity/Paternity leave with their jobs protected upon return. Since his wife wasn't taking maternity leave, that left 12 weeks available for him.

Knowing that he had sufficient Paid Time Off (PTO) saved, he informed the Store Manager that he'd be filing for a 12-week paternity leave under FMLA. The Store Manager, seemingly caught off guard, checked with HR and returned later that day with a changed tune.

Read the full story below:

OP writes:

He and his wife were expecting their first child. His wife planned to quit her job to become a stay-at-home mom, and he wanted to take some time off to be with his newborn daughter.

He asked his store manager for a week off, only to be told that he could take a mere two days because "we don't have extra management coverage."

Unwilling to be pushed around, he delved into the specifics of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

This Redditor would have taken the full 12 weeks

Parents deserve better - that is true

People from Europe are reading this and screaming inside. Well, not just from Europe. Paid parental leave is an employee's right in most of the world.

"The 12 weeks is applicable to each individual parent"

This is what one manager says, and they are right:

"One small step for dad, one giant step for fatherhood."

The manager still won...

The bottom line is that it is depressing that parents have to find loopholes and workarounds to spend time with their babies.

While the new father may feel he outsmarted his store manager by securing a two-week paternity leave instead of the paltry two days initially offered, many Redditors suggest the manager still had the upper hand. The father had a golden opportunity to take full advantage of the 12-week parental leave granted by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in the United States.

Choosing to compromise at two weeks may have kept the peace at work, but it also means he missed out on crucial bonding time with his newborn. People from other countries, where more generous parental leave policies are standard, find the entire ordeal staggering.

The fact that this negotiation had to happen in the first place highlights the limitations of employee rights and benefits in the United States, especially when it comes to work-life balance and parental roles. In this story, it's clear who the real winner is, and unfortunately, it's not the new father or his family.

Damjan