So I just started this new job, and they don’t give PTO for the first year which sucks but whatever, but they also don’t allow unpaid time off for the first year. I was told this when I submitted an unpaid time off request for a friend’s wedding in a couple months and I was in shock that any employers still did this! They said that they only make allowances for doctor’s appointments and stuff like that.
Well, I just found out this week that my 3 year old dog has a rare and aggressive cancer. The vet said that she could have as little as 6 months left. I am absolutely devastated by this and I made an appointment at an Oncology Veterinary Clinic next month to find out exactly what the outlook is and what options I have. I let my job know that I would need this day off and they told me to submit an unpaid time off request in the portal. The next day they denied it and for their reason for denial they put that I don’t have vacation time.
I had assumed that a situation like this could be considered as a doctor’s appointment, especially concerning the nature and severity of it. I know they aren’t doing anything illegal but this is just completely heartless and I had to stop myself from just walking out as soon as I saw the denial. Why do employers in America think that it’s acceptable to treat people this way?!