The title basically says it all.
Her job has a combination of “vacation days” which need prior approval and a small number of “PTO” days which, as she was told from day one, can be taken as needed anytime for personal reasons.
Then earlier this year she got a new supervisor. We'll call them Karen.
Come this past Monday, she was feeling really unwell, so she took a PTO day to recuperate. Today she was scolded for taking PTO day “without at least 5 days heads up” and “for taking time off without thinking of the company's needs when there is still work to be done”.
This rubbed me the wrong way, so here to rant. There will ALWAYS be more work, that's why the position exists! You may have gotten to your position, Karen, by neglecting your personal well being and charging ahead for “the company” at all cost, but normal, sane people don't do that! Also, nobody, but nobody, reads minds. If you don't respect existing culture and make your own, how in the world are people supposed to know?