So awhile ago I tried to apply for a week of PTO in dec and my boss said no because he is taking the entire dec off and needs me in. Seriously? He has never let any of us take an entire month off and he's allowing himself.
And recently I tried taking a half day. Actually I only needed an hour or so for an appointment but its an awkward timing so I thought it would he easier to just take half day. I would still be doing work during my free time but my boss cited an upcoming deadline to deny my PTO.
Just because a deadline is coming doesn't mean your staff just suddenly stop having a life. We still have kids who needs us bringing them to doctord appointments and stuff. If your company can't function without one individual for half a day maybe you should evaluate the resource allocation instead.