Copyright deccanchronicle
It can be difficult to ask your office for leave when your reasoning falls beyond the socially acceptable "I'm not feeling well" or "A family member passed away," and it proves even more difficult to ask when your reasons pertain to matters of the heart. But this young employee dared to be vulnerable with his employer, requesting leave to recover from his recent breakup."Had a breakup, need a break"Jasveer Singh, CEO and co-founder of Knot Dating, went to X to share a screenshot of one of his employees' leave applications. The email read, "Hello Sir, I recently had a breakup and haven’t been able to focus on work. I need a short break. I’m working from home today, so I’d like to take leave from the 28th to the 8th."The CEO applauded the youngster's open, candid message, “Got the most honest leave application yesterday. Gen Z doesn’t do filters!"Since it was shared on 28 October, the post has garnered over 15 million views and thousands of interactions.Internet ReactsMany users had something to say about the leave request, with comments appreciating the employee's honesty, comparing the work ethics of Gen-Z and the previous generations:"This is perfectly okay. Better yet, don't explain what it's for at all." - @TouchOfAWoman on X"Leave should be approved for his honesty and understanding. Always stand by your employees; during tough times, they'll stand by you too." - @raghusahay on X"Dude, there are people who don't even take that many leaves for their marriage." - @Nikhil150894 on X"Gen Z breaks up and applies for leave. Millennials broke down, cried in the washroom, and still met deadlines. Gen Z treat HR like their therapist and Outlook like a diary." - @Thread_Sutra on XBut the main question the Internet had was this: was the leave granted?CEO Singh confirmed in the comment section, "Leave approved without a second thought."However, one user pointed out that going on leave might be counterproductive not just for the company, but for the employee himself:"From my point of view, you should not have approved the leave and encouraged him to come to the office; you would have encouraged him to come to the office and meet his colleagues. Loneliness will not be better for him." - @vinitshoi on XWhether it was a good decision or not, the incident showcases how Gen-Z are opening and normalising conversations surrounding mental health, even in the workplace.The article has been authored by Tejasree Kallakrinda, an intern at Deccan Chronicle
