Lauren Tickner, the Chief Executive Officer of UK-based marketing firm Scale Systems, is facing a torrent of online criticism after denying an employee two days off for their wedding. Tickner’s reasoning, shared on the social media platform Threads, has sparked widespread outrage.
Tickner claimed she refused the leave because the employee had not trained a replacement and two crucial projects were pending. In her post, she wrote: “I denied my employee’s request for 2 days off work. Sure, they’re about to get married, but: They’ve had 2.5 weeks off already. They haven’t trained a replacement. We have 2 critical projects to complete. So I told them…”
The CEO then clarified that her company boasts an ‘unlimited time off’ policy, a claim that has been met with considerable skepticism. She added: “Find a replacement. Train them on your daily to-dos. With our unlimited time off policy, don’t ask next time.”
Tickner attempted to further clarify the ‘unlimited time off’ policy, explaining it as ‘Flexible Time Off,’ allowing employees to set their own hours and take days off at their discretion. “It’s called Flexible Time Off. (The opposite of micromanagement & outdated policies). Your employees set their own hours. They work where they want. They take days off when they choose,” she wrote.
She concluded her justification by arguing that the policy encourages high-performing employees to distance themselves from those who take excessive time off, fostering a culture of trust within the team. “The biggest benefit? A-players don’t respect slackers. Anyone taking too much time off loses status. Flexible Time Off is a policy that creates trusting teams. What’s your approach to unlimited time off?” she asked.
Tickner’s post has gone viral, garnering over 2.9 million views and sparking a wave of criticism. Numerous users expressed their bewilderment at the CEO’s stance, highlighting the hypocrisy of denying leave while advocating for an ‘unlimited time off’ policy.
“If your team can’t function without one person for two days, you’ve got bigger problems,” commented one user. Another user added, “As a manager, I would never. This is condescending and manipulating. “Find your replacement?” What kind of response is that? There’s no way you don’t have really high turnover. So, if they have to do all of that, what do YOU do?”
One user succinctly summed up the general sentiment, asking, “So you offer unlimited time off but refuse time off for the biggest day of their lives? And why is it your employees’ job to train someone to replace them? It’s yours surely.”
The controversy has further ignited discussions about employee rights, work-life balance, and the effectiveness of ‘unlimited time off’ policies in fostering a healthy work environment. Many are now questioning whether Tickner’s ‘Flexible Time Off’ policy is truly flexible or simply a means to exert control over her employees and justify denying them crucial time off. The incident has provided a stark reminder of the importance of respectful, compassionate leadership and the need for managers to understand the human needs of their employees.