'I’ll check my laptop after 10 days': Gen Z employee refuses last-minute leave cancellation, flies to Vietnam

A video of a Gen Z employee named Simran has drawn attention after she said she refused to cancel her travel plans even though her leave was cancelled at the last minute.

In the video, Simran said she had informed her manager about her holiday well in advance. She claimed she told him in mid-December that she would be travelling in February. However, on February 19, while she was already at the airport preparing to board her flight to Vietnam, she received a message saying her leave had been cancelled because of urgent work.

Simran said she would have taken her laptop with her and worked remotely if she had been told earlier in the day. But since she was already at the airport, she decided not to change her plans.

“Main issliye kamaati hun taaki main ghoom sakun… (I earn so I can travel),” she said.

She also said she would not check her work laptop during her holiday and would handle any issues after returning to India. “What is the maximum he can do? Escalate the issue? Let him escalate, I will look for a new job,” she said.

“Main toh aa gayi hun airport pe. Main toh jaa rahi hun. Ab mujhe ghanta farak nahi padta. Jo hoga ab main dekhungi 10 din baad… tab main apna laptop kholungi (I’ve reached the airport and I’m going on my holiday. I don’t care what happens. Now I’ll check my laptop once I’m back after 10 days),” she added.

She ended by saying, “Bhaad mein gaya project, bhaad mein gayi company (To hell with the project, to hell with the company).”

The video has quickly gone viral and received mixed reactions online.

One user wrote, “The era of ‘selling your soul’ for a paycheck is over. If a project fails because one person took a pre-approved vacation, that’s a management failure, not an employee's lack of ethics. Gen Z is just saying out loud what everyone else has been thinking for decades. 80s kid here and I fully support this girl.”

Another user said, “You don’t approve someone’s leave and then cancel it last minute, wrecking their travel plans or personal commitments. That’s not leadership, that’s poor planning. If a manager grants leave, the backup plan is the manager’s responsibility. Period. I run a company with 300+ employees, and we have never treated our team like this. Respect people’s time. It’s that simple.”

A third user noted, “She's right and I absolutely agree with her. But she shouldn't have made this public. The corporate world will not appreciate it. She will find it impossible to find a new job now. She should have just gone on her vacation saying it's too late to cancel and not go public.”

Another reaction read, “Pre-approved leave = contract. Cancel last minute = breach. She’s not quitting on the company, the company quit on basic respect first. Go enjoy that trip girl.”