Always read the fine print.

ALWAYS!

It’s a lesson some folks learn the hard way, but it can be so satisfying when it occasionally works out to your advantage.

A former call center employee talked about how they came out on the winning end of a situation like this.

The time “read your contract” backfired regarding holiday pay.

Back in 2015 I worked for a pretty dismal call centre.

It was an outsourced centre that handled customer support for a lot of UK retailers. Staff turn over was real high, with the vast majority being on temporary contracts and the promise of a permanent contract being hung over people heads to make them suck up being treated like ****.

Things seemed on the up and up and they decided to use their vacation time in whatever way they wanted, which is the way it should be.

After working there for about two years, in late February of that year I was offered a permanent contract because they wanted to put me on their team leader programme.

The pay was slightly better, the job security was better, the only major difference was how holidays where handled. People on temporary contracts where paid for any unused holidays at the end of the working year in April. People on permanent contracts had to use their holidays or they would lose them.

I had just over 3 weeks holidays saved up, so the day I accepted I booked 3 weeks of in March so as i wouldn’t lose them in April.

And then a manager had to stick his nose in…

March rolled around and my manager told me that my holidays had been refused. I said that’s fine as long as they pay me for them, and he replied that no if you dont use your holidays you lose them.

I said that i was trying to use my holidays and they where not letting me. He shrugged said it’s the “duty of the employee to manage their holiday time wisely and I should read my contract” despite the fact i had only gotten that contract 3 weeks earlier and the holidays worked differently.

So they decided it was time to go back to the contract…

Understandably annoyed that evening I went home and read my contract from beginning to end and discovered my manager had overlooked one crucial part of the paper work.

The contract clearly stated I had to give a week’s notice, and that any holidays not used would be paid to any leaving employee in full on their last paycheck.

They returned to work and told their boss how it was gonna be…how satisfying!

The next day I came into work and announced I would be quitting unless paid my holidays or allowed to take the time off, and if they accepted my notice then to be sure my holiday days was included in my final paycheck.

My boss asked me if I was really going to quit over this, and I replied was he really going to lose one of his most reliable employees over this.

So they did the only thing they thought was fair and reasonable!

He wouldn’t budge, I assume he thought I was bluffing.

So I handed in my notice, and on my leaving interview with my manager’s manager made sure to explain exactly why I was leaving.

And yes my final paycheck did include my unused holiday days.

Here’s what folks had to say on Reddit.

This person made an excellent point about what went on here.

Another Reddit user sounded off about labor laws in their state.

One reader talked about their frustrations with how some companies operate.

This individual was happy that this person didn’t put up with this nonsense.

And this person shared their own story about the importance of contracts.

That’s why you always have to read the fine print!

Let that be your life lesson of the day.