When an employee tells their employer that they want to go back to school to improve themselves, the employer should be very supportive.

What would you do if your boss said that they would be flexible with your schedule, but when the time came, they tried to schedule you during all of your classes?

That is what happened to the nurse in this story, so he found a way to take paid time off during each of those shifts, forcing his managers to work them.

Deny the flexibility you promised? Fine. Cover my shifts and still have to pay me.

I was in a supervisory role as a charge nurse.

I’d worked in this position for about three years.

I had great reviews and earned consistent raises and performance bonuses.

I approached my managers and requested that they agree to a flexible schedule if I worked on my masters degree.

I wasn’t asking for time off I just wanted them to adjust my schedule when it came time for my practical rotations.

This sounds like a win-win for everyone.

They agreed as they wouldn’t be losing any productivity and would be gaining a nurse practitioner for the system.

About a year after I started the program it became apparent I was going to need to divorce my wife.

We’d been married for many years.

It was quite a blow.

I called the employee assistance program and got some therapy that was very helpful.

My managers also suggested I apply for FMLA (family medical leave act) leave due to their concern for my mental health.

I was very grateful.

FMLA can be a great protection for employees.

I had been working for this system for a number of years and had many, many hours of PTO (paid time off) saved up.

But I figured the FMLA leave would be a smart thing to be approved for in case court times were scheduled when I was working.

I was approved for up to forty hours per week for a year.

About a year into my masters program it became necessary for me to step down from my role as a charge and take a staff nurse position.

My main manager was livid.

She took it very personally and stopped talking to me and greeting me.

I was very hurt initially.

As my practical rotations were about to start I reminded my managers of their promise to be flexible with my schedule.

They seem to be trying to take revenge for his stepping back in his role.

They denied my requests for flexibility and began to schedule me almost entirely for the times I would request off.

At first I was frustrated and very hurt that they did this.

But I remembered that I was approved for FMLA leave.

FMLA is a special form of leave and cannot be denied.

As my managers were not keeping their promises it was with great satisfaction I began to call off every morning I needed to for my rotations.

I didn’t give them any advanced notice because I was not required to.

It was with even greater satisfaction I learned my managers began to have to cover my shifts themselves on occasion.

As I had PTO hours saved up I still got paid as well.

I finished all of my rotations in this manner and took a job at a different system after I graduated.

This must have been very satisfying.

I worked at the new system for a few years before I was hired back at my old system as a provider.

I loved seeing the look on my old manager’s face when I took my first shift at her hospital as a provider and not under her chain of command.

This manager seems to have taken it personally that he was trying to improve himself and putting his own needs first.

Let’s see what the people in the comments section had to say.

The anger they had makes no sense.

It is weird that they went back on their promise.

I would have loved to see it.

This was a huge accomplishment.

He went through a rough time.

These managers went back on their word, and now they are paying for it.

They should have been more supportive.

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.