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From managers denying time off to fighting for half-days on Sundays, users share their own exhausting experiences with corporate burnout
‘Paid Leaves Are Our Right, Not A Favour’: Woman Calls Out Toxic Work Culture, Employees React | Video
How much anxiety do you feel right before clicking the “Submit Leave Request” button at work? For the average corporate employee, taking a perfectly legal, pre-approved holiday isn’t just a matter of logging off—it often comes wrapped in a thick layer of dread, over-preparation, and unearned shame.
A content creator named Maheer has gone viral on Instagram after perfectly capturing this precise professional struggle, initiating a conversation on the pressure built into modern day-jobs. In a candid video, she called out the systemic flaws that make working professionals feel like criminals for utilising their own employment benefits.
‘We Constantly Need To Earn Our Right To Pause’
The entire conversation kicked off when Maheer shared her internal conflict over taking a short break for the holidays. Despite setting up her desk for a seamless absence, the heavy corporate conditioning still managed to creep in.
“Why do corporate jobs make you feel guilty for using the leaves you are literally allowed to take? I am taking a paid leave on Eid day 3, and the funniest part is, I’ve already planned all my work around it. I’ll finish everything before the leave. I’m not disappearing randomly. I’m literally using one of my allowed leaves. So, why do I still feel guilty?”
She noted that this isn’t an isolated incident, but an unspoken reality for millions of white-collar workers worldwide who feel they constantly have to write essays to justify a simple absence.
“And I know so many corporate employees understand this feeling. That weird anxiety before taking a leave, that feeling that you need to overexplain yourself, that guilt like you’re disappointing someone just because you want one day for yourself. And I think corporate culture slowly conditions you into feeling like rest needs justification.”
Taking a vacation shouldn’t double as a character flaw or an indicator of a weak work ethic.
“But recently, I realised something. At the end of the day, this is my job. I care about my work, I try my best, I do everything responsibly, but my entire existence cannot revolve around productivity. And taking a leave on Eid does not make me lazy, irresponsible, or unserious about my career. I think a lot of us are struggling with this toxic guilt around resting. Like we constantly need to earn our right to pause.” Sharing the clip with the apt caption, “corporate culture really convinces you that resting is something you need to earn first,” she instantly hit a nerve across social media platforms.
Internet Responds: ‘The Overexplaining Is So Real’
The comment section quickly turned into a therapeutic safe space for overworked professionals, with thousands of users validating her points and sharing their own workplace horror stories.
Many users immediately identified with the mental weight of trying to log off:
“This is exactly how I feel every time I apply for leave.”
“The overexplaining part is so real.”
“Corporate guilt is honestly exhausting.”
“Rest should not come with shame.”
Others pointed out that time off is literally built into financial compensation packages, meaning employees shouldn’t have to beg for it like a favour: “Paid leaves are part of our rights, not a favour.”
“This needs to be said louder.”
“Workplaces need to normalise people taking their own leaves.”
Meanwhile, a few users shared incredibly toxic exchanges they encountered with their own upper management, proving that the corporate pushback against rest is alive and well on a daily basis. Other comments on the reel included:
“Yeah you have to give them a reason a justification “ that by the way should be justified for them to be considered taking a leave” otherwise I was told that “ you had weekend to do this “ bro wth”
“yeah my boss doesn’t let me take leaves though, it’s a tough life sigh”
“u don’t know struggle till you have to fight your manager to take half a day off on a sunday to attend your best friends wedding”
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