M’sian Follows Company’s Request to Take Unpaid Leave Days Instead of Annual Leave, Gets Warning Letter

A Malaysian employee allegedly received a warning letter from the company they work for after taking leave days based on the company’s arrangement rather than their own.

The employee anonymously took to content creator 高言职学妹‘s XiaoHongShu page to share how they received the warning letter after agreeing to take 3 days of annual leave (AL) and 3 days of unpaid leave as per their company’s request, rather than the 6 days of AL they initially wanted to take.

This image is for illustration purposes only.

Malaysian employee left dumbfounded after getting a warning letter for doing something their company told them to do

They wrote, “A few months ago, I was going on a trip with my family, so I applied for 6 days of AL from my company. In the end, the company refused to approve the leave days and told me that if it were 3 days of AL and 3 days of unpaid leave, then it would be fine.”

“I thought to myself, ‘Okay, the flights and hotels have already been arranged, it would be a waste of money not to go,’ so I agreed immediately.”

However, when they returned from their trip, their company issued them a warning letter, apparently due to the 3 days of unpaid leave.

This image is for illustration purposes only.

“I didn’t know that after returning from my trip, I would receive a warning letter! I really don’t understand why I received a warning letter, so I went to ask the human resources (HR) department. The HR personnel told me, ‘It is because you took 3 days of unpaid leave, the company must issue you a warning letter‘.”

“I was really dumbfounded at that moment. You were the ones who asked me to (take 3 days of unpaid leave) in the first place, and now you’re giving me a warning letter? Is this reasonable?”

This situation has left people baffled

While many questioned why the employee’s initial request for 6 days of AL was rejected, some urged the employee to move on as “it’s just a warning letter“.

“Isn’t AL a company benefit? I don’t quite understand what it means to have to take 3 days of AL and 3 days of unpaid leave. If I have so many days of AL, why should I have to take unpaid leave? I don’t understand.”

“I’m actually quite curious as to why they couldn’t get 6 days of AL. Why does it have to be 3 days of AL and 3 days of unpaid leave?”

“Every company has their own rules. Maybe there wasn’t good communication and HR didn’t explain everything, or maybe the boss told HR to handle things this way. It’s just a warning letter, and there’s no fine. Just let the company do its thing, and don’t let it affect your mood. If you take it seriously, you’ll lose. It’s just a job.”

What would you have done if you were in the employee’s shoes? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.

Also read: M’sian Gets Fired After Refusing to Cancel 7-Day Leave That was Approved a Month in Advance