Man's perfect parody of 'toxic' manager's vacation guilt-trip is hilariously relatable
"I’m glad you’re back, but it was very busy for the rest of us!"
Man's parody of a "toxic" manager is painfully relatable.
Ah, that boss—you know the one. When you return from a hard-earned vacation, using the paid time off you’re legally allowed, he walks over to your cubicle and hits you with a series of passive-aggressive comments. Now, instead of feeling re-energized, you’re walking around with an unfair feeling of guilt and discomfort, as if you’re in the doghouse for breaking a non-existent rule. Not cool.
Actor-comedian Ben Sweeny satirizes this unhealthy workplace dynamic in a hilarious—and hopefully not too relatable—video titled "your toxic manager when you get back from vacation." It’s part of a series starring his character Corporate Sween, aka "CEO of Corporate America," known for his generally unpleasant office behavior. Some of these laughs may sting, but they’re worth it.
"I personally never took vacation when I was in your shoes"
In this clip, Corporate Sween confidently struts into an employee’s office, flashing an enthusiastic smile, and very quickly starts grilling them about how their PTO has affected everyone else. "Wow, look who’s back from PTO! Paid. Time. Off," he says, eyes wide. "How was vacation? Yeah, you got some good rest? You got some color! Yeah, you’re looking great. So, listen, I’m glad you’re back, but it was very busy for the rest of us while you were out lollygagging [sic] last week, okay?"
The guilt-trip is heavy: "So I need a very big week from you now that you’re back from vacation," he says. "I personally never took vacation when I was in your shoes, but I guess we’re of a different generation. I guess we’re built a little bit differently." He then checks the employee’s computer, awkwardly requests that they "lock in," and departs the room after one final, uncomfortable throat clear.
"It's just a skit, it's just a skit"
The video earned a big reaction across social media, especially on Instagram, where people seemed to feel very seen. Here are some of the top comments:
"I endured 20 years of this and eventually just thought it was normal 😂"
"I'm on PTO and I'm not looking forward to this…"
"This happened to me just a few days ago coming back from the Holidays, worst feeling ever"
"Lollygagging must be included in corporate dictionaries around the world 🙌🙌🙌"
"Time to take another vacation"
"The aggressive head nod, the upside down smile and lack of blinking. This man could put Pennywise in a PIP"
"It’s just a skit, it’s just a skit…"
"May God deliver me from ever working for this type of company again 😂"
"'Whatchya got cooking today?' Sir, this is not a Wendys"
"Good time to go back on PTO🤣"
- YouTube www.youtube.com
Sweeny has released a treasure trove of other office-cringe-comedy videos, touching on topics like holiday breaks, exit interviews, pay cuts, and productivity. But the PTO clip may touch an even deeper nerve, given that a lot of people don’t know how to handle a passive-aggressive comments from their real life manager. In 2019, Priceline surveyed more than 1,000 full-time U.S. employees, learning that 24% of Gen Z respondents felt guilty about taking a vacation, followed by Millennials (19%), Gen X (16%), and Baby Boomers (8%).
On LinkedIn, career coach Brittany Bishop wrote that, by doing three key things, we can set ourselves up to enjoy PTO guilt-free: "Give [yourself] permission to take the time off," "prepare for the time away in advance," and "actually [leave] work for others to do" and trust that they can make it happen.