Throwaway because I'm really not sure how this will go and don't want it attached to my main.


Okay so, to start with I handed in my notice of contract termination at my job the other day. We are required to give 2 weeks notice, so that's exactly what I did. I explained to my boss that I'd found a better paying job elsewhere and would be leaving. He asked me why and I explained that it was simply due to my workplaces refusal to give me holiday time I was due.

As employees we're entitled to 4 weeks off a year, spanning from April to April. If you don't use them within that time period then you just lose them, but if you leave employment in that time you're entitled to be payed all the days you didn't take. I have three weeks. My job has a policy of only four people off at any one time, 3 employees and one manager. The problem is we're a building of 50+ employees so unless you get them all booked right away you'll always have people off on the days you want. 

Now you might be thinking 'well you should just book them earlier'. While you're correct in thinking that, I have to work around my parents schedules too, so when they go on vacations I come home and look after my younger brother and sister. I don't mind this, they're great kids so I'm happy to do it. 

Anyway, as I still have three weeks left and I ended up losing two weeks last year for the same reasons, I figured I could take two weeks off, be happy with that and just lose a week. Nope ,can't be done. My boss has told two others to take two weeks off so he has to say no to me, so he's doing me to lose paid time off the second year in a row.

Okay so onto the meat of this tale. I got a new job, have handed in my two weeks notice and I start on the 18th of 
February. My boss pulls my aside yesterday and asks if I'd be willing to go down to working one day a week until April, as it means he gets a £3,000 bonus for staff retention year to year. If I leave it means we've lost too many people and he doesn't get the bonus. I told my boss that I'd be happy to work one Saturday a week(my new job is Mon-Fri) until mid March on the condition that he gives me my three weeks paid vacation from March-April and that he not change my contract as it means id get paid less for the time taken off, as id be classed as part time from then on and wouldn't be paid as I would've before.

I thought this was a fair request, given that I get paid for the time if I leave anyway, and this way we'd both still get what we want. Nope, my boss loses his sh*t, telling me I'm blackmailing him and what I was requesting was fraud and is illegal. Now I'm not a lawyer, I have no idea if thats true, it just seemed like an idea that I could leave and he'd still receive his bonus. I told him that if he didn't agree to that then I'd be leaving at the end of my notice period at that would be it. He stormed off and the only thing he's said to me since was a snide comment when my colleagues were talking about work he told me 'its not your problem anymore is it?' when I chimed in with a comment.

So Reddit, Am I The Asshole for how I 'blackmailed' my boss. I don't think I am to make it clear, but all his comments has really made me wonder.
