"I’m concerned about the timing because we won’t have a way to cover Y while you’re out, and I’m concerned that we’ll be setting a precedent where if we approve

"I’m concerned about the timing because we won’t have a way to cover Y while you’re out, and I’m concerned that we’ll be setting a precedent where if we approve it for you, we’ll have to approve it for others." Always the lamest of the lame excuses. If you are a business owner, never use this lame reason. Every agreement between an employee and a company, is just that. An agreement with a specific employee and a company. Companies take on part time workers if they want. Or quarter time workers. Or interns. Different pay rates. All a business owner has to do is say that it is the agreement between the employee and the company. . The reality in any business is that you have A-level employees, B-level, C-level, and "fire that slacker" employees. A good business person will bend over backwards to keep the A-level employees. The A-level employees actually should have total control over management, and management should kiss their asses. It's just the way it is. Those employees are the boss. In most things, the Pareto principle, which states that 80% of the results come from 20% of the causes. So if you have 100 employees, that's 20 employees that do 80% of the work, and 80 employees that do 20% of the work. The A-level employees always have options, so if you fluck with them, they are gone, and you are stuck with your 80 employees that don't do crap. So if you hire an asshole manager or CEO and they treat A-level players like shit, then the A's will leave. Maybe after 2 years, you only have 5 A's. Then your whole business will start spiraling downwards. Give the A's what they want. They are the golden goose. If other employees get resentful, f them, they are easily replaced, much easier to replace them than A players. So treat A's like gold. I mean, if they're a serial killer, or grab titty all the time, then, no, but other than egregious sh-t, go to great lengths to keep the A's. If they want more money, fire 5 of the C-level employees. Whatever you have to do. This is for all you business owners, current or future.