What would you do if you have to attend a close relative's funeral on Saturday but your boss doesn't allow you to go?

I would attend the funeral. No one will make my decisions for me when it comes to these important things-- not even a boss, and not even if I lost a job. I am not a slave, and if an employer or supervisor above me really thought a close loved one of mine was less important than a parent-teacher meeting that could be rescheduled or handled in some other way, then he or she could stuff it.

I'm not saying I'd have a big fit of anger or anything, and I'd certainly cooperate in terms of rescheduling the meeting or finding some other way to work it out if I didn't get fired over the issue, but if I were truly close to the person who passed away then the funeral would be my choice. More importantly, I would want to be there to help support and comfort all the other people attending the funeral while we say goodbye and share in the loss. That's the heart of the matter for me.

If my boss really insists that I cannot go to the funeral then I can do nothing about it. There are really people like that who cannot understand. It happened to my husband's comrade.

He really wasn't allowed to go home and be with his wife who was hospitalized because their commanding officer told him that he wasn't a doctor. It really sucks sometimes but you also need your job. What's difficult is it's a close relative's funeral and it is supposed to be the last time you can be able to see him/her physically.

But that's it. You also have to think what's best for you. Just let your other relatives or perhaps visit your dead relative before the funeral and let your other relatives know that you can't attend.

I'm sure they can understand.

I think that if a close relative, such as a parent, grandparent, sister/brother, or (god forbid) a child or spouse passed away, there would be no way I would miss their funeral. If my boss was not flexible enough or too ignorant to understand the value in my being present at the funeral of a loved one, then I am sorry to say, I do not think I would have a future at such a place of employment anyway. Sure, I would likely not contribute much to the funeral other than a bucket full of tears, however, how much could I honestly contribute and be of help during a parent-teacher meeting on a weekend if the only thing on my mind was the fact that I had to sit through that insignificant meeting and miss the last chance to say goodbye to a loved one who had been a part of my life much longer than my job had.

I hate to say it, but sometimes the priorities of employers here in the US are too scrambled and not family-oriented at all. The world does not simply consist of business transactions and unlike what most people may think, money does not make the world go round. Instead, it is the relationships that we enjoy along the way that make our lives significant and can change the world to a better place.

Bye, bye employer, but your position is not worth my time.

Go to the funeral it is your last chance to pay your respects to the person. Get someone to cover your job for you. But I guess this also is a problem that crosses international lines and each country is different.

This is basically a question of ones own values.

To put it bluntly, that really sucks! If it was a very close relative: spouse, mom, dad, sibling, child, I would tell the boss at the job to shove it. If I really needed the job, I guess after the funeral, I'd better get busy and look for a new job.

That is just horrible that a boss would do that to a person. They need to be shot!

I would respectfully explain to the family that my employer will not allow me the day off, and tell them that you will check with them later when your meeting is over.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.