Under the Labor Standards Law in Japan, taking annual paid leave (within the allotted holidays) is a protected worker's right. However, that doesn't mean there aren't certain companies, some with perhaps less favorable reputations, that have a work environment that makes it difficult to get that paid time off even when properly requested.

So when Twitter user HAL (@HAL1986____) shared an excerpt from a group chat of their company saying that a junior employee was rejected when they requested paid leave for half a day, many assumed it was yet another case of an unhealthy workplace. Instead, the post has now blown up on Twitter with many praising the company for saying no, of all things.

Here's the translated excepts of the chat, starting with the junior worker requesting time off because their computer wasn't functioning properly:

The young employee was having trouble with their computer, and needed time to sort things out that would eat up some of their work day. However, when they requested paid time off, they were promptly discouraged from doing so by their senior workers in the company group chat:

The rejection for the paid leave wasn't because of any sort of workplace pressure or mean spirited refusal. Instead, the employee's colleagues were encouraging the worker to not use their precious paid leave on something that is OK to do during time on the job. As they made it clear, repairing items used for work during work hours is natural, part of the job, and thus there's no problem.

Encouraged by this, the junior worker withdrew their application, and was able to successfully repair their computer--to which the rest of the group chat responded with celebratory emoiji.

The exchange went viral (due in part to the Japanese HAL uses in their post, calling their company "yabai", which can have a negative meaning like "crazy", but can also be used with a more positive nuance), with many on Twitter uplifted by the friendly work atmosphere. The post received a lot of praise in the replies, no doubt from those who've had to navigate getting time off in tough situations before: