The Moment Finance Professional Felt Officially Old
Gaurav Sharma, an experienced finance professional, recently experienced what he calls his official "I'm getting old" moment in the most unexpected way. The revelation came through a bizarre leave application from one of his young team members that left him completely stunned.
Sharma took to LinkedIn to share this humorous yet thought-provoking incident that has since gone viral across social media platforms. The story begins with a simple leave request that turned into a cultural eye-opener for the seasoned professional.
The 'Sicko Leave' Revelation
It all started when Sharma received a leave application from a young employee that read "Sicko Leave." Initially assuming it was a typographical error for standard sick leave, the finance manager decided to clarify the matter personally.
"So I called him in and checked, 'Hey, you meant sick leave on that email, right?' And this young gentleman responds - very calmly - 'No sir, Sicko Leave. Travis Scott is performing in Mumbai that day,'" Sharma recounted in his LinkedIn post.
The employee had specifically requested leave for Wednesday, 19th November to attend American rapper Travis Scott's concert in Mumbai. The young professional had even secured tickets for the highly anticipated event.
What made the application particularly memorable was the justification provided: "While it's important to work, it's just as important to vibe. So please consider this my official application for one day of Sicko Leave - purely in the interest of maintaining work-life balance and cultural relevance."
Generational Divide in Work Culture
This encounter left Gaurav Sharma genuinely shocked, representing what he described as a clear generational divide in workplace attitudes. Coming from an era where leave was typically reserved for genuine illness, family functions, or the classic "grandparent passing away" excuse, the concept of "Sicko Leave" for concert attendance was completely foreign to him.
"Apparently, attending a concert is now a valid reason to apply for leave. And we are giving it names too!" he expressed in his viral post.
Despite being a music lover himself, Sharma questioned whether he had "fostered the wrong work culture" if concerts were becoming acceptable reasons for mid-week leave requests.
The incident highlights the evolving nature of work-life balance expectations among younger professionals, who are increasingly transparent about their personal priorities and entertainment commitments.
LinkedIn Community Reacts
The post sparked widespread discussion and humorous reactions from LinkedIn users across different generations and professional backgrounds.
One user commented, "Even though I don't belong to this generation (and I still come up with 100 believable excuses for a mid-week break), I'm honestly a bit jealous of them. They know how to draw boundaries and maintain balance."
Another perspective praised the transparency: "I believe you have fostered the right work culture when your team member has been able to openly tell you the truth of his actual reasons for taking a leave."
Several users defended the young employee's approach, with one quipping, "This is valid reason, sir," while another observed, "The evolution of the 'dead grandparent' excuse to 'Travis Scott is performing' is truly the ultimate metric for measuring how times have changed."
One professional highlighted the positive aspect of this trend: "Asking for leave without having to justify the reason with fake, heavy or personal explanations is the new culture and this change was much needed."
Travis Scott's Mumbai Concert Context
The concert that sparked this entire discussion was indeed a significant event. American rapper Travis Scott performed in Mumbai on November 19 at the Mahalaxmi Race Course, with the event scheduled to begin at 5 PM.
This marked Scott's first-ever performance in Mumbai and his second show in India, following his October 18 performance at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
The incident has opened up broader conversations about generational expectations in the workplace, transparency in leave applications, and how companies are adapting to changing attitudes toward work-life integration among younger employees.
