Her Boss Said She Had ‘No Respect For Protocol’ Because She Did This. Was She Wrong?

A woman is confused as to whether she should have given up her first class plane ticket to her boss who was flying on the same flight.

When it comes to etiquette and protocol, one situation that has caused much debate recently is whether or not a person should give their boss their upgrade to first class on an airplane. This situation has left the woman involved wondering if she handled the situation correctly. Recently, the woman in question who was upgraded to first class and their boss who was not, sparked a discussion about the appropriate etiquette in such a situation.

She Flies To A Conference With Her Boss

The story began when a woman who was also a frequent traveler and her boss were flying home after a conference. The woman earned a free upgrade to first class, while her boss did not.

After the flight, the boss asked the woman to discuss what she saw as a “lack of respect for protocol”.

“The company paid for my original ticket,” explains the woman, “but it was my own personal credit card spending and frequent travel that earned me the upgraded seat.”

The question now is, is the woman’s unwillingness to give the seat to her boss an act of disrespect, or something else?

“I think this is absolutely insane,” the woman said, as she wondered if there is a corporate standard that the she is somehow is unaware of.

Others Weigh In

Many advise the woman to speak with the company’s HR department.

“If you want to be safe going forward you can always email HR and ask ‘X happened while on this trip and Manager Y advised that I should have done Z,'” suggested one commenter. “Can you point me to where I can review the protocols so I know going forward? It documents the incident without being accusatory and lets you be able to cite chapter and verse if there’s a next time.”

Another commenter is obviously very annoyed at the woman’s boss. The commenter asked, “Is your boss 5? What protocol says you have to give gifts to your boss?”

“This was your upgrade, not a company upgrade,” added another. “I’d keep an eye on this boss from here and document anything in case of retaliation.”

“The upgrade was connected to your own personal credit card use,” commented another. “Your boss is a bully and she is being completely insane about this. If she brings it up again, I’d just tell her that she is wrong and leave it at that. Document this too, in case you need to take it to HR.”

“The entitlement of your boss is astounding,” wrote another. “As long as the company allows you to use your card for miles (not all do), you’ve done nothing wrong. You could have used those miles on whatever. She could have paid extra for the upgrade, as well, but she CHOSE not to.”

This article has been inspired by Reddit and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Arnie Nicola