australia's fair work ombudsman is telling people how to take unpaid leave for gta 6

by opOct 8, 2026, 02:53 PM
op
opAdmin
Oct 8, 2026, 02:53 PM

So the Fair Work Ombudsman over in Australia has apparently put out advice for people who want time off to play GTA 6. VGC has the story, and the gist is they're recommending you get your leave requests in early. Not paid leave necessarily, unpaid leave. Which is kind of wild for a government body to be doing.

I get it though. November 19 is coming up fast, so if you want a long weekend or a full week, you need to ask your boss now. Especially in jobs where leave gets approved on a first come basis. The ombudsman isn't saying your employer has to give you the time off, just that if you want it, don't wait until the week before and expect it to be approved.

Unpaid leave is a bit of a different beast in Australia compared to some places. You generally need a valid reason and your employer can say no. So the fact they're flagging GTA 6 as something worth planning around is funny. I can already see some HR person reading this and rolling their eyes.

I've already got a couple days booked around launch. Not unpaid, just annual leave, but I had to put it in back in July because everyone in my office knows what November 19 is. If you're in Australia and you haven't sorted it yet, this is probably your sign.

Would you actually take unpaid leave just to play a game at launch, or is that a step too far?


Source: VGC · Curated content.

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