The following happened a few years ago and has been condensed for storytelling purposes.

I work in an office for an international company. We have offices all over North America, Europe, and Asia. I’m based in New York. My boss wanders up at 8 AM and says to me:

Boss: “Remember we have [International Transfer] starting today. He’s here for two months to get [project] up and running.”

Me: “Didn’t I hear from HR that there was an issue with getting him here so early?”

Boss: “Yeah, his boss tried to delay it, but I went to [Big Scary Boss] and insisted he must start today.”

9 AM rolls around, and the new guy saunters into the office. His gait seems purposefully casual.

Boss: *Running up to him.* “Where have you been?! It’s nine!”

International Transfer: “Yes. We start the workday at 9 AM, do we not?”

Boss: “Only on paper. It’s strongly encouraged to come in at 8 AM to ensure that—”

International Transfer: “—Well then I strongly encourage you to put down on paper that my start time is 8 AM.”

Boss: “That’s not how it works.”

International Transfer: “If you say that is not how it works, then that is also not how I work. Anyway, I just came to introduce myself. I will see you in three weeks.”

Boss: “Wha… what do you mean?”

International Transfer: “I had my annual leave approved to start from today, for three weeks. Your boss told my boss that I had to come into the office today to introduce myself to you. So here I am, introducing myself to you today. But HR rules also stated that my three weeks of annual leave can’t be cancelled once approved, so I’m going to start it right now. I think I might go see The Met.”

Boss: “That’s not gonna fly. You’re here to start [project] today.”

International Transfer: “I did, by introducing myself. See you!”

Boss: “What makes you think you can just walk out and take three weeks of vacation just like that?!”

International Transfer: “I’m French. Au revoir!”

True to his word, the French Transfer just waltzed out. [Boss] was livid, and called his boss, who spoke to the European Boss, and after much shouting, it was established that European law was very strict and his vacation time (of which he gets six freaking weeks a year) was approved and couldn’t be taken away. This had been explained to our boss, but he had assumed that the vacation time could just be cancelled and didn’t look at the European HR rules. 

Because our boss had insisted on the French guy coming in today, the company had paid for the business-class flight from Paris to New York for him. That’s when he decided he’d be vacationing in New York for three weeks, with flight and fancy hotel paid for by the company, thanks to our boss’s insistence to get him in the office TODAY. 

He came back three weeks later and used his expertise to get the project completed on time and on budget (he was really REALLY good), but by golly, was our boss angry the entire time.